328 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ol TOBEK 9, 1915. 



EDITORIAL 



Head Office 



NOTICES. 



Barbados. 



Letters and matter for publi< i II as all 



specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 ^Barbados. 



All applications for copies pi th Agricultural 

 Hews 1 .-mil other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents and nofcto the Department. 



The complete list ol Agents, and the subscription 

 and advertisemenl rates, will be found on page 3 of 

 the c<>\ i 



Imperial Commissioner of Francis Watts, CM G - D Si 

 Agriculhm foi the West. Indies K.I C, F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC ST Ml . 



Scientific Assistant 

 Assistant Editor 

 Entomologist 

 Mycologist 



W. R. Imnlnp. 



H. A. Ball, .u, M.S. 



W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



i|. \l SI IFF. 



Chief Clerl 



Assist" n l i 

 Junior ( 'I ml, 



Assistant Junior ( 7. 



Typist 



Assistants for Publications 



A. (i. Howell. 



M. B. Connell. 



W. P. Bovell. 



P. Taylor. 



Miss B. Ki>liiiisuii. 



( A. B.Price, Fell. Journ.Inst. 



\L. A. Corbin. 



Jlflricultuntl llrini 



"Vol. XIV. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1915. No. 351. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this issue deals with the position 

 of the West Indies in relation to the potash famine. 



A useful note on how to avoid errors in field trials 

 ■with sugar-cane will be found on page 322. 



Considerable space is devoted in this issue on 

 pages 324 and '\2~>. to information concerning 

 co-operative movements in the Weal Indies. 



Iiis.ct Notes comprise an article on tlje acrobat 



which ini\ possible become a pesl of cacao in 



■nada Under Plan) Diseases will be found an 



i portanl article on thi effects of exposun on lime 



Concerning Agricultural Industries in Demerara. 



The Mail edition of the Demerara Bail) Argosy 

 (September 18, 1915) contains several items of interesl 

 affecting the agricultural industries of that colony. 

 Amongsl these is the publicati i joinl report by 



the Director and Assistant Directoi of Science and 

 Agriculture covering reports from the Imperial 

 Institute on the cottons produced bj experiments 

 carried out by the Department of S md Agricul- 



ture in the cultivation of Sea Island cotton in the 

 lony. The numerous experiments made since 1902 

 with regard to the cultivation oi Si i Island cotton 

 having demonstrated that this variety could not be 

 successfully cultivated, efforts were directed towards 

 raising hybrids between the Sea Island and the native 

 Buck cotton, the object beingto combine the vigour 

 and perennial habit of the latter with the quality 

 ofthe lint of the former. This object has now been 

 attained, as is shown by the reporl from the Imperial 

 Institute whereinthe following passage occurs; i 

 satisfactory to observe thai the aim ol obtaining 

 a Hack x Sea [slandhybrid yielding a cotton oflong 

 staple has been achieved.' The brokers' valuation of 

 the lint from tin- different hybrid cottons varied from 

 I Yd. to 14(7. per lb. with the host Barbados Sou Island 

 at \-lld. per lb. 



Another item of interest concerns the outlook for 

 the rice crop. The plantings this year are said to be so 

 extensive as to give promise of a record crop; but the 

 rice cultivation throughout the eni ire colony is suffering 

 from the effects of drought. The period is regarded as 

 a critical one; for ai a ferine when the price of imported 

 foodstuffs is high and when so much depends upon an 

 abundant rice crop, it would be a misfortune if thi 

 were to be am seii. .us tailur.- of production consequent 

 on drought. At the time of writing (October 4) the 

 weather conditions, we hear, have not \ et improved. 



The occurrence of a fungus disease attacking the 

 leaves and stems of Para rubber t rees is also mentioned. 

 This was first observed in 1913 in two ofthe larger 

 cult nations in the colony. It has now been recorded 

 from all three counties Demerara, Essequebo and 

 Berbice; but as far as is known, rubber growing on the 

 coastland is tree from it. The fungus organism 

 which causes thediseaseis said to be Pasmlora Beveue. 

 Spraying the plants thorough!) with Bordeaux mixture 

 twice at an interval of one month, the collection and 

 ilesiruetn.il of fallen leaves, and (in cases where 



'flu hack occurs) the re val of the dead branches, are 



the remedies recommended. 



In connexion with the cam sugar industry of 

 i he colony it is stated in the same journal that 

 a new departure will be intioduced on January 1 

 next when Mr. .1. K. Bovell, head oi the Agricul- 

 tural Department of Barbados, will take up an 

 appointment as agricultural experl to Messrs. Curtis, 

 Campbell & Co. To this end Mr. Bovell, who, it is 

 said, will relinquish his appointment under the Govern- 

 ment of Barbados as at December -'II next, arrived in 

 the colon) early in September with the object ol 

 visiting the estates owned bj his prospective employers. 

 Messrs. < 'm i is. ( lampbell & < !o. an also expecting the 



