168 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



M vv 22, 1915. 



EDITORIAL 



111 \n ( >] in ,: 



NOTICES. 



— Barbados. 



Letti ra .Hi': matter for publication, as well as -ill 

 specimens tor naming should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the ' Agricultural 

 News and other Departmental publications, should !»■ 

 addressed to the Agents, and uot to the Departm 



The complete list of Agents, and the subscription 

 and advertisement rates, will be found on page 3 oi 

 the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Francis Watts, C.M.6., D.Sc. 

 Agricultiiri for the West Indies F.l.C, F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC • i vi i - 



I isistant and 

 Assistant Editor 

 Entomologist 

 Mycologist 



VV. It. Duolop. 



II. \. Ballou, M.Sr. 



W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



CLERICAL M mi 



Chief CI,, I. 

 Assistant (Merit 

 Jvmior i 'I, , I. 

 Assistant Junior Clerk 

 Typist 



Assistants fi>r Pvblii 



k. G. Howell. 



M. B. Connell. 



W. P. Bovell. 



P. T. Taylor. 



Miss B. Robinson. 



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



jL. A. Corbin. 



Agricultural jOeius 



Vol. XIV. SATl'KDAV, MAY 22, 191.".. No. 341. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this number deals with the 

 functions of calcium carbonate in the soil with special 

 reference to th< Tropics. 



Exports from Dominica, 1914. 



A statement of thef imports and exports of Dom- 

 inica in 1914 discloses thai the value of the lime pro- 

 ducts exported was £149,018, compared with £142,431 

 m 1913, and £96,673 in l!H2. An analysis of the first; 

 total given, shows il to be composed of the following 

 items: limes, green £43,237; limes, pickled, £572; lime 

 juice, raw, £25,753: lime juice concentrated, £68,7 

 lime juice cordial, £564, lime oil, distilled, £4,176; lime 

 oil, ecuelled, £5,962. 



Oranges were also shipped valued al £518, and 

 orange oil £135, whilst the cacao exported was worth 

 £20,024 a falling off on the previous year's figures of 

 £4,735. Coco-nuts were valued at 1 1 ,7-">:> an inn. 

 of £746 over the previous year's export, whilst. Bay "il 

 was valued a1 £ 161. 



A review of an interesting 1 k dealing with 



useful tropical plants of the NaturalOrder Leguminosae, 

 appears on page I n">. 



The feeding and mammal value of Indian corn 

 (with special reference to Antigua) receives attention 



<.ii page Itiii. 



Insect, Notes, which will be found mi pag< L70 

 ■ leal with the difficulties of plant quarantine. 



'I'll" linn articles In this issue deal with the 

 marketing of oranges and ground nuts, and the fermen- 

 ■!i ol cacao. 



Most of ' he produce represented 

 returns went to the United Kingdom. 



by the ah. 



Treatment of Seeds for Planting. 



The following practical sug - have been 



issued by the Jamaica Agricultural Society in regard 

 to the treatmer.1 of seeds for planting: — 



All corn (maize), ami especially Guinea corn 

 (Sorghum) seeds should be treated before planting to 

 prevent them being eaten by mice, rats, ants and birds. 

 When Guinea corn is planted without any safeguard 

 it is usually the case that ants attack it within a fi 

 hours et planting, eal out the germ, ami few of :h • 

 grains grow: then the seed is blamed. 



There are two simple ways of treating these 

 grains. For Guinea corn we prefer to take a pudding 

 pan half full of wood-ashes; take enough kerosene i 



damp this, hut m>t to make a thin paste. Soak the 

 Is tin- two or three hours in water, then put them 

 in the mixture and shake it through. The seeds _ 

 coated and can then be planted: some then shake 

 through a sieve to get rid of the superfluous wood-ashes, 

 but. this is mit necessary. 



The cirn (maize) can als. i he treated in this way 

 or by being coated with tar. Take coal tar. thin it 

 with kerosene if necessary, put the corn in a sieve <>\- 

 pudding pan with holes punched in it, then pour the 

 tar mi and lei it run through; or the corn can he put 

 in a bucket or kerosene tin, the tar poured on, the mi 

 shaken until all the com is treated, and the superfluous 

 tar can he poured oft'. The tar method is a mess\ one 

 hut very effective. 



We have found it sufficient to soak the grain in 

 tar water which is made bj keeping water for some 

 weeks on tar, ami stirring occasionally: then draw off 

 enough of the water to soak the seed for three or four 



hours in it. 



Altogether the kerosene and wood-ashes method is 

 the cleanest and easiest. 



