Vo,.. XIV. No. .".H. 



THE AGKIUULTl'KAL NEWS 



2 1 5 



The cultivation of coco-nuts still remajy the most 



progressive industries in the colony. Mi. acn ige returns 

 show a further increase from 13.69S i i in 1912 to 14,177 in 

 1913. There was a considerable increase in the exports of both 

 nuts and copra, but the increase would have been greater 

 still if it had not been for thi i rding inrli nces of the 

 11)11 12 drought. Commentinj begeneral condition 



of coco-nut cultivation in Demerara, Professor Harrison 

 not sufficient attention is being ; dd to proper drain 

 age and cultivation. Overcrowding is to be noticed on 



certain estates and the propoi tio nuts is low, 



;,,„! hence the greater proportion of the crop must be 

 manufactured into oil and copra. On neglected cultivations 

 diseases are prevalent, and for the safety of the coco-nut 

 industry a I'.ill has been passed which became law in 

 August 1914, under the title of Plant Diseases and Pests 

 Ordinance of 191 I. The coming into bearing of the varieties 

 of coco-nuts obtained from Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago 

 have afforded some interesting obsen itions. As regards the 

 first-mentioned class, two of these varieties are "I promise 

 and their ripe nuts are being used for planting. The 

 Trinidad strains have yielded heavily, the nuts being me. limn 

 sized. It would appear, however, that plants raised from the 

 colony's coco-nuts are better suited to the local heavy soils. 

 An examination of the specific chara I the nuts yielded 



by different varieties leads to the conclusion that cross- 

 fertilization may take place in a-grove, md that plants are by 



no means likely always to come true to the specific ty] f 



their parent palm. Hence in selecting nuts for planting 

 it is advisable not to select from single trees of a desired type. 

 but from trees growing in groups of which all or the major 

 part are of the desired type. 



Several pages of information are given concerning the 

 experimental work with rubber, of which the principal plant 

 grown is the Para rubber (//> i'eu brasiliensis). Other horti- 

 agricultural industries referred to are cacaO.and limes. The 

 last-named crop is regarded as a promflfog industry, which 

 unfortunately received a set-back by the closing down in 191 1 

 of the citrate of lime factory. The recent installation of two 

 citrate of lime tart. .lies in the colony, and the contemplated 

 erection of a factor} for lime products at < (nderneeming School 

 Farm .1. . nl. tless will supply tie' much needed stimulus tor this 

 otherwise very promising industry. In regard to pastoral 

 pursuits, reference is made to the increasing number of cattle 

 and sheep, and mention is made of the valuable services 

 rend< re.l by the veterinary staff-during the year under review, 

 in connexion with the outbreak of mafcflewstderas. Professor 

 Harrison's report concludes with a review of educational work 

 with which he has been associated tor over thirty years 



The remainder ol the publication under review (i.e. in space 

 the greater part) consists of detailed reports by the < Government 

 Analyst, the Government Botanist, and other members of the 

 staff." [n the report on the Botanic Gardens and their work, 

 a useful collection of descriptions of mangoes is to be noted, 

 and some interesting facts concerning the West African oil 

 palm. Xipa palms, Areca palms, balata an. I ginger lily. The 

 nil palm seeds imported from West Africa germinated very 



satisfactorily, an. I more have I n ordered. Mr. Bancroft 



points out that there are two distinct varieties of oil 

 palm growing in tic- Botanic Gardens, vhich are easily dis- 

 tinguished bj thecharacter of theii leavfl&and fruits. Interest 

 attaches to the ginger lily {HedyehiMun coromrium) on 

 account of its great value as a source oi fibre for paper 

 making. This matter was dealt with two years ago in the 

 Keu Bulletin, ami referred to in the A'/riodtural flews. The 

 ginger lily in British Guiana seems to be very particular 



as to its environment, and will only grow vigorously in 



a damp situation with a loose soil c mo i j 



organic matter. 



A reference of i inl n ide to | he - 



bean a crop which has nol proved up to the present a 

 factory one for the West Indies, li is said that a Soya Lean 

 has now been obtained in British Guiana from Venezuela 

 which is presumably well lited to tropical cultivation, li 

 this actually proves t.. be a thoroughly acclimatized variety, 

 its economic importance will he considerable, and there will 

 be i .. u. til demand in ol hei part - of the tropics I 

 o i ed. 



The scientific inve tigations in this report on the 

 Botanic Gardens and its work principallj concern my 

 just as the report of the Economic Biologist which follows, 

 pertains to the investigation of insect pests. The infor 

 matioii in these sections together with that in the report of 



the veterinary surgeon will i Lye notice in a future issue 



of this journal, on pages especially devoted to these subj 



NORTHERN NIGERIA: REPORT ON Till-: AGR1 

 CULTURAL DEPARTUK.XT. 1913, 



Mr. P. H. Lamb, the Director of Agriculture, has for- 

 warded a copy of this report with an expression of i . 

 its publication has been so long delayed. 



The report provides interesting information on several 

 crops which are common to both Nigeria and the West 

 [ndies. Mention is made, for instance, of the Bambarra 

 ground nut, and this is considered to be a useful crop 

 for certain districts where the ordinary ground nuts do 

 not flourish. It was first described some three years ago 

 when a small parcel of seed was sent to Kew for distri- 

 bution to various Botanic Stations in different parts of 

 the world. With reference to rubber, the Director is of 

 opinion that Funtumia elastica is not worthy of attention as 

 a plantation tree. Experiments are being started with Para 

 and (Jeara. 



Turning to cotton, a crop which is more fully dealt witli 

 than the others in the report, it would seem that this cultiva- 

 tion can never occupy in Northern Nigeria anything but 

 a position of quite secondary importance owing to the limited 

 growing season during which the land must be reserved for 

 the production of provisions. It is pointed out, however, 

 that if early maturity be made a principal factor in the process 

 of selection, pnospects will l.e'improved. The kinds of cotton 

 that exist in Northern Nigeria are interesting: there are loin- 

 distinct species in cultivation, namely, Gos&ypiumperuvianwm, 



<;. punctatum. G. obtusifClivM, G. arboreum. The first m id, 



is, speaking generally, by far the commonest type, and prob 

 ably 95 per cent, of the cotton handled by the British 

 Cotton (Irowing AssocjatiofiBonsists of this species. 



Recent developments In Northern Nigeria ofanagricul 

 tural nature include the opening of a school farm where 

 important selection work In- Keen started and a considerable 

 number of Live-stock installed of good pedigree, including 

 ostriches, cattle, sheep, donkeys and goats. It would appear 

 that developments m,i\ follow in regard to developing the 

 forestry resources of Northern Nigeria, for as the Director 

 points out, although Northern Nigeria i> not nearly SO wall 



timbered as Southern Nigeria, the fact remains that the 

 sylvan products «.f tin- Protectorate, namely, wild rubber and 



gum, represent considerably more than half of the entire 



exports, with the exception 1 of tin and Live-stock. 



