A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OK THE 



LUUtAR 



NIW YOl 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. u*«o<* 



Vol. XIV. No. 34 i 



BARBADOS, AUGUST It, 1915. 



Price Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Ankylostomiasis iu 

 Grenada 



Bengal, Scienl ific Agrieul 

 ture in 



Birds, Value of 



Butter, Effect of Cane 

 Top Fodder "ii i lie < lon- 

 sistency of 



Cacao, Manuring of 



Cacao and Rubber, Com- 

 mercial Notes "ii 



Minimal Experi 

 ments in Porto Rico ... 



t loco inn Estate, Measur 

 ing the Development 

 of a 



Coffee Pulp as Manure ... 



Cotton Notes 



Vnnual Report of the 

 Brit ish Cotton Gn i\\ 

 Lng Association for 1914 

 West Indian Cotton ... 



1 1 pai tmental Reports ... 



I)\. . \ New Vegetable ... 



Egret and Heron Rearing 

 in Madagascar 



I- -i uffs, Tropical, Diges 



tibility <>f some 



Fungus Notes: 



Lime a^ a Factor in Ri 

 sistance to Disease ... 



LGE 



267 



257 



263 

 263 



'-•71 



261 



260 

 265 



262 

 2(12 

 263 

 262 



269 



261 



270 



Page. 



Fungus Notes (Cont'd.): 

 Successful Spraying of 

 Palm Trees in India... 270 



Gleanings 268 



Insect Notes 

 ( laterpillars Attacking 



Sugar-cane 206 



Insect Pests in Barbados 

 in 1913-14 266 



Market Reports 272 



Milk, i 'Ivan 262 



\ and Comments ... 264 



I '] i ... | ihorus, Importance of 259 



l*i i if apple Plant ing, Some 

 Experiments in 260 



I: fall and the 'Degree 

 ..f Wetness' 265 



Snil Moisture, Conserva- 

 tion of 267 



Sugar Industry: 



Bi n ish i lane Sugar ... 258 

 West Indian Sugar in 

 London 259 



Teh phone Troubles in the 

 Tropics -tii 



Vegi table Products, N<« 264 



Weeds, Wow Lamp for 

 Killing 267 



Weeds, Eradicating with 

 Manure 267 



West Indian Products ... 271 



The Value of Birds. 



AWS for the protection of wild birds during 

 ^certain seasons have been passed 1>\ most 

 (civilized countries in recenl years, and many 

 6ftheWes1 Indian Colonies have not been backward 

 in this respect. Such action has been taken because 

 it has come to be generally accepted thai birds are 

 verj indispensable allies to man in his struggle for 



pxistenci especially to the agriculturist. It bi tea 



necessary therefore to protecl these allies from the 



indiscriminate destruction, which since the introduction 

 nl firearms, has been made easy. There are four 

 incentives which lead to the slaughtei of wild birds. 

 First, many species are good for food; secondly, many 

 species possess plumage which is prized for ornamental 

 purposes; thirdly, many species have been looked upon, 

 rightly or wrongly, as vermin to be exterminated it' 

 possible; and lastly, there is the reckless mischief of the 



small boy. 



Ii has been recorded from many places, thai the 

 wholesale destruction of any kind of bird for either of 

 these four reasons, has led to disastrous results to'the 

 farmer or planter, on accounl of the increase of pests 

 which destroy his crops when the number of natural 

 enemies of these pests has been verj much dimin- 

 ished. Hence the almost universal approval of laws for 

 the protection of hinls. 



Minis are beneficial to man's interest, not only 

 when wild, as allies against the insect pests of his 

 crops, but also as his servants when domesticated, and 

 as assistants in his pursuit of knowledge, especially 

 with regard to the laws which govern hereditj and 

 the transmission of characteristics from parents to 

 offspring. 



It may ho of interest to take some examples of 

 well-known West [ndian birds, and to point out how 

 they are of use to th< West, [ndian farmer or planter, 



and in fad to the whole community. 



It has been argued thai the black bird' of 

 Barbados, Quiscalusfortirostris, is not wholhj beneficial 



to that island, because it has frequently bei □ observed 

 as a pest, in fields of corn, and also destroys a good deal 

 of fruit, When, however, the greal number of grubs 

 and other insects which n chieflj feeds on is 

 into consideration, it would seem that it would be 



