A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. XIV. No. 348. 



BARBADOS, AUGUST 28, 1915. 



Price Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



B«ok Shelf 287 



Botanic Gardens, Historj 



and Fund ions of . ... 281 

 Carbon Dioxide ' ■•<- in 



Incubation -7'i 



■ Oil Seeds, 1 '■ • i --< ■ 1 1 



.hi-. Nature of 276 



i loffee, Jai anese, and i lie 



< ti >\ eminent 287 



Cotton Notes: 



West 1 1" nO >n ... 278 



Department News 279 



Departmental Reports ... 277 

 Feeding Stuffs, Tropical, 



I tilization of in I Hi t • •< I 



Kingdom -77 



Fungus Noti - 



Bntomogei ous Fungi of 

 Ponto Rico 



The I se of Fungous 

 Parasiti s in Scale In- 

 sect Control 



German South \\ est \i i ica, 



Res 'in ces of 



Gleanings 



Grenada, Meeting of the 

 Agricultural and Com- 



mercial Si oietj of 



286 



286 



si a 



284 



278 



Page. 



Hydraulic Rams 285 



Insect Notes: 



Fumigation of Baled 



Cotton 282 



Notes "ii Porto Rico 



Insects 282 



Items ni Local Interest ... 278 



Market Reports 288 



Not '- and Comments ... 280 



Poisonous Beans 280 



Prog) ess in the < !ane Sugar 



Industry 281 



Rubber, Para, Vulcaniza- 

 tion Experiment on ... 283 



Storm-Damaged Crops ... 273 

 Sugar Industry 



Cuban Sugar Factorj 



Results 274 



Possible Extension oi 

 Sugar Cultivation in 



Trinidad 275 



Sugar cane Wax 275 



Tomatoes, Inheritance of 



Size in ... 283 



Trinidad and Tobago Wild 



Birds and Wild Animals 

 Protect ion < Irdinance... 280 



Storm-Damaged Crops. 



II K high winds that have recently been 

 experienced in many of the Wesl Indian 

 islands, and the circumstance that the 

 hurricane season is not yet over render opportune 

 a consideration of the damage sometimes inflicted on 

 certain crops by wind, and the ways and means of 

 repairing the injury as far as is practicable. 



Speaking generally, most tropical plants an' not 

 well adapted to withstand winds. Cacao, bananas, 

 rubber, cotton and limes are notable examples. The 

 coco nut is an except ion. Because of this general rule, 

 much importance is attached to the selection of 

 sheltered localities, and to the provision of wind-breaks, 

 bul even where these conditions are secured the} are 

 of little avail in the event of a heavj gale or hurricane. 

 As would be expected, the perennial or orchard crops 

 fare worst, and thedamage is naturally ofa veryserioua 

 nature owing to the comparatively long time it rakes 

 tore-establish these cultivations. 



Jamaica is a West Indian colon} which has from 

 time to time suffered greal losses from the widespread 

 destruction of banana trees. In advising the repair 

 of the damage done on these occasions the Agricultural 

 Society suggests that old fields of bananas on large 

 estates should be cut down knee high and fresh 

 suckers planted in between. For the small holder, 

 who requires bananas for food and net tor export, it 

 is best i" leave the battered trees as they are. for even 

 if they give rise only to small bunches of fruit, these 

 will be valuable for food, even though they are useless 

 fir export. Peas and beans (but not sweet potatoes 

 and pumpkins) should lie placed m between the rows. 

 The sweet potato is a useful emergenc} crop to be 

 grown by itself, and in the hurricane season supplies of 

 cuttings should be kept available for distribution. 

 That is to say, plains should be kept available, for 

 a sweet potato cutting itself will not keep longer than 

 about three 'lays. < >f all crops which appear to 

 resist storms most in Jamaica is the coco {Golocasia 

 antiquorurri), but after a storm the small holder 

 cannol do better than plant peas and beans, for these 

 plants are quick growers, soil-enriching, and the most 

 nutritious of all vegetable foodstuffs. 



