12 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



jANirAEY 9, 1909. 



GLEANINGS. 



A manager is required for the Antigua Cotton Factory. 

 Aiii)lications should be addressed to the Secretary. 



Tlie cane-reaping season in Java was lately completed, 

 and the sugar crop for the past year is estimated at 1,180,000 

 tuns, as compared with \,\^>C),i71 tuns in 1907. 



The Ay.shire bull ' Duke ol Truro, ' lately advertized 

 for sale from the Stock Farm, Agricultural School, St. Vin- 

 cent, has been sold to a purchaser in that island. 



The number of rice mills in British fJuiana increased 

 from forty-four in 1906-7 to fifty-six in 1907-.S. Many of 

 these mills, however, are small ami irpurti'd tulie but poorly 

 equipped. 



The output iif rcitfee is largely (in the iiiciease in Mexico. 

 \Miile the cro[) of last seasfur was 33,000,' 00 lb., that for 

 190S-9 is estiunited at 81,000,000 It). (Board of Trade 

 Joiirniil.) 



A resolution has been passed by the Trinidad Chamber 

 of Agriculture inviting the agriculturists of the island to 

 plant all their waste land with timber trees in view of the 

 rapid destruction of forest land and the growing scarcity of 

 lumber. 



The past December has been a remarkably rainy month 

 at Rarbados, heavy showers having fallen on [iractically 

 everyday during the fortnight |)reviiins to Clnistmas. A total 

 of 8 inches of rain was registered at Hastings from Decendier 

 14 to 24. 



At a meeting of shareholders uf the llaibaclds ('(ittnn 

 Factory, held on i)eccml)er 18 last, a resolulion ' lliat the 

 eaiiital of the company be increased from £9,000 to £l(),90li 

 lO.f. by the creation of 3,Sl:i new shares of lO.v. each ' was 

 carried by a large majority. 



The present .sea.soti's cotton emp in tlie \'iigin Isfinds is 

 reported to be a very good one, and will, it is tlionglit. lie 

 three times as valualile as the crop of 1907-8. On Decern 

 1„.| II iiiul \'l la.st, seed-cotton to the value of SiS()0 was 

 slii;.ped li'>ni I'urtola. (f.hiJithou ni'x Mail XofeK.) 



In connexion with the offer of the Trinidad Board of 

 Agriculture to pay 81 'UO for each 100 moths of the ' cane 

 sucker ' {Caxfiiia /icus) sent in by school children (.see last 

 issue of Aijricii/tiu'nl A'eii'si, p. 409), it may be mentioned 

 that for the three weeks ending December 16 last, a total of 

 3,08l' moths, collected on the Caroni estate, were received. 



Messrs. Sandbach, I'arker &. Co. report tliat tlie wet 

 weather experienced during the fortniglil before Christmas 

 serion.slv hanii>ered rice milling o|)erations in I'.ritish Oniana. 

 Shi]imcnts of rice to the West India islamis in ihv fortniglit 

 ended December 21 amounted to almul 1,.")00 bags. I'rices 

 rcn.ai'.i steadv. 



The agent of Jlessrs. Henry Head i Co., insurance 

 lirokers, in a letter to the Dominica Guardian, states that 

 while the value of the property in Dominica in.sured against 

 damage by hurricanes and earthquakes was a little over 

 £16,000 in 1907, it had advanced to about £33,000 at the 

 end of 1908. 



In accordance witli the resolution lately adopted by the 

 British (iuiana Court of Policy (see Affriculturat, Newx of 

 November 2S last, p. 383), his E.^ccellency the Governor, 

 Sir Frederic Hodgson, K.C.M.G., has appointed a Com- 

 mission, of which the Hon. B. Howell -lones is Chairman, 

 to enquire into, and report upon the question of establish- 

 ing an Agricultural School in the colony. 



.A. total iif ^r6-16 was awarded in prizes at the Savannah 

 Grande |)easant show held under the auspices of the Trinidad 

 Agricultural Society at Princes' Town on December 22 last. 

 Of this amount, .f 279 were granted by the Society and 8367 

 collected locally. There were 147 entries from cane farmers 

 in the Savannah Grande district, and the sum of .*220 was 

 awarded as ]irizes in the class for cane cultivations. 



I'^ollowing the exam|ile of Great Britain, Germany has, 

 in recent yeai's, made efforts to establish a cotton-growing 

 industry in her colonial dependencies. The cotton exports 

 from Togoland were 8-")7 bales in 1905-6, and 1,200 bales in 

 1906-7. The cultivation of the crop has also been promoted 

 in German East Africa, and the Cameroons. {U. S. Consular 

 Jiejiort.i.) 



The Str<iitx Times refers to the excellent quality of some 

 specimens of banana fibre exhibited at a recent agricultural 

 show at Agi'i, Federated ilalay States. Fibre has on many 

 occasions, it is said, been extracted and prepared from 

 banana and |)lantain stems in the Mala)' States. This fibre 

 is snttieiently strong for rope-making purposes, and may also 

 be utilized in the manufa(;ture of carpets, rug.s, and window 

 scieens. 



lieports from British Guiana state that the American 

 syndicate which has j)urcha.scd land in West Coast, Herbice, 

 for rice growing, intend for the present, to limit their opera- 

 tions to 200 acres. The latest mechanical processes that are 

 in use in the Southern States of America will be adopted in 

 llritish Guiana, and it is stated that the nece.s.sary machinery 

 has now been ordered, and experienced hands are being 

 eni'at;ed ti> introduce the .\merican .system of cultivation. 



A note appeared in the last i.s.sue of the Ai/iicultnrn/ A'eii'x 

 ()i. 408) dealing with experiments in molasses feeding. 

 A quantity nf 10 lb. of molasses per day was mentioned as 

 the maxinuim amount given daily to hor.ses in Germany. It 

 nuiv lie nuled, however, that the editor of the Louisiana 

 I'laiitii- (Oetulicr 17 last) mentions 15 tb. of molasses as the 

 average (piantity usually given per mule in Louisiana. 

 A complete ration for a mule consists of 15 %. nioln.sse.s, 

 I.") lb. chaffed hay, and 2 ft. cotton-seed meal, well mixed 

 tnuelher. 



