A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THK 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Lir 



Vol. VIII. No. 194. 



BARBADOS, OCTOBER 2, 1909. 



Peice Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



...f 



in the 

 from 



Animals Breeding 



Bunk Slielf 



Cotton Note.s : — 

 Egyptian Cotton 

 L'nitecl States 

 Export of Cottoi 



.Jamaica 



"West Indian Cotton ... 

 Cotton Plants, Destruction 



of 



Dominica, Exhibits in 



Canada 

 Fungus Isotes : — 



(iround Nuts, Disease of 

 8ugar Cane, Diseases of 



Gleanings 



Horses, When to \\'atfr 

 Ice, C.'irolessness in 



Handling 



Insect Notes ; — 



Cotton Worm, Enemies 



of ... 



Jamaica, Seedling Canes in 



Lime Juice Tests 



Lime-suliihiu- Wash 



:w.j 



318 



■.no 



.SIO 

 310 



. 312 



. 318 



:!15 

 315 

 316 

 317 



311 



314 

 313 

 319 

 311 



Mango, the 'Peters' 

 Mangrove, Economic 



luqiortance of ... 

 Market lieports .. 

 Melons :uid Other 



in Egypt ... 

 Millions for the 



States 



Notes and Connnent 



P.\GE. 



... 312 



Fruits 

 Malay 



l'.y 



Plants, How Infecti 



Bacteria 



R,ats, to Destroy 



Rice in Biiti-sh Guiana ... 



Soils, Lime and Phos- 

 phates in 



Stock and Sciim, Interac- 

 tion of 



Students' Corner 



Sngar Industry : — 



Eti'ects of Bacteria on 

 Sugars 



Weed-killing plants 



West Indian Bulletin 



West Indian Products ... 



;;(i'.t 



320 



308 



314 

 312 



;;0'.t 



.3 i .3 

 31>» 



:!13 



31 :! 

 317 



3(17 

 312 

 313 

 31".t 



Selection in the lii-oedini^ of 

 Estate Animals. 



'?, T the present time, much is being written 

 ^^k'p^j about the beneficial results of careful selection 

 Ts&^^i^ in the production of better strains of plants, 

 such as corn, cotton, fruits and sugar-cane. The general 

 principles of selection are fundamental, and may be 

 applied with success to the breeding of animals, such as 

 cattle for beef, for milk production and for draught, 

 horses for draught or for speed. Donkeys, mules, sheep, 

 goats, rabbits and poultry may all be improved by 

 careful selection of the parents, by the use of good 

 judgement in fi.ving upon the desirable characters, and 

 in rejecting, as far as possible, all others. Selection as 



a process for the improvement of plants I:, beginning to 

 be understood in a general way in the \\'est Indies, and 

 it might bo well if certain points were brought forward 

 for consideration in conne.xion with t'le improvement 

 of estate animals by this means. 



On most estates in the smaller islands, cattle are 

 maintained only for purposes of dra-ight, and the milk 

 and butter needed are obtained from such cows as 

 happen to be in milk. The animals used for beef are 

 generally imported, or are estate animals which have 

 not been raised as beef animals. On other estates, 

 a point is made of the proiluction of milk for sale. For 

 each of these lines of work, ditferent points would have 

 to be selected, and it would b : necessarj', before starting 

 out, to fi.K a definite system, and always to select with 

 a view to the continuation of the same desirable points 

 from generation to generation. 



In the first place, whatever line is decided upon, 

 the parents must be good animals of their kina. It 

 hardly needs to be stated that poor, scrubby, under- 

 sized, weak animals aio not suitable for breeding 

 purposes. On many West Indian estates it would be 

 possible to maintain cows for breeding only. They 

 should be well fed, and kept in good condition. Estates 

 which buy, on the average, ten working cattle every 

 year might well keep ten or twelve selected cows as 

 breeders. Most estates would keep a bull for breeding 

 only. If these cows and the bull possessed the qualities 

 which were most to be desired in the offspring, it will 

 easily be seen that the estate would produce its own 

 supply of cattle of the type desired. All the offspring, 

 male and female, could be trained for draught except 

 a few of the best of the females, which should from time 

 to time be selected for breeders. The males which 

 have been bred in the herd should not be used as sires 



