312 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



OcTODEu 2, 1909'. 



EDITORIAL, NOTICES. 



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 Bpecimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for Copies of the ' Agricultural 

 News ' should be addressed to the Agents, and not to 

 the Department. 



Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents : Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W. A complete list of Agents 

 ■will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



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 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. id. 



gigncaltiiriil ^tm 



Vol. VIII. SATURDAY. OCTOBER -2, 1909. No. 194. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial of the present nundier deals with 

 the stibject of Selection in the Breeding of Estate 

 Animals. The question is discussed with especial 

 reference to conditions in the West Indies. 



The deterioration that is undergone by imperfect- 

 ly dried sugars while they are in storage or transit is 

 an especially important subject in countries where 

 that commodity is produced in quantity. An article 

 on page 307 gives an account of work that has been 

 recently done in Hawaii in connexion with the matter. 



On page 309, the mangrove as a source of tannin 

 is dealt with. The production of this substance from 

 this and similar plants will jirobably, in view of the 

 reduction in forest area that has been taking place in 

 large timber producing countries, become of greater 

 importance. 



A way in which lime-sulphur wash may be made 

 so that it can be stored is described on page 311. 



Useful instructions in regard to making a simple 

 contrivance by which the amount of j)arasitism of the 

 cotton worm may be observed, and of one by means of 

 which advantage of this parasitism may be taken, are 

 given on page 31 -I. 



The Fungus Notts (page 315) of this number 

 give information in conne,\ion with the fungus diseases 

 of the sugar-cane in Hawaii, and describe, with an 

 account of remedies for a similar disease in Ceylon, 

 ;i disease of ground nuts in nominica. In coiuie.\iun 

 with the latter, it is suggested that careful observations 

 as to the relative immunitv of ditt'erent varieties of 

 ground nuts would be useful. 



Weed-killing Plants. 



In the Straits Settlements, one <>( the greatest 

 enemies of rubbfi- trees is a wei-d known as ' Lalang ' 

 { litiperata anindinacea). It has been found that 

 bhis can be rendered less mjuilnus liy growing Passi- 

 jlora foetida or (^bininidlna nadiHoi'ii over it, the 

 latter being more effect,ive in i.his respect than the 

 former, l-'as^itlora foetida. is C'Mmnon in the West 

 Indies, where it is'known in sonn- parts as ' Love-in- 

 a-mist': it is closely I'elated botanic illy to the bell- 

 apple and the granadilla. Sunilarly, Coniiiix'li'iui 

 I) ad i flora has a near relation to 'French weed' 

 (Cmnmcli lui rayeniicnsi^) of these islands. 



Destruction of Old Cotton Plants. 



The necessity for the destruction ot cotton plants 

 at the end of a crop, if anything approaching freedom 

 from disease in the succeeding one is to be obtained, 

 has been continually insisted upon in the publications 

 of the Department. As an illustration of the principle 

 involved, the Curator of the Botanic Station, Moiit- 

 serrat, reports an interesting example which has been 

 afforded by his own experience. Within one week, 

 tl;ere were discovered by him no less than seven 

 instances where the recent development of leaf-blister 

 mite was directly traceable to the neglect to destroy 

 old plants. An additional feature of interest was that, 

 in two of the instances, there were no old plants to be 

 found in the vicinity of the attacked cotton when the 

 visit was made, but they had been destroyed 

 immediately before the present crop was planted in the 

 same lami. This indicates that the old cotton plants 

 should be burnt some time before the new ones are 

 planted. 



The ' Peters ' Mango. 



On page 232 of the present volume of the Agri- 

 ridtnral JS^ew.s, an account, based on information given 

 in the Yeurhoul: for 1907 of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, was given of a promising Indian 

 JIango, called the ' Sandersha '. In this year's issue 

 of the same publication, particulars of a variety of the 

 same fruit from Trinidad, called the ' Peters ' mango 

 is given. It states that this is reputed by Mr. J. H. 

 Hart to be the finest flavoured of all the mangos, and he 

 gives the following description : ' green skinned, rosy 

 jiurple blush, and mottk-d with small yellow dots. 

 Skin thick, Hesh ptdpy, .juicy, high-tlavouivd. Ripens 

 best in dry climate of .Jamaica : good and regular crop- 

 per : tree medium j size, healthy grower : weight of 

 fruit, 12 to l(j ounces ; si/e, 3.\ by 31 inches. ' 



Mr. Hart states that it was introduced into both 

 .Jamaica and Trinidad, about ISliS or 1(S()9. and that it 

 is probably closel}' related to the varieties ' Peach ' 

 and ' Malda '. 'J'hese are now being grafted in thous- 

 ands both by the Department of Agriculture, Trinidad, 

 and by private growers. He also observes that it does 

 well in the dry districts in the West Indies : but in 

 damp, tropical situations, the fruit is often subject to 

 an undentified disease, which prevents it from ripening 

 properly 



This mango is known in Jamaica under the name 

 ' Bombay. ' (See Agvicultural News, Vol. V, p. 148.) 



