<iO 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 20, 1909, 



The cane reapifig season at Barbados is expected to be- 

 late this year. No general start has 3'et been made, but 

 small lots of syrup have been placed on the market, the price- 

 obtained heinji ISc. per gallon. 



GLEANINGS. 



An account of the work of Sir Daniel ilorris in the 

 AVest Indies, together with a portrait of the ex-C'ommi.ssioner, 

 appeared in the Oftnlnii'rx' 67(ro«tf/f' of .January 2 last. 



jMango trees have Itcen planted on a small scale in 

 Florida, and the fruit is'growing in popularity in the United 

 States. An-iong the varietics'grown, two East Indian kinds — 

 the ' ilulgoVia ' and ' Sundusha ' niangos^are referred to in 

 high terms. (Purfu Rico lloi-timltHrnl Neirx.) 



Mr. .1. B. Carrulhers, I )iiei-t(ii- of Agriculture in the 

 Federated Malay Stales, ;iiid fnrmeily (iovernnicnt Mycologist 

 and Assistant liirector nf tin' Hoyal Botanic Garden.*, Ceylon, 

 has been ;q. pointed Assistant Director of Agriculture at 

 Trinidad. 



The cacao cri'p nf the l'>razilian State of Pialiia for 

 190y-9 pnmiises to lie the most abundant on record. In 

 1907-S it was 25,182 metric tons, but in the present season 

 it is expected to exceed this by more than 2,000 metric tons. 

 (/?'r(V/.sA C'liixii/'ir lit'piiit.) 



Devil gra^s or Baiiama f;rass (Ci/iiniloii DiKii/ioii), which 

 is now found almost all over the tropical and temperate 

 regions of the world, is a native of tlie East Indies. On 

 cultivated land it is a troublesome weed. This gra.ss 

 withstands drought well and thrives even on poor soils. It 

 forms a fine turf when given good attention. 



Four s.imiiles of Shea nuts, tlu^ .seeds of the West xVfri- 

 fiui tree liiiti/roxperinum I'urliU, and one sample of fat 

 (known as ' Shea butter ') extracted from these seed.s, were 

 lately sent to the Imperial Institute, London, from Southern 

 Nigeria for examination and report. The fat was valued at 

 £27 S.s-. to £27 UK- iier ton. 



^lessrs. Sandbach, Parker tt Co., of Georgetown, report 

 that the weather fof the fortnight ending February .") was wet 

 and unfavourable for rice milling, though suitable for the 

 growing crop, and for planting, which is now being carried on 

 in .some districts. Shipments of rice to the West Indian 

 islands during the fortnight amount to about 2, .500 bags. 

 Prices are unchanged. 



Itepoi-ts from Cuba, where cane reaping and grinding 

 operations are in active pi'ogre.ss, state that 135 centrals are 

 w-orking, as compared with 122 in operation last year, and 

 the quality of the jni(-e is .said to be good. Shipments of 

 sugar from the island for the fortnight ending January 22 

 amounted to 21,00'i tons, as compared with 18,600 tons for 

 the corresponding fortnight of the previous year. 



The (|ue-<lion is frei|UcMilly rai.sed whetlier it is better for 

 a bee keeper to raise his own queen bee.s, or to j)urchase from 

 professional queen raisers. In a recent issue of Glennimjx in 

 Jlee Culture in which the point i.s discu.ssed, the author 

 concludes that in most cases, ordinary bee keepers will do 

 well to rely npon professionals, and that if certain queen bees 

 in the private apiary .should develop particularly desirable 

 •(pialities, tliey may be sent to a breeder for the purpose of 

 liroilucing other (pu'cns with .similar characteristics. 



A .sample of cotton (variety unstated) from the British- 

 Honduras Botanic Station was lately reported upon by the 

 Imperial Institute, London. The lint was described as of 

 good quality, and similar to ' improved ' American Lapland 

 cotton. It was soft, lustrous, and of good colour, yielding 

 33 per cent, of lintj on ginning. The length of fibre was- 

 from 1 to IJ inches, and the cotton was valued at 5|(/. per lb. 

 [Goivrinnent (riiy ffr. ) 



The latest market report of ^Lessrs. Gillespie l!ros. 

 i Co., state that the New York market is flooded with fruit 

 from Florida and Porto Itico. Present prices for ordinary 

 grape-fruit are from $1-50 to .$2'50 per box, and for oranges 

 from •i?l'75 to •i?2-25 per box. A limited demand exists for 

 West Indian limes of good (piality. The latest shipment 

 from Dominica sold at from $5 75 to ."Jfi-.^O per liarrel. 



Great interest has of late been taken in fruit raising in 

 the State of Vera Cruz, Mexico, and in the past six years the 

 industry has umlergone steady expansion. Cultivators and 

 merchants have now built up a trade of considerable value. 

 It is claimed that, owing to its more profitable nature, fruit 

 culture will largely super.sede coffee growing in the State. 

 (Brifix/i Conxii/iir lli'porf.) 



The proposal to have a ' close time ' for cotton each year 

 at St. Croix (ths.' month of .June has been suggested) is under 

 discussion. During this close time no cotton, either young 

 or old, would be allowed in the island. This proposal has 

 been brought forward on account of the losses suffered from 

 insect pe.sts, chiefly the leaf-blister mite and the cotton 

 worm. 



(!otton growing is receiving encouragenient in the 

 Portuguese teri'itory of Angola, West Africa. The Govern- 

 ment iias established u station for instructing the natives in 

 planting, ginning, and oil extraction. A Portuguese transla- 

 tion of the ' A P. C of Cotton Planting ' has also been Issued. 

 Rubber exiwrts fronr Angola have lately fallen off owing to 

 low prices. (, 



In connexion with the list of books reeonnneniled for 

 estate overseers and other candidates entering upon the courses 

 of reading and examination in practical agriculture lately 

 established by this ])eiiartnient, it should be mentioned that 

 the price of Fream's ' Elements of Agriculture ' is 3.<. (5(^ anil 

 not 2.<. 6rf., as state;! in the Agricn/lural Seir:<, Vol. VII, 

 p. 267. Further, a revised and enlarged edition of 'The 

 Soil,' by A. D. Hall, has lately been issued, and the price 

 of this book lias been increased to 5.«. 



