'Vol. VI [I. Xo. 178. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



ei 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



Seasonal Notes. 

 Fki'.iuakv. 



'2ml FoRTNKJHT. 



Preparations will now be made for beginnins; to 

 ■reap the cane crop. Students should note the indica- 

 tions of ripening in the different varieties of cane. 

 Some kinds — such as B. 147 — ripen slowly and late : 

 others, as B. 208, come early to maturity. The process 

 of manufacture should be studied, and the correct use 

 of such instruments as the hydrometer (or saccha- 

 rometer) should be understood. Where larger factories 

 •exist, the use of the polariscope will claim attention. 



Cotton picking will be general. The principles 

 nnderlying the work of seed selection at the E.>cperi- 

 ment Stations and on the estates should be enquired 

 -into and studied. 



Cacao pi,.ked earl_v in the month will now be 

 completely cured. Study as many samples of cacao as 

 possible at various stages, and learn to recognize well- 

 cured cacao by its ' break, ' etc., and note the effects of 

 fermentation, drying, and ti'ampling. Observe the 

 methods of bagging and shipping. 



Pruning of lime trees should be continued, and all 

 dead wood, etc., removed, should be burned. Tar over 

 all cut surfaces to prevent disease from entering. 

 Questions for Candidates. 



rUEI.IMlNAIiV i.HESTIdNS. 



(1) Whut are the ditterences in physical in-iipertit's 

 between a clay soil and a sandy .soil '! 



(2) Describe how pen manure is prepared and stfircd. 

 What constituents of plant food does it convey to the .soil'.' 



(3) What do you mean by green dressings i What 

 crops would you use for this purpose ? 



INTERlIEIiHTK QrE.STIciXS. 



(1) Discuss the use of lime as a means of improving 

 ■soil. How would yon a]iply lime, and Imw much would von 



use? 



(2) Why .should cacao pod stems be buried after cacao 

 picking I 



(3) Describe the .symijtoms of root disease (.U<(ra.viiiiiK) 

 of sugar-cane. What precautions should be taken to control 

 this disease * 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 

 The Imperial Commissioner ot Agriculture left 

 Barbados by the R.M.S. ' Eden ' on Tue.sday, February 16, 

 for a short visit to Grenada. Dr. Watts will return on 

 February 23. 



Mr. H. A. Ballon, M.Sc, Entomologist to the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture, returned to 

 Barbados from Antigua by the E.M.S. 'Eden' on 

 Tuesday, February 9. 



Consequent on the promotion of Dr. Francis 



Watis, C.M.G., Mr. 11. A. Tempany, B.Sc, F.I.C., is 



acting provisionally ,as Government, and Analytical 



Chemist and Superintendent of Agriculture for the 



-Leeward Islands. 



SISAL HEMP IN THE BAHAMAS. 



The latest Aim, ml Report (1907-8) on the 

 Bahamas contains the following n )te on the sisal 

 industr}' : — 



The raising of sisal hemp is the most important industry 

 in the colony, and the area under cultivation with tlus crop 

 is considerably over ■J."),GOO acres. In 1906-7 the sisal 

 exports from the Bahamas were valued at £40,140, while in 

 ]".)07-8 they had advanced to the value of £40,(;(;!l. 



The Curator of the Rotanir Station reports that a gofxl 

 demand was experienceil for fibre from the beginning of' the 

 year up to October, and that good prices were obtainable. 

 -Vt the end of October, as the residt of the tinancial crisis in 

 America, to which country the greater (piantity of the fibre 

 is exported, prices fell away considerably. 



Complaints of the gathering of immature an 1 badly 

 cleaned fibre still continue. 



RESIN OIL AS A DRESSING FOR 

 CUTS ON CACAO TREES. 



Resin oil has lately lieen tried as an antiseptic 

 dressing for cuts and wounds on cacao trees at Grenada, 

 and is reported on very favourably by estate owners 

 and managers, and by the Agricultural Superintendent 

 of the island. 



Coal tar was fm-merly the cinef dressing used for wounds 

 caused by pruning or ,is the result of an accident, but it 

 is stated that resin oil is superior for the purpose. The 

 Agricidtural Superintendent of Grenada (Mr. R. 1 >. Anstead, 

 R.A.) reporting on the matter, mentions that the oil can be 

 applied easily and in a cleanly manner, and it is noticed that 

 the bark of the tree does not shrink away at the edges of the 

 wounds as much as w4ien tar is used ; further, the new bark 

 .starts into growth UKJre quickly than when tar is the anti- 

 septic dressing apiilied. 



On cacao estates in Grenada it is the custom for a boy 

 to follow close behind the pruners, and to dress all the 

 wounds made on the trees. It ha^ been found that the best 

 means of applying these dressings is by the use of a paint 

 brush, and in most cases brushes of two or thi-ee difterent 

 sizes are carried, so that all the holes and crevices may be 

 readily reached. In this way the dressing is neatly and 

 (juickly placed on the w-ound and there is less likelihood of 

 any being smeared on the surrounding bark. This was 

 a point to be borne in nund when tar was the material in u.se, 

 since it freciuently burned and damaged the bark : but no 

 harmful effects have been observed from the use of resin oil. 



The only objection which has so far been raised against 

 the oil is that it is not easy to recognize, without careful 

 examination, which wounds have been dressed, and which 

 have not yet received an application. This dittieulty has 

 been got over, however, by mijiing 1 part of tar to 4 parts 

 of oil. This mixture naturally possesses the advantages of 

 the oil dressing, and, owing to the presence of the tar, wounds 

 which have been treated can be recognized at a glance. 



:Mr. Anstead states that resin oil, or the nnxture of oil 

 and tar mentioned, is rapidly coming into use on the large 

 estates at Grenada in place of coal tar, and has also been 

 adojited at the Hotanic Station, Experiment Station, and on 

 the Experiment Plots. 



At Grenada the oil is purchased in ca.ses containing 

 81 gallons at £1 .5.'i. per case. It is stated that, v.'hen properly 

 applied, 1 gallon of oil will go as far as 2 gallons of tar, .so 

 that the former material is cheaper in the end. 



