fi2 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Febeuaey 20, 190&. 



DISEASE OF EVERGREENS AT ' 

 BARBADOS. 



p'rcqnniters of the ( larrisoii Savannah of Barbados 

 will have noticed that many of the fine evergreen trees 

 {Ficus iiiti((a)ha\-e died during the past few years. 

 Several tine specimens can now be noticed to be dying, 

 as for example in front of the buildings now occupied 

 by the Savannah Club. 



Careful observation of tlie.se dying trees will slif>w that 

 iu many places the bark of the branches and trunks is being 

 l>ushed <iti; and a blackish incrustation is making its appear- 

 ance. These black patches are the fructifications of a fungus, 

 Euti/pe enimpens, that may account for the unhealthy appear- 

 ance of these tree.s. The mycelium of the fungus spreads in 

 the internal tissues and bark of the trees, and at the fruiting 

 period, fructifications make their appearance under the bark, 

 eventually pushing it otf. 



This fnngus is e.xtremely common amongst the ever 

 green trees uf Barbados, and has been particularly noticeable 

 during the last two years. Several very large trees have 

 died in many different parts of the island, for the fungus is 

 not confined to those evergreens around the Savannah. The 

 mode of siiread of the parasite has not yet been ascertained, 

 nor have remedial measures yet been given a satisfactory 

 trial. 



This note is here published foi- the purpose of directing 

 the attention of people at Barbados particularly to this 

 disease, with a view to obtaining information as to what 

 measures will check its spread. All atfeeted limbs should 

 certainly be cut off and burned and all dead trees removed 

 and destroyed. 



This same fungus has been recorded on nutmegs iu 

 Trinidad, and on a number of plants in some other of the 

 West Indian island.s, and it is possible that investigations 

 may i)rove that it is of economic importance iu some 

 colonies agriculturally. 



INOCULATION OF LEGUMINOUS CROPS. 



In view of the fact that the cultivation of legum- 

 inous crops under suitable conditions offers a means of 

 enriching the soil with nitrogen, and that this power of 

 assimilating atmospheric nitrogen is due to the presence 

 and action of nodule-forming bacteria on the roots of 

 these plants, it would seem, at first sight, a compara- 

 tively easy matter to ensure the presence of the 

 bacteria, and the consccpient production of crops of 

 greater value, by inoculating the soil with the organ- 

 isms in question. A considerable amount of experi- 

 mental work on this subject has been carried out in 

 the I'nited States, in (iermany, Canada, and — quite 

 recently — in England, but the results attained, speak- 

 ing generally, have not, so far, been by any means of 

 so promising a nature as was at one time anticipated. 

 Some trials, it may be mentioned too, have lately been 

 made at Antigua and Grenada, under the direction of 

 this Department, and it is hoped shortly to publish 

 ;i note on the results. 



Cultures of bacteria for inoculation [)nrpo.ses have at ditfer- 

 rent times been ])repared and sent out in a number of different 

 forms, one of the latest being ihat known as ' Nitro-Bacterine,' 

 devised by Professor Bottomey of King's College, London. 

 Kxperiments with this material were carried out by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society at the Wisley Gardens, Ihigland, during 



the summer of 11)08, the .soil of the.se Gardens being of the- 

 kind where inoculation might be expected to have a good. 

 effect. An exhaustive report on this experimental work is- 

 contributed by .Mr. F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., to the .Journal 

 of the Society for November last (Volume XXXIV, Fart II), 

 from which it appears that from no [loint of view did 

 inoculation prove to have a beneficial effect. 



The following summary of the results is given at 

 the end of Jlr. Chittenden's report: — 



A trial of the effect of inoculation of peas witli ' N^itro- 

 Bacterine ' was conducted at Wi.sley in 1908. 



The soil of the AVisley Gardens is one more likely to 

 respond to such inoculation than the majority of garden soils. 



The experimental area was divided into twenty-four 

 ecpial plots, twelve being on well-worked .Sfiii, and twelve on. 

 soil that had been fallowed in 1907. 



Each pair of plots on the cultivated ground received 

 different soil treatment, and the corresponding pairs on the 

 fallowed land received the same treatment. 



One of each pair of plots had seed which had been 

 inoculated sown upon it : the other, seed which had not been 

 inoculated. One row of each of four varieties was sown upon 

 each plot, the .snme varieties being used throughout. 



It is shown that the AVisley soil is lacking in none of the 

 chemical elements necessary for the succe.ssful growth and 

 development of nodule-forming bacteria. 



Seven out of the twelve plots on which inoculated seed 

 was sown, gave smaller crops than the corresponding uninocu- 

 lated crops, ar.d one gave an eipial crop. 



There wa.s, under no soil tieatmeiit, a consistent increase- 

 in the crop due to inoculation. 



The total weight of the croii from the whole of the 

 plots receiving inoculated seed was 4.'J0 lb., while the total 

 from the plots in which uninoculated seed was .sown, was 

 .51.5 1b. The uninoculated seed therefore gave, in the aggre- 

 gate, a crop \\ percent, heavier than the inoculated. 



The crop from the inoculated seed was not better in 

 any way than that from the inoculated, nor did it reach 

 Hiaturitj- earlier. 



There was a remarkable difference iu the yield from the 

 well-cultivated land and the fallowed land, greatly in favour 

 of the former. 



It is concluded that the inoculation of leguminous crops 

 with ' X'itro-ISacterine " in oirlinnri/ (jaidcn soils is not; 

 likely to prove beneficial. 



EAST 



INDIAN IMMIGRANTS IN 

 TRINIDAD. 



The All mini R<- [III rt tor 1907-.S on Trinidad and 

 Tobago contains the iollowing note in rei'erence to East 

 Indian immigrants in the colony : — 



The uundicr of East Indians brought .to the colony 

 under indcNlinv iu 1907-8 was 1,8G0, whilst the number who 

 retuiiied to India was 752. The amount deposited by the 

 latter in the Colonial Treasury for transmi.ssion to India was 

 ,£13,.578 ll.v. 10^</., and in addition they consigned £:?06 to 

 the care of the Surgeon-Superintendent in charge of the .ship 

 iu which they sailed. The amount of remittances to India by 

 immigrants, exclusive of the money taken back by immigrants 

 returning U> India, was ,£.'i,227 0.--. 2^/. The amount deposi- 

 ted by Ivist Indians in the Government Savings Hank during 

 the year 1907 was £74,822 8)t. Id., and the total balance to 

 their credit on I )e*;ember 31, 1907, was £111,675 Qs. lUrf., 

 the total number of East Indian depositors for the year having 

 been 6,301. 



