88 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 20, 1909. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens 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., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 1.5, Seething Lane, E.G. A complete list of 

 Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural News: Price \d. per number, 

 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

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



^Qritultural |lnuH 



Vol. VIII. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1909. No. ISO. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The organization and some of the lines of work 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture are 

 briefly described in the editorial. A concluding 

 article on the same subject will appear in the next issue. 



The notes under ' Sugar Industry ' (page 83) 

 relate to sugar production in Cuba, tlie history of the 

 ■decay of the Bourbon cane at Antisrua, and a new 

 cane-reaping machine latel}' invented in Queensland. 



Increased interest has lately been shown in cocoa- 

 nut planting at Antigua (page 84); on page 8.5 are 

 one or two notes on the mangosteen in the West 

 Indies, accompanied by an illustration of a fine mangos- 

 teen tree at Dominica. 



Considerable agricultural progress was made at 

 Crenada in the year 1907-8. The chief lines along 

 which improvement is apparent are indicated in the 

 articles on page 80. 



The case for cover crops as against clean weeding 

 in permanent cultivations, such as cacao, rubber, etc., 

 is briefly stated on page 87. 



The report on the first Preliminary E.\amination 

 in Agriculture held in the Leeward Islands by this 

 Department api)cars on page 90 : the pass list of 

 candidates and the inicstions set are included. 



The risk of introducing new ))lant di.seases 

 through the agency of imported sugar-canes has 

 attracted the attention of the British (Juiana Board 

 of Agriculture : .souif interesting recommendations 

 made by the Board mi the subject, are reprinted on 

 page 91. 



Department Publications. 



The inde.K and title-page of Volume VII of the 

 Agricultural Xeivs are published as a supplement to 

 the present issue, so that readers can now have t.heir 

 numbers bound up. 



The whole series of repnrts, for the year 1907-8, 

 on the various Botanic Stations of the West Indies 

 have now been issued, and are on sale by all the Agents 

 of the Department. In the cases of St. Vincent, 

 Dominica, Antigua, and St. Kitt's-Nevis the reports 

 on the Botanic Station, Agricultural Experiments, etc., 

 are published at OcZ. each number, while the reports 

 relating to Grenada, St. Lucia, Mont.serrat, and the 

 Virgin Islands are issued at a price of .3<Z. each. As 

 usual, the above reports eontain a good deal of 

 interesting and valuable information. 



Four additions have recently been made to the 

 Pamphlet Series of the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture : these comprise yiamphlet reports on the 

 Seedling and Mainirial Experimeiits with Sugar-cane 

 at Antigua and St. Kitt's, 1907-8 (No.s. 5(5 and 57, 

 Price 4(/. each): Itu-^ect Pests (rf Cacao (No. .58, Price 

 4(/.), and Sugai-cane Experiments at Barbados, 1907-8 

 (No. .59, Price 6-/.). 



Minor Crops in the Virgin Islands. 



Attention is drawn in the 1907-8 report of the 

 Agricultural Instructi)r at Tortola to the possibilities 

 that exist of cultivating a number ot minor crops in the 

 Virgin Islands ; among these are cacan. coffee, onions, 

 English potatos, limes, cocoa-nuts, and cassava. 



Cacao grows well in certain districts at Tortola, 

 and it should be possible to develop a sm.-ill but profit- 

 able cultivation. About 200 cacao trees were distributed 

 from the Experiment Station in 1907-8. Both 

 Arabian and Liberian coffees succeed in different 

 localities of the island. All the coffee required eould be 

 produced locally. 



A plot of land at the Station was sown with onion 

 seed in November; the seedlings were planted out, and 

 five months later a crop of 600 lb. of onions was 

 obtained. It was found that by careful stringing and 

 hanging u]) in .i cool airy place, the onions can be kept 

 in good Ciinditinii for at least six uionths. It is pointed 

 out that iiy making two sowings — one early and one 

 late — and stringing the produce as suggested, onions 

 grown locally could be available all the year round, and 

 thus there would be no further need for imported 

 produce. English potatos planted at the Experiment 

 Station, which is at sea-level, did not succeed, but this 

 crop can be profitably t;rown in the hills at about 

 1,000 feet elevation. The best varieties of cassava 

 under cultivation at the Station gave returns valued 

 at from £6 to £7 per acre. 



Some slight progress has been made in lime 

 planting, and the Agricultural Instructor mentions 

 that there are plenty of places in Tortola where lime 

 trees can be successfully grown, and that it is a crop 

 well worthy of the attention of peasant proprietors in 

 the island. 



