92 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Maech 20, 1909, 



The Vanilla beans grown at Hope Gardens, Jamaica, are 

 not exported as gathered, but are dealt with locally, essence 

 of vanilla being prepared from them. This product sells at 

 ■20s. per gallon, which is equal to 10s. 6c?. per lb. of cured 

 beans. {JouriutI of Jamaica Ayrindtural Societi/.) 



GLEANINGS. 



The cacao crop of Grenada for 1907-8 reached 64,397 

 bags, which is the largest return obtained since 1904, w^hen 

 the record crop for the island- 



-67,225 bags — was gatheved. 



Mr. F. A Stockdalf, Government Botanist of British 

 Guiana, has been appointed Deputy-Chairman of tlie Board 

 of Agriculture of the rolony. 



The Barbados sugar market opened on March 1 2, when 

 muscovado sugar sold at SI "75 per 100 R. Fancy and choice 

 molasses are selling at 15c. and IGc. per gallon. 



Nine selected dairy cows were recently purchased at 

 Barbados by the Demerara Dairy Company, and shipped to 

 Georgetown. The prices paid for these animals varied 

 $50 to !i?70. 



from 



A largely signed jjetition has been forwarded to the 

 Governor of the Leeward Islands from the inhabitants of 

 Montserrat, praying for the removal of the duty on cotton 

 exported from the islami. 



It is estimated by the Warden that about 70,000 rubber 

 trees have now been planted in the Savana Grande Ward 

 I'nion, Trinidad. From 8,000 to 10,000 of these were 

 tapped in 1907-8, and 3,000 ft. of rubber obtained, which 

 fetelied, on an average, 3.--. 4'/. jier It). 



The Agricultural Instructor of the Virgin Islands 

 nientions in his latest rejjort that the coffee reijuired locally 

 could all be produced at Tortola without difficulty. Many 

 Liberian coffee trees are in bearing at the Botanic Station, 

 and the Aralnan variety docs well in the more hilly districts. 



One ton of sugar, and 2,816 puncheons of molasse.s, the 

 produce of the jiresent season's crop, had been shipped from 

 Barbados up to March 11, as compared with 387 tons of 

 sugar and 3,461 puncheons of molasses exported to the .same 

 date in 1908. 



The Demerara Ar;iimj reports that a comi'any (styled 

 the Balata and Rubber Corporation) has lately been formed 

 in England, with a nominal capital of £160,000, for the 

 primary object of exploiting the balata and rubber resources 

 of British Guiana. 



in Cuba numbered 4,137 in 1907, 

 hives was 120,250. Honey was 



The apiaries existin;. 



and the total number of 



proiluced to the extent of 46»8,459 gallons, and realized an 

 average selling price of Is. 3(/. per gallon. Wax commanded 

 a price of l.s. per fc. (British Consular Report.) 



The shipments of cacao from Trinidad in February last 

 amounted to 6,390,202 1)j. Gf this quantity, 3,748,11)5 lb. 

 went to France, 1,293,450 lb. to the United States, 863,577 lb. 

 to the United Kingdom, and 142,450 lb. to Canada. The 

 total exports from January 1 to February 28, 1909, have 

 been 14,841,342 lb. (I'roeeediwjs of Trinidad Agricidtmxd 

 ,Societ>/.) 



Farmer-grown canes to the extent of 56,537 tons, valued 

 at $121,615, were produced in the Naparima Ward Union^ 

 Trinidad, in 1907-8. Large areas in this Ward Union are 

 being planted with cacao by purchasers of Crown lands,, 

 and it is estimated that about 4,000 acres are now under the 

 latter crop. ( Warden's Annua/ Report.) 



A recent British Consular Report states that the average 

 agricultural wages paid in Cuba are as follows : For a foreman, 

 about £7 1 2s. 8(/. per month ; for a labourer (presumably 

 more or less skilled), about 3s. Qd. per day, and for an 

 ordinary 'farm hand,' about 2s. lid. per day. The cost of 

 board for a labourer is placed at about 9s. per week. 



In recommending that eucalyptus trees be more exten- 

 sively planted on sugar e.states in the West Indies, the Journal 

 of the Jamaica Agricultural Society mentions that the leaves 

 possess a property which makes them useful for cleaning 

 purposes. If a quantity of leaves is placed in a boiler and 

 boiled, the resulting decoction will soften any incrustation of 

 lime that may have formed, so that it can easily be removed. 



Manurial experiments with rice, carried out in Hawaii,. 

 indicate that nitrogen in the form of sulphate of ammonia i» 

 especially suitable for this crop. Fish guano also gave good 

 results. Next to these two substances superjihosphate seem- 

 ed to be most available to the plant. The best combination 

 of manures for the rice crop was sulphate of ammoiua and 

 superphosphate. 



The Government of ^lartinique are making praiseworthy 

 efforts for the encouragement of agriculture in the island. 

 Three experiment stations have been established, from which 

 economic plants are distributed free of charge to residents of 

 the colony. In 1906-7, plants to the number of 85,000 were 

 sent out, and for the year ended June 30, 1908, no less than 

 103,000 were supplied. 



The ' mealy bug ' scale insect (Dactylopius cilri) was 

 reported to have increased very considerably on cacao trees at 

 Grenada towards the end of 1908. This is possibly due to 

 the drought that has been experienced in the i.'<land. The 

 attack is chiefly on the leaves, and also to some extent ou 

 the cacao pods and pod stems. Spraying with kerosene 

 emulsion, whenever possible, is recommended for this pest. 



Experiments with the new nitrogenous manure, calcium 

 cyanamide, rei)orled upon in the Journal of the Board <f Aari- 

 ridtiire (Great Britain) lead to the conclusion that ' this 

 manure, as now manufactured, can be stored for a reason- 

 able time, under ordinary conditions, without loss of its 

 fertilizing properties, and that the calcium cyanamide can 

 also be mixed with superphosphate, without difficulty or 

 resulting loss.' 



