108 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ai'iiiL 3, 1909. 





GLEANINGS. 



Sweet jjutatus have lately been !?elling at as low as 

 1 .V. ?ii!. per 1 00 Bb. on the Barbados market. It is suggested 

 tliat this is in consequence of restricted exportation due to 

 ((uarantine. 



It may bo of interest to mention 

 ^'orks estate, Antigua, has for disposal 

 press, and horse gear for t\\'<> horses, 

 been used so far. 



that .\[r. Smith of 

 a cotton gin, baling- 

 none of which have 



The receipts from the sale of plants, seeds, fruit, etc., 

 at the Grenada Botanic Station duiing 1907-S amounted to 

 £,oi '2s. Zd. A total of 1,1.54 economic plants were 

 distributed locally, consisting chietiy of cacao and rultber. 



Ten or twelve [line-ajiple canning factories are in opera- 

 iitiiiu in the Hawaiian Islands and others are in course of 

 «-ix-ction. The demand for Hawaiian pines in the United 

 States IS stated to be at ]>r'_'Sent greater than the supplv, 

 owing to the superior i|uality of the fruit. 



The latest figures available in relation to sisal lieni[) 

 cultivatirm in the Bahamas show that the industry is 

 contnining to expand. In 1908, the l>ales of sisal hemp 

 Imported from tho.sc islands numbered l"2,SS4, as comi)ared 

 with 10.080 bales in 1907, and :'),467 bales in 1906. 



Tlie United States t.'onsnl at Santiago rejiorts that the 

 orange crop of t'uba this year will be the largest in the 

 history of the island, and will reach .500,000 bo.xes. It is 

 l>elicved that in another year the industry will have progressed 

 .sntticiently to be able to supply the local demand for the fruit. 



I'Vom the commencement of cane reajjing at Barbados 

 lip to March '2(i last, 82 tons of sugar and 0,158 puncheons 

 of molasses have been e.xported from the island, compared 

 with 8G5 tons of sugar and 6,296 puncheons of molasses 

 .slii|)ped (luring tlu- (rorre.sjjonding period last year. 



'J'lie Trinidad Agricultural Society has passed a resolu- 

 tion calling upon the Government to again take steps to 

 reduce the number of niungoosein the island by the payment 

 of COc. per head Un- each Munigoose destroyed. 



Some plants of jippi-ja[)pa (C'-n/itdorir'i jniiu'r-nsis), 

 the leaves ot whi<'h are utilized in Jamaica for making the- 

 well-known ' jippi-jappa ' hats were in 19u7 obtained for the 

 < irenafla iiotanic Station. These plants are now leported to 

 have become well established, and one clump flowered in 1908. 



The St. Lucia .\gri4Mllural SiH-iety are taking steps to 

 obtain a supply of nmngoose for thai island, since snakes have 

 been observed to be increasing in number in one or two 

 districts. Si.xty mungoose were recently ini|>orted into 

 i>t. Lucia from Harbado.s, and it is proposed to get an 

 additional supply of 100 from Barbados or Trinidad, and to 

 ^listiibute them in the island. 



The export of sugar from British Guiana to Canada 

 increased from 51,217 tons in 1906-7 toS7,708 tons in 1907-8. 

 On the other hand, no suga.- at all was sent from British 

 Guiana to the I'nited States in 1907-8, although the latter 

 country imiiorted .38,522 tons from the colony in 1906-7. 



In the fiscal year 1908, the United States imported cane 

 sugar to the value of $1:33,000,000. Of the total quantity, 

 the proportion contributed by Cuba was valued at $.58,000,000, 

 the imports from the Hawaiian Islands at $10,000,000, 

 those from Porto Rico at •'11 9,000.000, and those from the^ 

 Dutch East Indies at $11,000,000. {Ci('>a>i Rcrieir.) 



Some trial shipmejits of oranges have lately been made 

 to England from South Africa, and it would appear that the- 

 trade is likely to increase. A .shipment of navel oranges sent 

 over last Xoveniber, Avas de.scribed as ' the finest that had 

 been seen at Covent Garden market during the sea.son.' The 

 fruits comprising this lot realized 29.s. i},d. jjer 100, or about 

 3]'/. each. 



A new process of sterilizing milk has lately been patented 

 by a Danish inventor, I)r. Budde. This process depends on 

 the existence in the milk of an enzyme 'catalase,' which 

 decomposes hydrogen peroxide, with the liberation of oxygen. 

 The milk is heated to 120° F., and a small tpiantity of 

 hydrogen peroxide added. As a result of the reaction which 

 takes place, the patljDgenic organisms are destroyed after 

 a short time. The milk is then run into sterilized bottle.s,. 

 fitted with air-tight stoppers. 



The fact that every available plot of land at (irenada 

 is planted with cacao by the holders results in a general 

 scarcity of locally grown food-stutfs. This is referred to in 

 the latest report of the Agricultural Superintendent, who 

 sugge-=ts that it would tend to more general [irosperitj- among 

 peasant holders in the island, if (-acao were less exclusively 

 grown, and more attention given to the cultivation of fodder 

 and provision cro|is. 



.V Conimi.ssion has lately been appointed in British (Juiana 

 for the pur[jose of considering and reporting upon labour 

 conditions in the colony. The Commission is to enquire 

 whether or not the existing labotu- supply is insutKcient for 

 the development of the resources of the colony, and for the 

 maintenance of established intlustries; and, if it be insufficient, 

 to suggest in what way the sup[)ly can best be augmented. 

 The Hon. Robert Duti", Immigration Agent-General is to be- 

 Chairman of the Connnission. 



(,>uite a nundicr of goats of good pedigree were recently 

 ])unhascd in I'.arbados by the manager of a British Guiana 

 plantation The aninuils bought included a son of the 

 'I'oggenberg billy ' 15ruce ' (see last issue of .{(pii-nlliiral JVeifS, 

 l)age 87) and three ewes of the same pedigree; also an Indian 

 ram goat, the son of ' Bajah ' — imported .some years ago by 

 this Department; a ewe, and four kids of the same familj'. 

 The Toggenberg ram thus taken away from liarliados was the 

 animal which was awarded lirst prize at the Agiicultural Show 

 ,held at .Mount, St. George, m I)eceinber last. 



