156 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



_M\v 1.",, 1909. 



GLEANINGS. 



Areas of Crown land in, Dominica, wliicli after dealing 

 would be well suited for the establishment of orange groves, 

 can be obtained at a price of 12s. (it?, net per acre. 



An Agricultural and Commercial Society was started 

 at Montserrat in ^Mareh last. About thirty-five members 

 have joined, and a representative Committee of Management 

 has been appointed. 



The quantity of balata exported from British Guiana in 

 1907-8 was 97.3,269 ft., this being an increase of 344,680 ft., 

 as compared with the previous year. Rubber was shipped 

 from the colony in 1907-8 t«i'the amount of 6,873 ft. 



Grants of Crown lands to the number of l,l-'37, and 

 comprising 9,494 acres we^e is.sued in Trinidad during 

 1907-8. In 1906-7, the nutnber of grants issued was 991, 

 and the total area alienateil, 8,004 acres. {AiuukiJ Report.) 



A notice in the Trinidad Royal Gazette draws attention 

 to the fact that the advice and assistance of the two In- 

 spectors lately appointed by the Board of Agriculture of the 

 colony, are available for all ^planters and small holders, free 

 of charse. 



From the connnencenient of the cane-reaping season 

 up to May 6, there \\ere exported from Barbados 2,081 

 tons of sugar, and 26,469 puncheons of molasses, as com- 

 pared witli 12,379 tons of sugar, and 23,21.5 puni'heons 

 of molasses shiiiped to the same date last year. 



The .sugar exports from , Trinidad to Canada during 

 1907-8 increased by .£46,66.>, in comparison with the figures 

 for the previous year, whilq the shipments of cacao to the 

 l)omini(m from the same colony .showed an increase in 

 value of i;i0,.560. (Anniial Rej,ort.) 



uJ^xt 



In some yaniJ^xperiments conducted at the Botanic 

 Station, Grenada, twelve varieties were tested as to their 

 cropping power. The kinds which did best were ' Kt. Kitt's 

 White Flesh' (233 ft. for 2-5 holes), 'White Lisbon' 

 (196 ft. for 2.5 holes), and ' Red Lisbon ' (193 ft. for 25 holes). 

 Tlie yams were planted at distances of 5 feet by 5 feet. 



According to one of the Jamaica correspondents of the 

 West India, Coiniaittee Circular, an excellent sugar crop is 

 expected in Westmoreland parish this sea.son. Cane farming 

 is extending in the neighbourhood, and about 1,000 aci-es 

 of land has been planted in, this way, tlie holders selling 

 their produce to the big estat(|s. 



It may be mentioned, for the information of stock- 

 owners in Barbados who are interested, that the pure-bred 

 Toggenburg ram ' Wallace,' will be returned from Dominica 

 to Barbados, by the R.M.S ' Esk,' due on May 18. 

 ' Wallace ' will be retained at Barba<los, and will be 

 available for service. 



A movement is on foot in Tiiiiidail, sujiported by the 

 Department of Agriculture, to secure the importation into 

 the colony free of duty; of all materials used for agricultural 

 jiurposes, more especially fungicides and insecticides. This 

 matter was discustied at a recent meeting of the Board of 

 Agriculture, and referred by the Governor to the Advisory 

 Committee. 



Twelve jiupils from the- St. Kitt's Grammar School 

 entered for the Cainbriilge i Local Examination held last 

 December, and all were suci-essful. Among the candidates 

 were four from the agricultural side of the school, two of 

 whom entered for the Preliminary Examination, and the 

 remaining two for the Senior. One agricnhnral candidate 

 (E. Du I'orte) obtained Second-class Hononrs in the Senior 

 ExaininatioTi, with distinction in Agricultural Science. 



In reference to iffn aiticle headed ' (.'hinese A'egetable 

 Tallow,' which lately- appeared in the A:/riciiltiiral yews 

 (Vol. VIII, p. 107), Mr. .loseph .Jones writes to say that the 

 tree Sapiiaii sel>iferiii/i, which j'ields this product, waS 

 introduced to Dominica years ago, and that specimens may 

 be seen at the Botanic Gardens, one of them Iseing 30 feet 

 high. .Mr. Jones adds* that the tree does iK^t thrive i)articularly 

 well in Dominic'3, and is very subject to the attacks of 

 a ' white blii;ht.' 



The tenth report of the Woburn Fruit Farm (England) 

 deals with the treatment of trees for insect pests. Experi- 

 mental work in this direction showed that nursery stock 

 could be entirely freed from woolly aphis by immersion for 

 ten minutes in watet' heated to 115 'F., at which temperature 

 the plants did not suffer. Treatment with petrol was equally 

 efi'ective so far as the destruction of aphis was concerned, but 

 might be likely to cause more damage to the plants. 



The Journal of the .Jamaica Agricultural Society recom- 

 mends to planters ij). the island that they sow cowpeas 

 between the rows ot. bananas in March and April, cutting 

 the vegetation about two to three months later, and spreading 

 it over the ground to act as a surface mulch beneath the 

 banana trees during the dry months of July and August. The 

 decaying vegetation could, with advantage, be dug into the 

 soil when the rainy season comes on. 



As was generally exjjected, the sugar cro[) on the ma- 

 jority of Barljados estates is proving to be very small this 

 year. In the coast districts it is reported that the crop is no 

 more than 33 per cent, of an average return, on the whole. 

 Black soils further iiiland are expected to yield 55 per cent, 

 of their average croj), while on the red soils prospects are 

 not so depressing, aMtough no more than 75 per cent, of an 

 ordinary yield is anliuipated. 



Jlessrs. Sandbi'oh, Parker it Co., of Georgetown, state 

 that weather conditions were favonraljle for rice farmers 

 in Ihitish (Uiiana during the fortnight ended April 30, and 

 large (|uantities of cleaned rice were brought to town. Shi|)- 

 ments to the West Indian islands in the two weeks amounted 

 to about 1,500 bags, principally for Trinidad. The jjricc 

 quoted is 18x. 9-/. tn 19.v. 9-/. per bag of ISO lb. gross. 



