184 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 12, 1909. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 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 : I\[essrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 1.5, Seething Lane, E.C. 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, 4s. 4cZ. 



gigritattiiral |lriu!i 



Vol. VIII. SATURDAY, .Tl'NE 12, 1909. No. 18(i. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



' Hints to Cotton Growers.' 



A helpful little leaflet, prepared by Mr. W. C. 

 Fishlock, and entitled ' Hints to Cotton Growers in 

 the Virgin Islands,' has just been issued by this 

 Department. It is written iu very simple language, 

 being specially adapted to the peasant cultivators of 

 Tortola, although it refers to several points of interest 

 to cotton growers in- general. 



The best districts for cotton growing at Tortola 

 are in the south of the island, and the most suitable 

 time for planting is in the months of .Tune and July; 

 as a rule no cotton should be i)lanterl after the end of 

 August. Attention is drawn to the evil results which 

 follow the practice of planting a few cotton seeds at any 

 time of the year when a plot of land is available. By 

 this means the spread of insect and fungus pests is 

 greatly encouraged. 



The methods of cotton cultivation are described, 

 and emphasis is laid upon the iuiportance of keeping the 

 plots clean weeded, and of maintaining a surface mulch 

 of loose soil during dry weather. Other sections of the 

 leaflet deal with picking, grading, and drying of cotton. 



Growers arc advised to .apply to the E.Kperiment 

 Station for advice and help immediately any symptoms 

 of attack from insects or fungus diseases show 

 th<'mselves. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial discusses the question of the proper 

 treatment of soils under ' orchard ' cultivation, i.e., the 

 growth of limes, cacao, rubber, etc. 



Some useful data for sugar planters, having refer- 

 once to the relationship that exists between the 

 percentage of fibre in canes, and the yields of juice and 

 sugar that may be e.\pected under different manufac- 

 turing conditions, are given on page 179. 



An article giving particulars of the lemon industry 

 of Sicily appears on [lage ISO. 



llu\)ber cultivation is progressing satisfactorily in 

 British (Juiana (jiage LSI). 



The lirazilian State of Bahia possesses an extensive 

 cacao industry. It is proposed to start a useful series 

 of cacao spraying experiments at Trinidad (pp. 1S2-3). 



A brief, but interesting article on the subject of 

 the fungous parasites of scale. insects will be found on 

 page 186. 



Some investigations on polyembryony in the 

 orange and mango, carried out in Florid.i, are reviewed 

 on page 1S7. 



Interesting Pasture Grass at St. Lucia. 



Some time ago specinu^ns of an unrecognized 

 species of grass were forwarded to this Department, 

 with a request for identification, b\' the Hon. E. 

 Du Boulay, of St. Lucia. Mr. Du Boulay had obtained 

 plants of the grass in question from Guadeloupe, where 

 it is supposed to have been propagated by means of 

 seeds contained ia a consignment of hay from America. 

 It proved to be an excellent fodder, and ]Mr. Dii Boulay 

 was anxious to ascertain the name in order that a good 

 supply of seed might be obtained froni the countr}- or 

 di.strict in which it naturally occurs. 



The specimens sent could not be recognized as 

 belonging to any species of grass previously found in 

 the West Indies. Fresh samples were therefore obtamed 

 and forwarded to Kew, where the grass was identified 

 as Andn'fogov ciiniulata-'i, L., a grass whose natural 

 habitat ranges from northern tropical Africa to China 

 and Australia. According to Duthie's ' Fodder Grasses 

 of Northern India,' Andra/xigdii an nuhitus is con- 

 sidered :is a fairly good fodder, and is largely utilized 

 in the north of Hindustan. 



The grass would therefore appear to be worth 

 cultivating on a fairl}' extensive scale, and probably it 

 could be extensively pro|)agated from the supply of 

 plants already existing at St. Lucia and Guadeloupe. 



It will be noted th.it A ii<l mpngon a auulatus is 

 nearly allied to the Antigua hay grass (A. carirosus), 

 and Barbados 'sour grass ' (J. /x'vtusits). Both these 

 are extremely useful fodder plants. The hay grass was 

 originally introduced into these parts from the East 

 Indies, and in Antigua has spread rapidly, displacing 

 other grasses. 



