Vol. VIII. No. 187. 



THE AGEICULTURAL . NEWS. 



197 



MANGOS IN JAMAICA. 



An article that is accompanied by a nniiiber of 

 interesting illustrations, and deals with the different 

 varieties of mango cultivated in J;iTiTaica, the methods 

 of propaojatintif this fruit tree by buddintj,, and the 

 possibilities of developing an e.Kport trade in the fruit 

 is included in the Bulletin of the Jamaica l)cpartnient 

 of Agriculture (Vol. I, No. 1). 



In September last, a stock <.f 10-") grafted mangos of the 

 choicest Indian varieties was obtained from the (Jalcutta 

 Botanic Clardens, and planted out in .Jamaica. These 

 kinds included the ' Alphonse,' ' liomlia}-,' ' Kingapur," and 

 many other hue mangos. 



The first experiments cairied out at .Jamaica in budding 

 mangos were undertaken by Mr. T. .1. Harris in 1904. 

 A fairly large ' yam ' mango of good age formed the stock, 

 and the buds used were from the " Bombay ' and ' Alphonse ' 

 varieties. The operation was followed by rapid growth, and 

 fruit was borne for the first time when the buds were three 

 years of age ; and at the end of four yeans from budding, the 

 tree had made (juile respectable growth. 



As a result of this success, and with a view to testing 

 the practical aspect of the ca.se, the idea of purchasing 

 1,000 seedling trees growing on Hope estate on which 

 further budding operations might be carried out is under 

 consideration, in this way, a good trial would be obtained 

 of the possibilities of growing high-class Indian mangos on 

 ordinary wild trees. 



The |iossibilities that may exist in conne.xion with the 

 development of an e.xpoit mango trade are exemplified by 

 the success lately achieved bj' Mr. A. \V. Gardner, of 

 Kingston. Mr. Gardner, during the past year, shipped 

 a supply of mangos, the produce of .some grafted trees of 

 choice kinds possessed by him, to London, and as a result he 

 has received no less than £70 for the produce of one tree. 

 The prices varied from Ls. 6r^ to 2.s-. (kA per fruit. 



At present the variety ' Peter's Bombay ' is recom- 

 mended as the most suitable kind to propagate, and the most 

 pronusing variety for cultivation for the export trade. The 

 ' Alphonse ' mango is also vet}-, highly esteemed in India. 



MAIZE GROWING IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA 



A remarkable increase in the exports of West African 

 maize is reported from Southern Nigeria, the returns for the 

 twelve months ended December :?1, 1908, being 1.5,528 tons, 

 of a value of £51,69(i, as against 9,891 tons, valued at 

 £28,521, for 11)07. It has been the .same in the case of 

 Dahomey (French), and Togo (Gernian), the former having 

 exported 14,111 tons, and the latter 29,773 — an increa.se of 

 10,000 tons over the shipments for 1 907. Thus maize to 

 the value of £200,000 was exported from AVest Africa last 

 year. 



The whole of the maize shipped, was grown by the native 

 cultivators on their holdings, and it is only within the past 

 few years that these growers have been able to find a market 

 for their product. 



It is believed that the maize-growing indu.stry of Southern 

 Nigeria is ca[)able of very consiilerable development an<l 

 ,exten.sion, provided the natives are given market facilities, 

 and technical advice in the .selection of .seed, and the 

 preparation and harvesting of the product. 



The future of the Nigerian maize industry is regarded 

 by the authorities as being so very important that the 

 Conunercial Intelligence Officer was recently sent on a special 

 Hussion to Togo to report upon the methods adojited by the 

 German otticials to encourage its development in that colony. 



THE SAGO PALM. 



Ill the course of an article on the subject of some 

 East Indian economic plants, and their uses, wdiich 

 appears in the JournaL of the New York Botanical 

 Garden, the following parjicul.trs concerning the sago 

 palm {Mi'frii.ri/loii Siicjii), and the method adopted in 

 the Malay States of producing starch from it, are 

 given : — 



Sago, a kinil of starch, is a [iroduct of several species of 

 palms and pahn-like plants, the bulk of which is probably 

 derived from the trunk of Mctioxi/lon Sai/ii, the true sago 

 lialm, native of many of the islands of the Malay Archi- 

 pelago and vicinity. This species of palm, which prefers 

 damp places, sometimes attains a height of 40 feet, and has 

 a large ccpmiwratively smooth trunk, bearing at the summit 

 a crown of pinnate leaves. In the preparation of sago a full- 

 grown plant is selected, the palm is felled close to the ground, 

 cut into sections 3 or 4 feet in length, and soaked in water 

 for several days, after which the outer fibrous portion is 

 removed. Each section is then ground into sawdust by 

 a coarse grater. 



The sawdust is then thrown into a large receptacle made 

 of coarse sacking, and propped up on poles several feet from 

 the ground. Into this receptacle a native enters, and tramps 

 up and down, while an abundance of water is being added. 

 As a result of this treatment, the starch sinks and flows out 

 through a small bamboo trough into a vessel below, leaving 

 the woody portion floating behind. After several days the 

 water is drained otl', and the sago meal dried, when it is put 

 into bags and shipped away for refinement. 



PRIZE-HOLDINGS COMPETITIONS AT 



GRENADA. 



At a meeting of the Grenad.i Agricultural Society 

 held on March 2G last, it was decided to recommend : — ■ 



(1) That £150 be granted for Prize-holdings competi- 

 tions in each parish thi.s year. 



(2) That £25 be granted for the payment of an 

 honoiiirium of £2 2.'!. each to the judges of each competition, 

 as it is important — for the purposes of compari.son — that the 

 .same persons should do the judging in every parish. 



(3) That a sum of £12 lOs-. be granted for the 

 payment of prizes for the best vegetables, etc. offered for 

 sale in the market, every alternate month. 



(4) That the Government be asked to authorize the 

 expenditure of £150 for the Prize-holdings competition.s, so 

 that early notice may be given, with a view to ensuring that 

 the judging shall be done in the month of September next, 

 as recommended by the judges of i)ast competitions. 



Th( 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture 



— ^ — ,. ... -»g.....,.^ — y 



returned to Barbados from St. Lucia on June 15, and 

 loft by the R.M.S. ' Eden ' on Juno 22 for an official visit 

 to St. Vincent. Dr. Watts is expected to return to 

 Barbados on June 29. 



Mr. W. Bitlen, B.Sc, Scientific Assistant on the staff 

 of the Imperial Department of Agriculture accompanied 

 the Commissioner to St. V^incent and will return on 

 June 29. 



