200 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



JuME -20, 1909. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 Hpecimens 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. 



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 town, Barbados. London Agents: IMessrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W. A complete list of Agents 

 will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



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^gririiltiini! 3 1 huh 



Vol. VIII. SATURDAY, .JUNE 26, 1909. No. 187. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial deals witli the Canadian Exhibitions, 

 giving the dates at which exhibits should be forwarded, 

 <ind directions are also given for packing, shipping, etc. 



The notes on the Sugar Industry refer to the 

 growing of varieties of sugar-cane in British Guiana. 



Hints on Cocoa-nut Cultivation, and a short account 

 of ]\Iangos in Jamaica are to be found on pp. 19(1-7. 



The disinfection of cotton seed forms the subject 

 of an article on p. 198. This is especially appropriate 

 just now, when the planting season for cotton is about 

 lio begin. 



'I'he Insect Notes on p. '202 give directions for 

 distributing beneficial fungi on lime and other oilti- 

 vations, and an article also appears dealing with insects 

 and disease. 



The Lemon Industry in the I'liiled States is the 

 sul)ject of an interesting article on j). 203. 



An interesting account of the trials of ground nuts 

 in the West Indies is given on p. 20(i. 



Two articles relating to forests and forest products 

 are to be found on p. 207. 



The Leeward Islands Report on Sugar-cane 

 Experinients. 



The second part of this report is now issued, 

 dealing with the eX,periments on the manuring of ratoon 

 canes during the season 1907-8. It has previously 

 been shown that under the prevailing conditions in the 

 Leeward Islands it is sound policy to use pen manure 

 for plant canes, and that when this is done they do not 

 require artificial manures. 



The recent experiments havi; had to do with 

 ratoons following plant canes. The results continue to 

 show that nitrogenous manures such as sulphate of 

 ammonia and nitrate (jf soda are necessarj' and 

 remunerative, and that phosphate and potash do not 

 appear to be necessary. The results in this report were 

 presented in brief and popular form in Pamphlet 

 No. .57, published by this Department. 



Fruit Inspection at Jamaica. 



In connexion, with the citrus fruit industry of 

 Jamaica, it is satisfactor}' to note that steps are being 

 taken in the direction of establishing a proper system 

 of inspection for all fruit exported from the island. 

 A special Committee of the Board of Agriculture, 

 appointed to investigate the matter, lately made its 

 report, iu which the members recommended : (a) Thac 

 it is desirable to prohibit the export of immature, 

 juiceless, and improperly packed fruit : (h) that inspec-, 

 tion is the only feasible way of checking, if not entirely, 

 preventing this : (c) that inspection should be mad© 

 either at (1) the packing house, (2) in transit, or (3) at 

 the shipping port, wherever an inspector could carry 

 it through with least delay and most effect, the princi- 

 ple being to establish a wholesome uncertainty as to 

 where an inspector might appear : and ('/) that as the 

 preservation of the orange industry is for the public 

 weal, the expenses of inspection should be met by: 

 general revenue. 



I «-» »■ ■ 



Coca Leaves. 



A report furnished by the Imperial Institute, 

 London, on a sample of coca ]ea.ves(i'rom L'ri/tli ro.ii/lnii. 

 Coca) forwarded from Perak, ]\Ialay States, affords 

 the occasion for a brief article on the coca plant, and 

 the prospects connected with its cultivation for economic 

 purposes, in a late number of tlie Agricaitand Btdlcthi 

 of the Federated Malay States. The coca plant is 

 a small, bushy shrub, native to Peru and other parts of 

 South America. It is easily propagated and cultivated, 

 and has an economic value since the leaves furnish the 

 drug cocaine. 



The leaves sent from the Malay States to the 

 Imperial Institute contained 0(i4 per i^ent. of alkaloids, 

 ami were valued at from Ihl. to Nr/. per 11). on the 

 London market. At this price the culture of coca 

 would be fairly remtinerative. The production at 

 ]iresent, however, is in the hands of but few growers, 

 chiefly in South America, who produce just enough to 

 liieet the limited (lenmnd. If further planting were 

 Tindertaken, there would be .i risk of overstocking the 

 market, and prices would fall at once. . . ■» 



