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THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 7, 190&. 



THE (tHAFTIJG OFVACAO : I'.y Josoi.h Jones, Curator, 



Botanic Station, Dominica. 



' Tlie Grafting of Cacao ' is the title of No. 61 of the 

 Pamphlet Series of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 which has just been issued. This pamphlet, which contains 

 twenty-four pages and twelve illustration.s, will be found to 

 be both interesting and useful. Brief mentiori is made of 

 earlier attempts to bud and graft cacao, but the remainder of 

 •the pam|jhlet deals with the practices and experiences of, and 

 the results obtained by, ilr. Jones during the [last four 

 years at the Dominica Botanic Station 



During this time, over 1,200 grafted cacao trees have 

 teen produced, and some 800 distributed to planters in the 

 island for trial. Grafted trees do not make great progress 

 ■the first year in the field, but in the second and third they 

 make good growth. They develop a low branching form of 

 tree, and, so far, the indications are that these trees will 

 prove very prolific. 



Directions are given for grafting by approach, and 

 estimates are made for grafting cacao on a large scale. 



THE WEST INDIES IX CANADA IX lU'K), issued 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture, is a revised and 

 enlarged edition of the Handbook which has been distributed 

 at the Canadian Exhibitions in previous years. As ia 

 previous years, this Handbook is printed in the size and style 

 of the Went Indian Bulletin. The facts and figure:; relating 

 to imports and exports have been revised and brought up to 

 date as far as possible. The matt'?r descriptive of each island 

 or colony lias beeu revised also, while the portion relating to 

 "West Indian jiroducts has been enlarged, and several new- 

 illustrations have been inserted. The list of books is a new 

 feature : it includes titles and authors of publications, 

 relating to Agriculture, Xatural History and Commerce in the 

 West Indies, as well as those of historical works and fiction. 



The pamphlet contains fifty-nine pages, and sixteen 

 pages of advertisements ; a sketch map of the West Indies 

 and eighteen illustrations of tropical plants, crops, etc., are 

 also included. 



These books are prepared for free distribution at the 

 Exhibitions, and should do much to increase knowledge of 

 the West Indies in Canada. 



I 



COTTOX GIXS, now TO ERECT A XI) WORK 



THEM. 



A pamphlet with the above title, which is now being 

 issued, is No. 60 of the series published by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture. 



The pamphlet has been compiled from notes by 

 Mr. E. Y. Connel of St. Kitts, whose long experience of work 

 of this r.ature should render all that he has to say of great 

 iTitercst to everyone connected with cotton gins. In editing 

 the pamphlet great care has been taken to avoid the use of 

 technical terms, and it is hoped that all tiiat it contains will 

 lie readily understood by any one aijproaching the subject for 

 the first time. 



\'aluable information is given on the methods of 

 udjusting gins, so that the driving and driven shafts are level 

 and parallel, and the pulleys consocjuently parallel and in the 

 .same plane. This ensures that the belts shall run true, and 

 not tend to work to one side or other of the pulleys. 



Directions are also given for setting and repairing the 

 knives and the roller, with methods for preventing the lint 

 from being carried round and causing the knives to ' back- 

 lash'. 



Part 11 of the pamphlet gives directions for mounting 

 and fastening belts, with instructions for making a simple 

 form of clamp to draw the belt to the required degree of 

 tightness. Detailed information will also be found on 

 lacing and cleaning belts, and advice on the best measures 

 to taice for preventing .slipping. 



In the appendix arc directions for making gauges, so 

 that all parts of the gin may be readily adjusted and elabor- 

 ate calculations avoid( d. 



The pamphlet is well iUust rated throughout with 

 diagrams by the author, and contaii:;- a preface by ilie 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. 



SYXOrsiS OF THE BRITISH BASIDIOMYCETES i 

 By W. G. Smith, EL S. Printed hy order of the 

 Triistecsi of the Brifis/t Museum, hy Willidin Clowes 

 (('• Sons, Limited, 1908. 



This book has been compiled from the manuscript 

 descriptions by Mr. W.G.Smith, F.L.S., attached to the 

 series of coloured drawings of British Fungi which are 

 exhibited in the Public Gallery of the Department of Botany 

 of the British ifaseum. It contains a full account of all the 

 species native to Great Britain, together with those that 

 have become naturalized in the open. 



Keys are provided to all the orders and genera, and there 

 are numerous careful outline drawings. The derivation and 

 meaning of the Latin names of the species are also inserted, 

 and this should prove of value in enabling students to 

 remember the characters of the ditlerent species of any yiveu 

 genus. 



THE OFFICIAL REl'Oirr ox FRUIT FLY 

 AXD OTHER PESTS, IX VAUIOUS COFXTRIES, 

 V.lili-S. 



This is the report prejiared by Mr. AV. W. I'rogcratt, 

 dealing with his trip round the world for the ]mrpose of 

 studying the fruit ' fiy and other pests of fruit, and of other 

 crops, and the methods employed for combating them, and 

 especially those methods which include the use of natural 

 enemies in the form of parasitic or predaceous insects. 



It will be remembered by the readers of the Aijri- 

 cultuni! Xi'ie.i tlmt ilr. Froggatt arrived in Barbados ia 

 January 11)08, in time to attend the West Indian Agri- 

 cultural Conference, of which he was made an Honorarv 

 ?\lembcr, and that he addressed the Conference on some 

 phases of insect control, stating interesting work that he 

 had seen in progress during his trip. 



Th.e report under review includes a complete account of 

 Mr. Froggatt's visits and his notes on the injurious and 

 beneficial insects which he saw ; it is very well illustrated. 



Mr. Froggatt concludes that, while great help in the 

 control of insect pests is to be expected from their natural 

 enemies, these latter can not be depended upon to protect 

 thoroughly the fruit trees and crops : that for Australia, at 

 least, it will be necessary to continue spraying and fumigating 

 for the control of scale insects, and to contin-.e the use of 

 recognized remedies for other pests. 



