Vol. VIII. No. 191. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



25i> 



rc-piodueed in the AfiricidturaJ i\/'?r.s, Vol. VII, p. 67. 



In conclusion, a word may be said reganling con- 

 ditions which inHiience favonrahl}' colour and flavour 

 in molasses. (_)f these, by far the most important are 

 care and attention to the tempering of the juice by the 

 addition of lime to the clarifier. If it is desired to 

 obtain a product of good colour, excess of lime must be 

 rigorousl}' avoided ; above all, it is essential that lime 

 slimdcl never be added in the tuyches, once the juice 

 has left the clarifier. Other factors which appear to 

 influence the character of the molasses to a certain 

 extent, are the variety of cane used, soil and climatic 

 conditions under which the crop was produced, and the 

 boiling of the juice in a copper tayche over an open 

 fire. The last one appears to have a slight but 

 appreciable effect on both the colour and flavour of the 

 resulting product. 



In the foregoing have been indicated a few of the 

 more salient points in relation to the formation of 

 molasses and its subsequent storage. It is suggested 

 that these are worthy of careful attention by sugar 

 producers, especially in view of the present high marlcet 

 prices which obtain for the product. 



The following comparative table will serve to illu,strato 

 ■what has been said above, and at the same time indicates 

 the composition of various grades uf molasses : — 



Cenirifiigiilleil Ceiitrifugalled 

 First JInlMsses. .Secmiil Mulasses 

 (Kxlia\istfd). 



Per cent. Per cent. 



Muscovadn 



iM('l;isses 



(Antigua). 



Per cent. 



Cane-.sugar ... 50 to 55 



Glucose 5 ,, 15 



Non-sugar ... .S ,. 8 

 Ash 3 ., 5 



Water 24 ., .''.O 



40 to ()(t 

 7 ., 20 



20 to 40 

 15 ,, 40 



•S ., 10 

 17 .. 28 



HALF-YEARLY EXAMINATION OF 



AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS. 



The following are the general Tsports of the 

 examiner (Mr. F. W. South, B.A.) on the recent half- 

 yearly examinations of the pupils at the Agricultural 

 Schools in Dominica, St. Vincent and St. Lucia : — 



iiOMiNicA .\(;eicultural school. 



Nineteen boys sat for the examination. Of these ten 

 took the papers set for the junior class ami nine were new boys. 

 The average percentages of marks obtained by the two classes 

 were as follows : juniors, 78 : new boys, 72, Of the juniors, 

 Paul, Roper, Lewis and Marie sent in good papers, and might 

 be allowed to proceed to the senior course ; of the new boys, 

 Antoine and Defoe .showed good work. The standard 

 throughout the school is satisfactory, any .special weaknesses 

 Lave been indicated in the detailed reports. 



Agriculture and Chemistry were good, and Arithmetic 

 and Botany satisfactory, though there is ' .some room for 



improvement, especially in the drawing of diagrams. The 

 Geography of the juniors should receive attention, and 

 Writing, English Grammar and Spelling throughout should 

 receive great care ; there is considerable difference between 

 the juniors and new boys in this respect, but occasionally the 

 answers of the new boys were scarcely intelligible. Atten- 

 tion might also be paid to details such as the careful subdivi- 

 sion of subject-matter, and, in Arithmetic, to the carelul 

 indication in every case of what any given set of figures 

 represents. 



Considering the examination as a whole, the results 

 indicate considerable improvement, which can however be 

 increased if attention is paid to the points already mentioned. 



ST. VINCENT AORICULTUKAL SCHOOL. 



Seventeen boys sat for this examination. Of these 

 four were seniors, ten juniors and three new boys. The 

 average percentages of marks obtained were as follows : new 

 boys CiS ; juniors 79 : seniors 8-5. These averages show 

 considerable improvement on last year's and indicate a very 

 high standard of excellence for the seniors. Both Arrindell 

 and .7. Samuel showed some very satisfactor}- papers, among 

 the seniors, and of the juniors Learmond, .Jarvis, Simmons 

 and Derrick obtained a very high average of )nark.s. 

 Learmond and .Jarvis, at any rate, might be allowed to 

 proceed with the work prescribed for the senior class. 

 Randolph Quashie was extremely weak throughout and needs 

 very careful attention if he is to make any progress. 



The subjects in general were very satisfactory ; reference 

 to any special weakness will be found in the detailed reports. 

 With very few exceptions, the English, Spelling, Writing and 

 general neatness were good throughout. Arithmetic shows 

 considerable improvement but still needs attention. Composi- 

 tion and Agriculture were good ; Chemistry and Geography 

 need attention among the juniors, and the Botany of the 

 .seniors leaves some room for improvement. 



The papers, as a whole, indicate that the pupils are 

 receiving very careful attention and should possess a sound 

 knowledge of elementary scientific principles. 



ST. LUrl.\ AORICULTUKAL SCHOOL. 



Seventeen boys sat for the examination. One took the 

 senior papers, ten the junior, and there were five candidates 

 and one new boy. The average percentages of marks 

 obtained by the three classes, including the new boy with the 

 candidates, were as follows : senior 73 ; junior 74 ; candidates 

 and new boy 6i. These results were quite satisfactory. 

 Auguste and Monrose, of the juniors, did very creditabl}', and 

 the former nnght be permitted to take the work presc-ribed 

 for the senior course. Angicr and Marshall are the most 

 promising of the candidates. 



The writing was satisfactory and the papers were neat, 

 but attention .should be paid to the drawing of diagrams and 

 maps. Arithmetic and Composition were good and the 

 Agriculture of the senior and junior pupils very fair, though 

 the candidates were weak in this subject. Chemfstry, Botany 

 and Geography need attention, especially Geography ; great 

 attention should be paid to English firammar and Spelling 

 which were often very weak, though this is no doubt mainly 

 due to the prevalent conditions in the island. 



Considering the papers as a whole, the results are satis- 

 factory and show ihut the jnqiils are receiving careful atten- 

 tion but there is room for imiirovement in several subjects, as 

 has already been indicated. 



