402 



THE AGRICaLTURAL NEWS. 



December 24, 1909. 



nature. As commerce in the West Indies is so inti- 

 mately bound up with the interests of agricultural pro- 

 duction, it behoves those who are engaged in it to keep 

 themselves closely in touch with the means and 

 different phases of that production. Hence it is 

 suggested that systematic abstraction or indexing of 

 such parts of this and other publications as relate to 

 any special interest will often afford information that 

 is being sought by those engaged in that interest, and 

 at the same time, may prove valuable in the matter of 

 originating new ideas. 



To fulfil its intended purpose, the Agricultural, 

 NeiL's must bo in intimate sympathy with all that 

 pertains to agriculture in the West Indies. If it is to 

 accomplish this, the stimulus must not only come from 

 within — that is from those who are more directly 

 connected with its publication — but from without, as 

 well. This is to say, those for whom it is intended can 

 add to its interest and usefidness by giving opportun- 

 ities for their personal and practical experience to be 

 employed in the elucidation of many of the subjects 

 with which it continually deals. This will aid those 

 who are responsible for its ])roduction, and will give 

 additional value to the result of their efforts. 



The West Indian BaUvtin is often described, in 

 the announcements concerning it, as the (.^)uarterly 

 Scientific Journal of the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture fur the West Indies. In using this title for 

 that publication, there is no desire to intimate that ils 

 contents have relation to the work of the scientific 

 investigator of agricultural problems, alone. The 

 purpose of the publication is to deal with agricultural 

 subjects in a more particularized manner, and thus at 

 greater length than is expedient, or indeed possible, in 

 the AijricnltnraL Neius, and to afford an opportunit}' 

 for placing on record the methods and results of scien- 

 tific researches that have been undertaken by the 

 Department. Its pages contain niatui- that is of use 

 both to the scientist and to the men:bers of the plant- 

 ing community, and although many of the articles that 

 have appeared may not, when taken as a whole, have 

 a direct bearing on the work of any one member of 

 that community, yet he will find in them useful 

 statistics and information that will have a special refer- 

 ence to his particular interests, and to make note of these 

 when they appear will probably save him future trouble 

 in the matter of supplying himself with that informa- 

 tion. The chief point to remember IS that each num- 

 ber of this publication contaiMs, in its hundred odd 

 pages, matters of knowledge that arc^ important to 

 everyone who is engaged in agriculturr in tin; West 

 Indies, and in a smaller degree to those who are 



situated in (jther tropical parts of the world. It may 

 be claimed that the West Indian Bidbiin is indis- 

 pensable to every progressive planter in these colonies 

 and that he "-ill be benefited by availing himself of the 

 infotmation that is so plainly and conveniently placed 

 before him. The first number was issued on July 1 

 1S99, and it has now reached nine complete volumes 

 and two numbers of the tenth; the third of these is at 

 present in course of preparation. 



The pamphlets are intended for the purpose of 

 putting one widely considered phase of any special 

 subject before those who are likely to require such 

 a presentation, in order that the information which 

 will be useful to them may be available in a compact 

 form. It would not be expedient to enumerate here 

 the many subjects with which they have dealt; refer- 

 ence to the advertisements of the publications of the 

 Department will give a full idea of these. So far, 

 sixty-two of these pamphlets have been issued, and in 

 bringing them out, occasion is employed to publish 

 revised and enlarged editions of some of those that 

 have already appeared, in order to take advantage of 

 any additional information that has become available 

 since that appearance. One of the most valuable 

 uses of this form of publication is that afforded by the 

 opportunity which it gives for presenting in a concise 

 form, the residts of the sugarcane experiments that are 

 annually conducted in Barbados and the Leeward 

 Islands. The paujphlets are issued at a low price, and 

 are attaining a constantly increasing usefulness in 

 relation to the particular subject with which each of 

 them deals. 



The work of each of the local departments in the 

 Windward and Leeward Islands and Barbados, under 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture, is summarized 

 yearly in a report which is issued b\- this Department: 

 m the Leeward Islands and Barba(ius, the magnitude 

 of the sugar expeiiments has justified the jiublication 

 as well, of special annual reports dealing with these. 

 The information in the reports naturally has rela- 

 tion, in each case, to the Botanic and Experiment 

 Stations, and where this has been conducted, to the 

 work of the Agricultural School, of the Agricultural 

 Instructor and of Land Settlement and Prizc-holdiners 



o 



Schemes. In St. Vincent, owing to the presence of 

 anthrax in that islard, an additional feature is the 

 annual report of the Government Veterinary Surgeon. 

 Little or no attempt is usually made, in this form of 

 publication, to discuss the results of the experiments. 

 General statements as to them appear, and these are 

 well supj)orted by useful tables. The information 

 which these reports contain often relates to a stage in 



