404 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEW3. 



Decembee 24, 1909, 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



GROUND NUT EXPERIMENTS IN 

 DOMINICA AND ST. KITTS. 



The chief purpose of these experiments was to deter- 

 mine the effect, in rehxtion to the yield, of liming the land on 

 which ground nuts were grown. The paiticulars of the triaLs 

 were as follows : — 



In Dominica, at the Agricultural School, a piece of land 

 1,176 feet square was selected and divided into two plots 

 of ecjual size, which were labelled A and B. The soil, 

 which had previously grown banana.?, is light, open and 

 rich in humus. Previous to the experiment, it was broken 

 up thoroughly and carefully levelled. The amount of seed 

 sown in each plot was ^-h. The table below gives details 

 of the manurial treatment and results. 

 Plot. Manure. 



A 

 B 



Yield; Bj. of 



cured nuts. 



9 



12 



None 

 I Slaked lime, 

 yi3h owt. per acre. 



The plants in part of plot I! did not grow well, and, in 

 both plots, they were more or less severely attacked by 

 a fungus. Though the experiment was not quite satisfactory, 

 owing to the causes just stated, it seems to indicate that 

 liming would be beneficial in growing ground nuts in the soil 

 on which it was conducted. 



The experiments at the Botanic Station, St. Kitts, were 

 in continuation of others that have been conducted in former 

 years. They include observations of the response to liming 

 of ditl'erent varieties, the latter Vicing Spani.sli, Tennessee Bed, 

 Carolina Punning and the local variety. An area of ^rV'^cre 

 of each was planted: one-half of this was limed in each case 

 while the other half was left untreated. The plants grew well 

 and no signs of disease showed themselves until they were 

 fully developed, when the same fungus as attacked the plants 

 last year ajipeared in a few holes, iiordeaux mixture was 

 at once applied as a spray, with the n^sult that no spread f)f 

 the fungus took place. The results in the case of every 

 variety except the local one, which had not been reaped when 

 the report was made, are given in the table below. The 

 weights of the freshly reaj)ed nuts were taken; the loss in 

 drying is not less than 33 per cent. 



Variety. Unlimed jilot. 



Spanish 124 



Tennessee Bed 120 



Carolina Punning G") 



Pimed plot. 



111. 



IKi 



119 



83 



The experiments are more encouraging than has been the 

 case before, and should be the means of introducing these 

 new varieties of ground nuts, which have the advantage of 

 attaining maturity more quickly, and lieing easier to reap, 

 than the local one. In St. Kitts the Spanish variety is in 

 most general favour. 



It would seem desirable to make eflforts, at the 

 different Biitanic Stations, to raise acclimatized varieties 

 of grfound nuts for local cultivation. 



Trinidad and the Colonial Fruit Show. 



A cataldgue of the exhibits sent from Trinidad to the 

 recent Colonial Fruit Show of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 (.see Agricultural S'eivs, Vol. VIII, p. 382), has been lately 

 received. It was prepared under the direction of the 

 Permanent Exhibition Committee, Trinidad, and is accom- 

 panied by a u.5eful leaHet, also drawn up by the Committee, 

 which contains concise information, such as would be useful 

 to tourists visiting the island. 



The catalogue gives details of the exhibits, which have 

 been sent up in the following classes: fresh fruits; fresh 

 vegetables: nuts and .spices: preserves; jellies; crystallized 

 fruits and marmalades; fruit .syrups; condiments; miscellaneous 

 products and preparations, including cacao beans and chocolate, 

 various seeds, lime juice, oil of limes, cassava cakes, cocoa-nut 

 farine, maize, sugar-cane and rice. In addition to these, 

 there have been forwarded fifty-six exhibits, consisting of 

 specimens of fruits, spices, vegetables, etc., preserved in 

 formalin, among which are represented the lime, mango, 

 sapodilla, guava, bananas, nutmeg and mace, peppers, egg- 

 plant, ochro, christophine, cacao and vanilla. 



These differences are not sufiiciently great to give any 

 definite information as to the ett'ect of liming on the yield. 



A Useful Aid in Distillation. -Mr. II. A. 

 Tcmpany, B.Sc, Superintendent of Agriculture for the 

 Leeward Island.s, has recently sent particulars of a useful 

 apparatus for sinqilifying the operation of taking the 

 exhausted material from the still after the removal of essential 

 oil from it by ilistillation. This apparatus was first suggested 

 by .Mr. E. A. -Vgar, of Dominica, and consists of wire baskets 

 made of ordinary wire mesh, supported on a frame formed of 

 i-inch iron band. In practice, it has been found convenient 

 to use two baskets, instead of one, each having a height 

 of rather less than one-half of that of the still. In the case 

 of a full charge of material, both of these are filled, and 

 jilaced in the still one above the other. Mr. Tcmpany states 

 that he has found them, on trial, to be very .satisfactory, and 

 to give a method of discharging the still which is much 

 quicker and more convenient than any of the ordinary oncj 

 that have been tried bv him. 



