Vol. XIII. No. 318. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



221 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AGRICULTURAL EXAMINATIONS. 



The first question for preliminary candidates in the last 

 issue of the Agricultural Neivs, was intended to bring out 

 the students' Icnowledge of the characteristics of a true 

 insect, and his aci|uaintance with the life-history and struc- 

 ture and habits of a closely allied form of organism like 

 the leaf-blister mite of cotton. The second question on 

 nitrification was introduced owing to the large amount of 

 fcformation on this subject that appears in the la.st issue 

 and in this number of the Ac/ricu'J ural Neivs. 



The intermediate students were asked last fortnight 

 about the protection of seedling limes from drought. In 

 this connexion the use of dust mulches will have been 

 suggested, and the employment of tiash (the dressing being 

 heavy enough to keep down weeds). If the student has 

 not already made the observation for himself, he should 

 transplant a few seedlings and keep them under conditions 

 of dryness. When the leaves begin to curl up, mulch 

 half of the plants with grass trash and note the effect. 



As regards the quistijn on trees for windbreaks, refer- 

 ence should be made to the Pamphlet issued by the Imperial 

 Department, on Lime Cultivation. The demands made by 

 certain kinds of windbreak plants (e.g. bamboo) upon soil 

 moisture should be cons'dered and the susceptibility of 

 others (e.g. Pois doux) to disease observed. 



The final questions referred to the work of the Antigua 

 Onion Growers' Association which has been fully described 

 from time to time in this journal, and to the Government 

 system of purchasing cotton in St. Vincent and the Virgin 

 Islands as well as to co operative ginneries run as private 

 enterprises like those in Barbados and Nevis. 



The last question was general in nature and required 

 for iti? answer a knowledge of provision crops and of what 

 has been done in the islands during the last year or two in 

 connexion with bay trees, papaw, and other minor cultivations. 



Questions for OaDdidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUE.STIONS. 



1. What do you know concerning the use of carbon 

 bisulphide as a fungicide and an insecticide? 



2. Give an account of your observations on the 

 dispersal of seed, in nature. 



INTERMEDI.A.TE tiUESTIONS. 



1. What operations will be carried on during the 

 coming month in connexion with (a) sugar cane (b) cotton? 



2. Discuss the use of the following .substances as 

 manures: sea-weed, Saman pods, lime and nitrolim. 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



1. What are your views as to the value of (a) phos- 

 phatic and (b) potash manures for sugar cane? 



2. Describe the preparations that are being made for 

 the coming lime crop. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE PRIMARY 



SCHOOLS OF ST. LUCIA. 



The report of the Agricultural Superintendent (Mr. J. C. 

 Moore) on the teaching of agriculture in the primary schools 

 of St. Lucia during 1913 appears in the report of the 



Inspector of Schools on the Education Department, pub- 

 lished as a supplement to the St. Lucia Government Gazette 

 for May 23, 19U, The examination on which the report 

 is chiefly based, was conducted by Mr. R. W. Niles, 

 Junior Agricultural Instructor. For purposes of the 

 examination three hours were devoted at each school to 

 oral questioning of the classes and to inspection of the 

 school gardens. The number of scholars presented for 

 examination was 411, being an increase of 212 per cent on 

 last year's number. Seventeen schools were examined as 

 against .sixteen last year. 



The examiner reports improvement in the useful 

 feature to which attention was called in last year's report, 

 of combining with garden work practical lessons in weight, 

 measures and numerations. 



The outlines of simple experiment and demonstration 

 work given to the head teachers last year are reported to 

 have been particularly useful in making the garden work 

 interesting. In this connexion Mr. Moore points out that 

 it is desirable to avoid attempting too much experimental 

 work at one time, as its efficiency both as regards teaching 

 and assimilation may thereby suffer. 



The garden note books were kept in all the schools and 

 examined and they furnished interesting and useful records. 

 A table is appended to the report in which are shown the 

 percentage of possible marks awarded each year since the 

 institution of the agricultural examinations and the number 

 of marks awarded. This table shows that steady and satisfac- 

 tory progress has been made in the standard of the work done 

 throughout the six years' period during which the examina- 

 tions have been in operation. 



The Port of- Spain Gazette for June 11, 1914, in 

 reviewing an article in a recent number of the Nineteenth 

 Ceiitvrij, refers to the significant circumstance that agricul- 

 tural products are produced practically free of labour changes 

 in West Africa. As regards the cacao industry on the 

 Gold Coast, it is pointed out that this is practically the feat 

 of the small cultivator; the unlettered African farmer is 

 beating all competitors and, considerable as his industry 

 has become, it is still only in its infancy. Messrs. Cadbury's 

 recent report shows that the quality of the cacao on the 

 Gold Coast has of recent years undergone considerable 

 improvement. In 1908 the cacao exported from the Gold 

 Coast was composed of h per cent, 'good', 1.5 per cent, 'fair', 

 and 80 per cent. 'common'. In 1912 the proportions had 

 altered thus: 35 per cent, 'good', 50 per cent, 'fair', and 

 15 per cent, 'common'. All this shows that in the Gold 

 Coast the West Indies have a competitor whose operations 

 they have every reason to watch. 



An interesting reference to the function of calcium in 

 plants appears in the Experiment Station Record (Vol. XXX, 

 No. 6.). It is stated that the injurious effects of a calcium 

 free medium are due to its extraction of calcium from the 

 plant organs, which by inside supply with calcium may be 

 protected from .such injury. The element strontium may 

 in part take the place of calcium, but its influence is partial 

 and temporary, and this element does not appear to influence 

 the distribution of carbohydrates or the localization of that 

 process. 



