358 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 



1914. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimen.? for naming, .should be addre.ssed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agricultural 

 Ne\\s' should be addressed to the Agents, and not 

 tc> the Department. 



Local Agents: Advocate Co., Ltd., Broad St., 

 Bridgeto-wTi. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & Co., 

 37, Soho Square, W.; West India Committee, Seeth- 

 ing Lane, E.G. The complete list of Agents will be. 

 found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural News: Price Id. per number, 

 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Post free, 4,«. 4c?. 



^tgricultiiral |linuH 



Vol. XIII. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER V, 1914. No. 327. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in thi.s number consists of a di.scus- 

 sion of agricultural development possible to the West 

 Indian colonies, if existing facilities, which are indi- 

 cated, are sufficiently appreciated and made use of. 



Notes on the sugar industry, on page 3.53, 

 include an account of recent development in sugar 

 production in India, and an article entitled Cane 

 Sugar's Opportimity, which discusses the effect of tin- 

 war in Europe on the beet and cane sugar industries. 



Insect Notes, on page 358, present an account 

 of the uses of naphthalene as an insecticide, showing 

 the vays in which it may be employed, and mentioning 

 the safety and cleanliness of this substance. 



The vanilla industry in the Seychelles forms the 

 subject of an interesting article under Fruit and Fruit 

 Trees, on page 3.54, and an account of a new fruit tree 

 in Brazil, the Jaboticaba, is given under the samo 

 heaciing. 



Fungus Notes, on page 3G4, present an account of 

 the black root disease of limes, which has been the 

 subject of special investigation by the Mycologist 

 during his recent visit to Dominica, and which appears 

 to be of serious impiirtanee to lime growers in certain 

 districts of that island. 



Publications ot the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Two numbers of the Pamphlet Series of the De- 

 partment's publications are noted below. One of these. 

 No. 76, has recently been issued and distributed, the 

 other. No. 74 is now- ready. 



Pamphlet No. 74 is entitled Cotton Cultivation in 

 the West Indies. This is a pamphlet of nearly 120 

 pages. In its scope and mechanical preparation it 

 follows closely the pamphlet on Lime Cultivation, which 

 appeared as No. 72 of the series. 



This cotton pamphlet presents a complete accoimt 

 of the histor)' of cotton cultivation in the West Indies, 

 including its revival and development during the past 

 thirteen or fourteen years. 



The chapter on botanical notes presents inter- 

 esting information as to the origin nf the species or 

 \ ariety of ct)tton now known as Sea Island, and includes 

 also discussions of such subjects as habit, duration, 

 de\ elopment of the fibre, transpiration and gniwth, and 

 hrat poisoning. 



In the following chapters on cultivation, picking 

 and sradino'. examination of seed-cottim and lint, and 

 seed selection, a general survey is gnen of all the 

 processes connected with the production of the crop, 

 and its preparation for market, as well as of those lines 

 of work \\hich are necessary to maintain a particular 

 strain at its best. This portion is well illustrated from 

 photographs taken by Mi: W. N. Sands, Agricultural 

 Superintendent, St. Vincent. 



The succeeding chapters are those on the 

 insect pests and the fungus diseases of the cotton 

 plant: these also are abundantly illustrated. The 

 pamphlet clDses with an appendix containing useful 

 intiiruiation tabulated for easy reference. 



The pamphlet has been prepared by Mr. W, 

 Nowell, D.I.C., Mycologist on the staff of this Depart- 

 ment, and may be obtained from the agents for the 

 publications of this Department, price OcZ., post 

 free lid. 



Pamphlet No. 75 which has recently been issued 

 tleals with the sugar-cane pests of the Leeward Islands. 

 The older and better known pests of sugar-cane 

 are briefly mentioned: the newer and less known 

 forms being treated at greater length. Among the 

 latter, the grey weevil ( E.cophtltalmus esuriens) is 

 prominent. This insect, though long and well known 

 as a common insect; has only recently been recognized 

 in its true light as a serious pest. Unfortunately this 

 weevil is known to many as a hard back, which results 

 in confusing this injurious species with the harmless 

 {Ligyrus tumulosus) and the brown hard backs, which, 

 though jjests, attack plantN in a somewhat difleirnt 

 manner. 



Exophthahnus eauriens has been almndant 

 during 1914 in St. Kitts, Antigua, and Montserrat, 

 the adults being s^en in great numbers amongst the 

 foliage of cotton growing near canes and lime trees. 

 The grubs are root bt)rers of sugar-cane: they attack 

 roots of lime and other trees, and sometimes probably 

 also cotton roots. This insect is closely related to the 

 hJarbados root liorer'of sugar-cane, Diaprepes abhre- 

 viatus, as shown by its similarity of structure and habit. 



