A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 4'wy 



OF THE BOTaNI 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. ""^""^ 



Vol. IX. No 217. 



BARBADOS, AUGUST 20, 1910. 



Price Id. 



CONTENTS 



Page. 



Page. 



Agiicultural Rctiirn.'- nf 



Oiimila, ItHi'.l 21)5 



Carbon Bisulphide for Kill- 

 ing Weeds 'Ma 



Copra, Pre.servatioM of ... 2G5 



Cotton Notes : — 

 Cotton-Growiim in 



Ceylon ... 262 



St. Vincent Soutliern 

 Grenadines.-mdCarria- 

 cou. Agriculture in ... 2(52 

 West Indian Cotton ... 262 



Damage Done to Crops Ijy 



Hurricanes 271 



Demerara Seedlings in 



Louisiana ... - 271 



DepartnientNews 269 



Egg Plant, Budding of 261 



Essentials fertile (irowtli 



of Plants 2.")7 



Forestry at Edinliurgli 



Univer.sity ,. 204 



Fungus Notes : — 



Die- back Diseases of He- 

 vea. Cacao and Mango 270 



Gleanings 268 



In.sect Notes: — 

 The .\c.irina or Mites, 

 Part V 266 



LiiiieFruils. The Acid Con- 

 tent of 26(1 



Marke» Reports 272 



Notes and Comments ... 264 



Pine-apphs, Effectsof Man- 

 ures on the equality of 2(i4 



Planting Trees, Methods of 261 



School (i.irdens, Sugges- 

 tions in Relation to 26.S 



Soil Sterilization, .\|ipar.'it ■ 



us for 267 



Sov Meal and Cake as 



Cattlr Foods 267 



Students' Corner 269 



Sugar Industry : — 



Central Sugar Factory 



for Zululand 259 



Prcrduits from Changes 

 in the Glucose in 

 Molasses 259 



Uganda, Vitld from Ceara 



Trees in 271 



West Indiesin Canada, 1911) 265 



The Essentials for the Growth 

 of Plants. 



their produce ^ If, again, certain plants show lack of 

 vigour, or do not produce reasonabl}' good crops, what 

 mtibt be done in order to restore them to health and 

 a proper state of activity, or vitality ? It is evident 

 that, given a well established, useful plant, a partial 

 answer to these questions can be obtained by reference 

 to its surroundings; and it may be that a reasonable 

 consideration of these will supply a clue as to future 

 procedure for the benefit of the plant. 



Careful advertence to the surroundings of the 

 plant is always justified, but there is a danger that it 

 will not be achieved with thoroughness, becatise the 

 continual recognition of its necessity is likely to bring 

 about the loss of the mental view of the plant itself, on 

 account of the inteiitness of the gaze upon its environ- 

 ment. This is partly due to the fact that the ordinary 

 needs of plants are well known. They are not, however, 

 sufficiently present to the mind, in particular instances, 

 to make it unnecessary to recapitulate them, in the 

 light of the special conditions. Thought given to the 

 plant, in relation to all its possible requirements, will 

 often prevent the waste of time and money on useless 

 measures for its improvement, and will generally make 

 it evident as to what is the best course to adopt in 

 the definite event. 



.ilJ^^HEUE is always before the mind of the 

 ''Impractical agriculturist, and of the agricul- 

 tural investigator, the consideration of the 

 surroundings of the plant, in relation to their effect 

 on its iifi', and to the limitation by them of the possi- 

 bility of its e.xistence. If plants, in a given instance, 

 are thriving, how can they be priitccted from adverse 

 influences, and more, be made to increase the yield of 



The importance of obtaining a thorough view of 

 the ideal surrounding.s of a plant, in the light of its 

 needs, will be more readily realized after the following 

 principles have been considered. The growth of 

 a plant does not rely upon several independent circum- 

 stances, any one or more of which may be absent, 

 provided that the others are present in abundance; 

 there are, on the contraiy, several conditions that must 

 be satisfied, and the omission or insufficiency of any 



