A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. IX. No. 2 I.- 



BARBADOS, SKPTEMBER 3, 1910. 



Price Irf. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Page. 



Agricultuial IVmis ami 

 Conferences, The Pur- 

 pose iiiiil Value of ... 273 



Banana Fibre, Cloth from 281 



Calcium Cyanauiide and 



Nitrate of Lime ... 280 



Caiuiihor 'Prado of North 



ForMios.1, inOit 280 



Costa Kioa, Banana In- 

 dustry of 287 



Cotton Notes : — 



Cotton Exports from the 



West Indies 278 



West Indian Cotton ... 278 

 West Indian Cotton 

 Prices. lOOVI-lO 278 



Cyanotjenesis in Plants ... 274 



Departmental Rei)orfs ... 279 



Distribution of Cotton 

 Gri>wn in tlie I'nited 

 States 281 



'Earwigs' .Attacking Cot- 

 ton 281 



Fruit in .Jamaic;i 276 



Fungus Notes : — 

 Two Interesting Fungi 

 in St. Luci.i 



Gleanings 



Insect Notes : — 



Insecticides 



Legume Inoculation. Ex- 

 periments in 



Market Reports 



Notes and Comments ... 



Porto Kico, Trade and 

 Commerce of, 1%!» ... 



St. Vincent .Arrowroot 

 (Jrowers' and Export- 

 ers' Association 



Scpy Bean Industry, The 

 Wanclnu'ian 



Students' Comer 



Sunlight, Fertilizing In- 

 tluence of 



Tephrosia Purpm-ea fi>r 

 Keeping down Weeds 



West Indian Products ... 



their work is to maintain a reasonable standard of 

 efficiency. This increase of knowledge is rendered all 

 the more easy to obtain, because of the many opportun- 

 ities that are afforded by the various problems that 

 are always presenting themselves to the agriculturist 

 for solution. It is evident that he is not in a position 

 quickly to solve ever}' one of these by his unaided effort. 

 He seeks the help of those who are present to advise 

 him, as well as that which is afforded by the experience 

 of others. 



28() 



284 

 282 



283 



2SH 



28ti 



285 



277 



285 



275 



281 



287 



The Purpose and Value of 



Agricultural Tours 



and Conferences. 



N articles that have appeared recently *, the 

 continuous and extended nature of agricul- 

 tural education has been emphasized. It is 

 '"' in agriculture, perhaps more than in any other pursuit, 

 2j that the knowledge possessed by those whose function 

 ^ it is to direct or advise must increase continually, if 



* Agiicnllnrdl Nem, Vol. IX, Nos. 205 and 206. 



One of the most modern means that have arisen 

 for aiding the agriculturist is the Agricultural Tour 

 This, in its systematized form, was original!}' confined 

 to those whose duties lay in an advisory capacity: offi- 

 cers of agiicultural departments paid visits to countries 

 other than those by which they were employed, in order 

 that they may gain the knowledge of the experience of 

 agriculturists in those countries, at first hand, and that 

 they may enable those in their own land to benefit by 

 that experience. This kind of travel continues to be 

 of the greatest use, and its past success ensures its 

 larger employment in the future. The scope of the 

 agricultural tour has not been permitted, however, to 

 remain circumscribed in this way. It has been extended, 

 so that not only the agricultural adviser, but the planter 

 or farmer himself, is being given increased opportunities 

 to travel, for the purpose of enlarging his agricultural 

 knowledge and experience. 



An interesting description of an agricultural tour 

 of this kind is contained in Farmers' Bulletin, No. 

 117, of the Transvaal Department of Agriculture, 

 entitled An Agricultural Tour for South African 

 Farmers. After mentioning some past agricultural tours 

 that have been made, principally from Scotland, this 

 publication gives details of one that was undertaken on 



