408 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



DWEMBEE 24, 1910. 



editoriaIj notices. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 Boecimens for naming, should be addressed lo the 

 Oommissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for Copies of the ' Agricultural 

 News ' should be addressed to the Agents, and not to 

 the Department. 



Local Agents: Messrs. Bow en & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W. A 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, 

 28. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d. 



Agricultural |leiuH 



Vol. IX. SATURDAY. DECEMBER 24, 1910. No. 226. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial presents the results of work that 

 has been carried out recently in connexion with the 

 way in which earthworms indirectly increase the fertility 

 of the soil. 



This is followed by an article which gives 

 extracts from a recent bulletin dealing with the value 

 of first generation hybrids in corn, 'i'he bulletin dis- 

 cuhses work which has shown that the productive power 

 of such hybrids is greater than that of plants arising 

 from seed which has been formed by fertilization 

 between members of the same variety of corn. 



An article dealing with tht' natural enemies of 

 millions a])pears on page 4().5. 



An interesting summary, having reference to 

 insect })ests in the West Indies during 1910, forms 

 the subject of the Insect Notes, on page 410. 



Page 411 contains a review of the report on the 

 Botanic Station, etc., Dominica, for litlO. 



The Fungus Notes are comprised of a useful 

 summary of information that hiis been given under that 

 heading during the year that is just ending. This 

 ap2)ears on Jiage 414. 



Page 415 contains a note describing a simple 

 method of destroying the carcasses of animals that have 

 died from disea.se. It may be mentioned that the 

 method of which particulars are given does not apply 

 in its entirety to the bodies of animals that have died 

 from anthrax, for in such cases it is not permitted to 

 remove the entrails. 



Ihe Cotton Supply of Japan. 



Iiiforn.a; ion is given in JJi plomatic and Consular 

 Reports, No. 4.'511, Annual Series, whi^ih shows that 

 during 1909, ihe extei:sion ii; the cotton-spinning 

 industry in .Japan caused purchases of raw cotton to be 

 made in larger quantities. The additional supply was 

 obtained mainly fnjm India, from which country cotton 

 to the value of £(i,2()0,000, out of a ([iiantity having 

 a total value of £11.000,000, was derived. There 

 was also an increase in the amount imported from 

 Egypt, so that this now has a v.ilue 'A more than 

 £550,000. 



An increasing amount of cotton is being obtained 

 by .Jjjpan from ( 'oren; the value of the supply from this 

 country was £11,000 in 1907 and £35,000 in 1909. 

 There are signs that this increase will be maintained; 

 for during the first month in the present year, Corea 

 sent to Jajian 1.227 tons of cotton, worth £23,000. 



Medical Wants Ordinance, Ceylon. 



A Medical \Vants( Ordinance (No,12 of 1910)has been 

 passed recently in Ceylon, for the purpose of obtaining 

 power to impose exjwrt duties on some of the agricul- 

 tural products of that country. By this, the Legislative 

 Coinicil is enabled, by resolution, to make duties on lea, 

 rubber, coffee, cacao, cardamoms, camphor, pepper 

 and cinchona, exported from the island. The rates of 

 duty are to be such .-is to covt-r e.Kpenses in connexion 

 with the Medical Wants Ordinance for three years, 

 subi'-ct to the deduction of the Goxernmeiit contribu- 

 tion to the extent iif an amount equal to 15 per cent, 

 of the total expense during the jireceding year. When 

 the Ordinance comes into effect, the present duties of 

 10c, per cwt. on lea, coffee and cacao under the Medi- 

 cal Wants Ordinance wdl no longer be collected. 



The duties may bo re-imposed for a further 

 period of three years, aiid the scope of the ( )rdinance 

 may be extended to include agricultural products other 

 than those mentioned above. 



Rebates of the export duties paid by an estate or 

 gniup of estates vk-ill be granted, if the propi-ietor has 

 made provision for the medical treatment of the labour- 

 ers i)n such estates, of a nature satisfactory to the 

 Principal Civil Medical Officer. 



Agricultural Experiment Stations in the 



German Colonies. 



A report on these is given in L'Agronomie Tro- 

 ^ncalr for August 1910, p. 228. It is shown in this 

 that the agricultural interests of the Cameroons are 

 mainly served by a Botanical Garden at Victoria. 

 The work at this station has been attended with 

 success, and has been chiefly concerned with the dis- 

 tribution of plants for use in the colony, the flevisingof 

 methods of control against pests and diseases, and the 

 obtaining of information as to suitable means for 

 treating the products of the colony, for export. As 

 regards forestry, the scope of the work has not increased 



