41: 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 24, 1910. 



GLEANINGS. 



A general account of matters in connexion with the past 

 work of Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., the Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, appears on the 

 ' Troi^kal Life Friend' page, in the issue of that journal for 

 October 1910. 



The Hawaiian Fofe^ter and A(jriculturist, for November 

 1910,states that forest products to the value of §51,161 were 

 .shipped from Hawaii to the United States in 1909. The 

 .similar values for 190t< and 1907 were $18,912 and $13,273, 

 respectively. 



Of the total value of Ceylon produce exported during 

 1909, the products of the cocoa nut palm represented 

 22-5 per cent., and tea 56'2 per cent. There is an increase 

 in the value of the former, among which copra attained 

 a record export. {Colonial Reports — Annual, No. 653.) 



A report received from the Curator of the Botanic 

 Station, Dominica, shows that the cacao crop of that island is 

 good, and that the pods are ripening early. As regards the 

 lime crop, which is nearly completed, it is estimated that the 

 increase over that of last year will be about 60,000 barrels. 



A Consular Report states that the cott'ee crop for Guate- 

 mala for 1909-10 amounted to about C.JO.OOO quintals 

 (1 quintal = 101 "4 lb.) of clean ooflfee, and that prices were 

 good generally. It is estimated that the 1910-11 crop will 

 reach about 800,000 quintals, and there are indications at 

 present that good prices will again be realized. 



The Governitieiit Gazette of the Union of South Africa, for 

 October 14, 1910, reports that the Governor-General has 

 appointed a Commission, to be called the Commerce and 

 Industries Commission, for the purpose of enquiring into the 

 conditions of trade and industries, and other matters apper- 

 taining to these, in South Africa. 



According to a report by the Superintendent of Agri- 

 culture of Barbados, the present cotton crop of that island is 

 one of the best since the cultivation has been reintroduced, if 

 not the best. The diseases and jiests that have been noted 

 during the season, so far, are the bacterial disease causing 

 the symptoms known as black arm and angular leaf spot, and 

 the red maggot. 



An abstract of a recent paper, contained in the Experi- 

 ment Station Record for July 1910, p. 29, in which work is 

 described in connexion with cyanogenetic glucosides (see 

 Ac/ricidtural News, Vol. IX, p. 274), shows that phaseoluna- 

 tin — the example of these bodies which occurs in the 

 Lima bean (Phaseolus iunatiis)--may be found in the leaves 

 as well as in the seeds. 



In June last, an Ordinance called the Importation of 

 Plants (Diseases Prevention) Ordinance, 1910, was passed in 

 Mauritius. By this, the Governor-in-Council is given power 

 to restrict, or prohibit by proclamation, the importation of 

 any articles from any country or state which, in his opinion, 

 are likely to form a means of introducing any [jlant disease 

 into the colony. 



The British Acting Consul at Tamsui reports that the 

 following was the output of the sugar industry in Formosa 

 during 1909-10: centrifugal sugar 117,797 tons, lirown sugar 

 81,190 tons, inferior grades of raw sugar 2,083 tons, making 

 a total of 201,000 tons. Of these quantities, the consumption 

 in Formosa was as follows: centrifugal sugar 2,976 tons, 

 brown sugar 1 1,904 tons, inferior grade raw sugar 1,488 toQs. 



A letter from H. C. Prinsen Geerligs, dated October 5, 

 1910, in the Louisiana Planter for the 22nd of that month, 

 states that beetroot has been planted in England during this 

 year to the extent of 300 acres: the crop from this will be 

 sent to Holland to be worked up there. This i.^ a useful 

 procedure, as by its means guidance will be obtained as to 

 the new factory to be built for the purpose of dealing exclus- 

 ively with English grown beet. 



In order to encoui-age the arts and crafts of the Colony, 

 the Board of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica has 

 decided to hold a ninth exhibition of objects of artand industry, 

 in February 1911. The details of the competition show that 

 the groups in which prizes are to be awarded include the fine 

 arts, photography by amateurs and professionals, and needle 

 work: though, if there is need for it, the scope will be increased 

 to include exhibits under other classiiications. 



The Report, Etc., of tlte Education Department, Bar- 

 bado.s, for 1909, .shows that the interest taken in school 

 gardening, by the children in elementar}' schools in the island, 

 is well maintained. The number of exhibits sent to the 

 Agricultural Department from such schools has, however, 

 decreased during the year, the exjilanation being that the 

 place where the country agricultural show was held was too 

 far away from a large number of the schools for it to form 

 a convenient centre. 



The Hoard of Trade Journal for November 3, 1910, 

 contains an abstract of a report by H.M. Trade Commissioner 

 for South Africa, to the effect that a company has lieen 

 formed, under the name of the Wartberg Starch Company, 

 Limited, to manufacture starch, and various starch products 

 from sweet potatos. The company, which is composed entirely 

 of growers of sweet potatos, is liuilding a factory in the 

 Wartlierg district capalile cf manufacturing 1,000 tons of 

 starch products annually. 



Through the courtesy of .Mr. Edgar Tripp, Secretary of 

 the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Trinidad and 

 Tobago, information has been received that the following 

 awards were obtained in respsct of the Trinidad exhibits at 

 the recent exhibition held in Toronto: gold medals, the 

 Permanent Exhibition Committee, and Messrs. Wilson, Ltd; 

 silver medal, Mr. Thomas Field; bronze medal, Messrs. 

 Gordon Grant I'i: Co. These .shoidd be added to the list of 

 awards for the West Indies given on page 343 of the current 

 volume of the Af/ricultural A^ews. 



