Vol. XV. No. 35; 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



desiral)le characteristics; and of continued interest is the 

 selection of plants beari'ng four- and .five locked boll.s, which 

 were shown last year to yield more lint than the more normal 

 fruits 01 the cotton plant. The remaining plot experiments 

 ^have included a test as to the effect of the' method of planting 

 on ca.ss iva, which has indicated a yield in the ease of flat 

 planting higher than in the ca.se where ridges or banks were 

 employed. A similar. . experinient^-was carried out with 

 Bermuda onions. One'plot was sown iu rows on flat-forked 

 land, another had the seedlings tran.splanted on to banks, and 

 in a third plot the seed was sown in drills on banks. The 

 transplanted seedlings gave a calculated yield of 7,200 R. of 

 onions per acre as against 2,9GG in the case of the first plot, 

 and 2, .36-5 in the case of the third. Further experiments 

 on a larger scale will be undertaken at the experiment 

 station and on estates this season. 



In connexion with progress in the chief industries, two 

 tables are given in the report showing the annual returns 

 ■relating to cotton since 1905-6; (a) as regards the amount 

 actually reaped, and (b) the seasonal exports. The quantity 

 exported during the last two years has been somewhat 

 below the two preceding years. The shipments of starches 

 and cacao are also recorded in tables. The cacao industry 

 seems to remain in much the same state. 



Progress in the minor industries centres principally 

 around coco-nuts, ground nuts, peas and beans, and limes. 

 It is estimated that cojisiderably over 1,000 acres have been 

 planted up in coco-nuts during the past six years and, taken 

 as a whole, the outlook for this new industry is full of 

 promise. 



Details of administration at the end of the report refer 

 to the usual matters of routine, and include meteorological 

 observations which show that the rainfall recorded at the 

 Botanic Gardens for the year 1914 was 98'49 inches, which 

 was 747 inches below the mean of the previous twenty 

 years. It was not well distributed, November being a very- 

 vet month instead of what it usually is — a fairly dry one. 



The report of the Government Veterinary Surgeon 

 attached to Mr. Sands' report, shows that five cases of 

 anthrax occurred during the year. Pleasures were taken to 

 enclose the infected area, and the extensive vaccination work 

 continues as in previous years. While the loss on account 

 of the deaths referred to is unfortunate, yet its limited 

 extent may be i-egarded as usefully significant of the good 

 general control over anthrax and the need for continued 

 ■vigilance, exercised by the Government Veterinary Surgeon, 

 Mr. C. P. Stoute, under existing arrangements. 



Director, ^Ir. W. Hopkins, hopes that the people of tha 

 country in future m«y be induced to take up this cultivation 

 with a view to preparing concentrated juice and lime oils for 

 the English market. 



A good, deal of experimental work has been done in 

 Sierra Leone with ditt'erent varieties of rice, and information 

 in this report will no doubt interest agricultural officers in 

 Trinidad and British Guiana, particularly in the latter 

 Colony, because some of their varieties have been under trial 

 in Sierra Leone. 



During 1914 the ground nut crop was a failure owing 

 to bad germination and the attacks of a disease, probably 

 Cercof2Mra personata. In the variety trials with ground nuts 

 the yield varied to the extent of 5481b. and 1741b. per acre in 

 the different plots. Similarly in the maize experiments one 

 plot gave as much as ."jSilb. per acre whereas another gave 

 only 2961b. In the first case, however, the previous crop had 

 been ground nuts, and the soil had been deep-hoed, while in 

 the second the previous crop had been maize and the soil 

 had not been deep-hoed. 



It does not appear that much progress is being made 

 with cotton growing in Sierra Leone. On the other hand, it 

 seems that the area under cacao is extending, and that the 

 trees would flourish provided that, where necessary, the 

 natives would plant protective belts of trees in order to shield 

 the cacao fr<jm the prevailing winds. The price offered for 

 cacao by the traders to the natives is very low, about \\d. per 

 lb., therefore there is a probability that the industry may be 

 killed in its infancy by underpaying in this manner. 



An interesting feature of the publication under review is 

 the report on the soils of Sierra Leone based upon results of 

 examination of soil samples at the Imperial Institute. All 

 the soils with the exception of one, were found to be deficient 

 in calcium carbonate, and it is staled that they would benefit 

 by the application of a dressing of slaked lime. In all 

 cases except one, the percentage of nitrogen was satisfactory. 

 All the soils contained adequate supplies of humus for most 

 crops. In .some of the samples, however, the reserve of 

 phi.)sphoric acid was low, while the reserve of potash was also 

 deficient in most cases. It would appear, however, that the 

 amount of available potash is satisfactory. Needless to say, 

 the above information can only be of use to those having an 

 intimate working knowledge of the soils in question. It i.s 

 of general interest, however, as another contributi<m to our 

 still scanty store of information on tropical soils. 



SIERRA LEONE: REPORT ON THE AGRI 

 CULTURAL DEPARTMENT, IdU. 



Agricultural officers in the West Indies may remember 

 that Mr. D. W. Scotland, the As.sistant Director of Agriculture, 

 Sierra Leone, paid a visit to these islands in 1914. The 

 present report, therefore, might be expected to possess points 

 of special interest, particularly in regard to the cultivation of 

 limes in Sierra Leone. It is stated that the lime plantation 

 at .Jala is now two years old. The trees have grown very 

 ■well, and at the end of the year will be pruned. It is said 

 they compare very favourably with three-year- old plants in 

 ihe West Indies. The lime tree grows well in Sierra Leone, 

 both in the Colony and in the Protectorate, and a Pamphlet 

 entitled The Prospects of Lime Cultivation in Sierra Leone 

 has been prepared by the Assistant Director ftu' distributioi' 

 amongst the District Commis.=ioners and others. Tht 



A note appears in The Board of Trade Journal (November 

 11, 1915), on the need for commercial research work in Canada. 

 It is pointed out that Canada has now reached the stage in 

 its development when the need of more initiative and of more 

 organization in dealing with its ojjportunities has become 

 clear. Canada appears to the outside world chiefly as an 

 agricultural country. Viewed, however, in the home markets, 

 agriculture is now largely overshadowed by manufactures. 

 The war has been the manufacturer's ojiportunity for entering 

 the field of foreign trade on a considerable scale. Few of the 

 manufacturing establishments have laboratories and special 

 experts needed for research work. It is therefore satisfactory 

 to know that three important universities — Toronto, McGill 

 and Queen's — have agreed to co-operate with the Dominion 

 Government in research work for the benefit of the manu- 

 facturing, mining, agricultural, and forestry interests of the 

 Dominion. 



