12 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



Januaky 1, 191G 



An interesting table appears in tlie Annual Report of the 

 Department of Agriculture, Uganda Protectorite, for the 

 year ended March 31, 191o, showing the amount of starch 

 contained in the roots of cassiva, Ceara rubber, and sweet 

 potatoes. Thirty pouads of cassava root gave .3^tb. of starch; 

 -tllb. of Ceara gave rift), starch: ."'■OBi. of sweet potatoes gave 

 2ft). of starch. 



GLEANINGS. 



The export of rice from Siani in 1913-14 was the largest 

 on record, the figures being 1,173,980 tons, valued at 

 ..£7, 568, 9-54. This exceeded the export of the previous record 

 year, 1910-11, by 127,0-54 ton.s, and £008,902. 



We regret to announce that Mr. J. L. Fonda, Treasurer 

 -of the Florida Manufacturing Co., Madison, Florida, who 

 'visited the West Indies on one or two occasions in connexion 

 with the Cotton Industry, died on October 2-5, 1915. 



The estimated population of Jamaica up to March 

 ^1, 1915, is given in a Supplement to the Jamiica G'izetle, 

 .as 883,158. The number of new arrivals during the year 

 •was 15,218, and the number of departures, 12,330. 



We see from the Uganda Official Ga-elte that the 



Agriculture Department distributes certain planting material 



at the following rates: Para Rubber seeds, IDs. per 1,000; 



'Para Rubber plants, 30s. per 1,000; Cacao seed.s, 158. per 



1,000; Clove seedlings, 50c. each. 



According to Dr. Prinsen Geerligs in the Louisiana 

 J'lanler for October 23, the reports from Java remain bad; 

 the tonnage of cane per acre is low and the quality of juice 

 is not good. It is added that in some favoured districts 6 

 .short tons of sugar per acre is produced, but in a major- 

 ity of places the yield will be below that. 



The exports of cacao and spices from (Jrcnada in 1914 

 ■were worth £280,308 and £21,165, respectively. These 

 -values were considerably below these for 1913 owing to 

 unfavourable weather conditions in the latter year. The 

 lime industry as well as coco-nut is extending. {Colonial 

 Reports — Annual, No. 852.) 



It is stated in the Iteport on the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment of the Cold Coast for 191-1, that e.'cpcM-iments liave been 

 .conducted at Aburi in the fermentation and preparation of 

 xiacao, and a better product a[)[)ears to be obtained if the 

 process of both fermentation and drying is not unduly hurried. 

 An aggregate of six days in the sweating boxes appears tf) 

 be ample. 



The Swiss Chocolate Industry is the title of an 

 interesting article in the West India Committee Circulur for 

 November 16, 1915. It appear.s that this industry has been 

 a very successful co-operative movement. Swiss chocolate is 

 composed of the following ingredients: cacao bean.s, 700; 

 sugar, lifb.; cinnamon, 7oz.; grains of pimento, 14; cloves, 

 2oz.; pieces of vanilla, 3; or aniseed, 7oz. 



We learn with great regret, the news of the death of 

 Mr. John Musgrave. of Dominica. Mr. Musgrave was a well- 

 known and respected planter. The event is particularly .sad, 

 in view of the fact that Mr. Musgrave had previously 

 to his death succeeded in developing the propertj- he owned 

 by dint of hard work up to a point when to all appearance 

 it should have been quite remunerative with only general 

 supervision. 



It is stated in Diplomatic and Consular Reports, 

 No. 5456, dealing with the trade of Surinam for 1913, that 

 sugar-cane was grown during that period on some six estates. 

 Bourbon was the principal variety cultivated, and the land 

 under this cane was pronounced by qualified opinion to be of 

 considerably higher fertility than the general run of sugar- 

 cane land in British Guiana. The amount of sugar exported 

 was 10,708 tons in 1913 as against 9,029 tons in 1912. 



Published in the St. Lucia Gazette Extraordinary for 

 October 19, is an Ordinance to authorize the raising of money 

 for the construction and improvement of roads and bridges 

 by the issue of Government Debentures. All moneys raised 

 on loan under this Ordinance will bear interest at the rate of 

 5 per cent. Provision is made to make the loan £20,000, 

 and for the redemption of debentures and other matters. 

 This Act is important from the point of view of the 

 agricultural develnpment of St. Lucia. 



The Goulds Manufacturing Company has furnished this 

 Office with their new general catalogue of pumps and 

 hydraulic machinery. This is well illustrated, and shows 

 pumps designed for every purpose including the latest wind- 

 mill pumps, and various designs for spraying purposes. The 

 two classes just referred to sliould be nf special interest in the 

 ^Vest Indies. A special type calling for mention is the 

 fioulds Field Cro|) Sprayer which is designed for the 

 purpose of dealing with large areas of crops like corn and 

 cotton. 



The section concerning vegetable physiologj" and 

 agriculture in the Journal of the Chemical Socie'i/, Vols. 

 107 and 108, contains the following abstracts of interest to 

 scientific workers in the West Indies: the ferments of rum; 

 the I'.sazone niethoil of locating sugars in plant ti.ssues: the 

 -constituents of Gloriosa superha; and the biochemistry of 

 '.sea wi'cds. 



In a previous issue of the Agricultural Neivs we dealt 

 with a report by .Mr, J. F. C'larenc on sugar manufacture in 

 Louisiana. The Mauritius Department of .'Vgriculture has 

 recently forwarded ■ us two further Bulletins, dealing in 

 a similar manner with the manufacture of sugar in Java, and 

 in Cuba and Portn Rico. These publications contain data 

 of much interest for comparison between different factories 

 working under different conditions. Certain .sections in these 

 Bulletins will bo referred to at greater length in ;i future issue 

 of this .biiirnul. 



