40 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 29, 1916. 



.„d»^ 



EDITORIAL 



Head Office 







NOTICES. 



— Barbadi>.s. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agiiculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agricultural 

 News ' and other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents, and not to the Department. 



The complete list of Agents, and the siibscription 

 and advertisement rates, will be found on page o of 

 the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Fra4icis Watts, C'.M.G., D.Sc, 



Agricnltmefor the West Indies F.I.C., F.C.S. 



SCIEXTIFK! STAFF. 



Hcieutijic Assistant und 



Assistant Editor ^\'. R. Dunloj). 



Entomologist H. A. Ballon, M.Sc. 



Mycologist W. Nowull, D.I C. 



CLERICAL STAFF. 



Chief Clerk A. G. Howell. 



Assistant Clerk M. B. Connell. 



Junior aerk W^ P. Bovell, 



Assistant Junior Clerk P. Taylor. 



Typist Miss B. Robinson. 



... , j.„ D li- ,• f A. B. Price, Fell. Jniiiii. Inst. 



Assistants jor publications ■! y A r -1 ' 



Agricultural llmrii 



Vol. XV. SATURDAY, -lANUARY 29, 1916. No. 3-59. 



The Possibilities of Cuba's Sugar Production. 



The Barbados Agricidtural Reporter has recently 

 published an interesting leader on the above subject 

 based upon information provided by the Louisiana 

 Planter. From this it appears that Cuba's prospects 

 in the matter of sugar production are very great. In 

 each of the seasons 1913-14 and 1914-1.5, that 

 country produced about 2,(100,000 tons of sugar. 

 The crop now coming off will probabl}' reach 3} million 

 tons. When the schemes now imder consideration for 

 extension shall have been actually realized, it is 

 estimated that the sugar crop of Cuba four years 

 hence will reach 4 million tons. It is believed that in 

 the near future Cuba will be the controlling factor in 

 the world's sugar market. Under the Republican 

 Government great progress has been made in regard to 

 the efficient equipment of central factories, and it does 

 not appear that there has ever been any trouble or 

 an.xiety in regard to adequate suppl}' of sugar-cane. 

 Still one is justified in saying that there is yet room 

 for improvement in regard to the cultivation of cane, 

 and the increase in the average yield per acre. If the 

 total output of Cuban sugar be increased by one-quar- 

 ter and the yield of sugar per ton of cane be increased 

 one-twentieth or one-tenth, as could readily be done, it 

 is believed that these combined intlaences could be made 

 to result in a production of o million tons of sugar in 

 the year 1920. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



In the editorial to this number the importance of 

 humidity is discussed as a factor determining the 

 distribution and growth of crops in the West Indies. 



An interesting article dealing with infusorial earth 

 as a manure appears on jjage 47. 



A review of the N'irgin Islands lujjurt will be 

 found on page '■\o. 



Items of Local Inlertst api)ear on page 39. 



Insect Notes in this issue have reference to certain 

 dangerous hard backs: while under Plant Diseases will 

 be found an article dealing with imported diseases, and 

 a special note correcting certain information that 

 appeared in a previous issue. 



Co-operative Sugar Works in Queensland. 



The Agricultural Organization Society of England 

 has furnished us with information concerning an Act 

 which has been passed in Queensland to provide in 

 detail for the organization of co-operative sugar works 

 in that State, with the help of loans from the Treasury. 



( )vvners or occupiers of a certain ipiantity of land 

 suitable for the growth of sugar-cane m.iy make appli- 

 cation to establish the said works. The applicants 

 must be in a position to subscribe to the capital stock 

 of the company a sum equal to one-thii'd of the capital 

 required for the construction. e(|uipment or purchase 

 of the sugar works. A copy (jf the articles of association 

 must be forwarded, and the latter must jjrovide that 

 no di\idend at a greater rate than .5 per cent, shall at 

 any time after the advances by the Treastirer have been 

 repaid, be declared or paid or credited by the company, 

 and no person shall be qualified to hold shares in the 

 conq)any unless he is a grower of cane under agree- 

 ment. The conditions nccessaiy for the formation of 

 a company are: that the subscribed capital shall be 

 equal to the cost of construction or of purcha.se of the 

 sugar works; that the'value of the shares allotted to 

 each member may not exceed the \ ahie of his land, 

 iuid that the shares corresponding cannot be sold to 

 guarantee the Government advance for the Avorks to 

 be carried out. The law makes suitable provision for 

 the supervision and inspection of the work of construc- 

 tion, as well as for the management of the business. 



