Vol. XY. Xo. 361. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



69 



Turning to Tobago it is noticed that the exports of 

 cacao and coco nuts for 1914, though below those for the 

 last year or two, are satisfactory. Tobacco shows a great 

 increase. Both tobacco and cotton are regarded as .suitable 

 crops for small growers in Tobago, though of recent years 

 cotton cultivation has not proved a success. 



The report of the Superintendent of Field Experiments 

 refers to the manurial experiments with cane, and the testing 

 of new varieties chiefly from Barbados. Dynamite experi- 

 ments have been conducted on banana soil, and the figures 

 obtained appear to show that not only a larger number of 

 bunches has been reaped from the dynamited plot, but also 

 that there has been a larger number of seven, eight and nine- 

 Lands branches, and consequently the average weight of the 

 bunches from the dynamited plot is iO'l fb. against 18!S ft), 

 from the undynamited plot. In regard to similar experi- 

 ments with coco-nuts, both the dynamited and undynamited 

 plots have made good growth. So far the undynamited plot 

 is the better of the two. The bajianas imported from Dominica 

 ■were, during the year, classified according to varieties familiar 

 ill Trinidad. The variety known as .Janshangu, allied to the 

 Moko of Trinidad, is described as 'a good stout tree not too 

 tall — good growth of suckers — should be a good shade for 

 cacao, etc' Another good variety is Marliban, allied to the 

 Trinidad Silk: this is 'a good, strong tree, frui s in large 

 bunches, fruit of good flavour.' Attention has been given 

 to the cultivation of camphor, varieties of rice, and provisions. 

 Several special investigations in connexion with crops were 

 undertaken. These included tapping experiments with 

 Hevea, investigation of possible thymol yield of Spanish 

 thyme {Coleus armatkus), determination of camphor yields 

 fiom young trees, production of alcohol from cassava and 

 unripe bananas, etc. 



In the report dealing especially with the Botanical 

 Department, an interesting list is given of economic and other 

 plants recently introduced. Tho>.e include vanilla varieties 

 from l)ominica and the Seychelles, I'.urbank's spineless cactus, 

 kukui nut {Aleuritts moluccana) from Hawaii, Malaybalay 

 coffee from the Philippines, red flowering cotton from 

 Northern Nigeria, and several other plants of interest. The 

 Botanical Department has been concerned with the training 

 of labourers at the St. Clair Station in nursery work, which is 

 a very useful innovation, and with the carrying out of the 

 Plant Protection Ordinance. >■» 



A detailed report is given of the Government Laboratory 

 where a large amount of analytical work has been carried 

 out, much of it outside of purely agricultural chemistry. 



A great deal of attention continues to be devoted to live- 

 stock in Trinidad. At the Government Farm, Valsayn, the 

 stock, on the whole, kept in good health. The thirty-second 

 annual .sale of stock took place on February 19, 191.5, when 

 seventy head of cattle, eleven horses, ten pigs, and a variety 

 of poultry were sold. The attendance was good and good 

 prices were obtained. The farm maintains a fine herd of milk- 

 ing animals and also a good stud. There is a keen demand for 

 pure and cross-bred young pigs in Trinidad. In Tobago 

 there is also a stud farm which serves similar purposes 

 connected with the general improvement of stock as the 

 larger establishment in Trinidad. 



During the year under review, Mr. W. G. Freeman 

 the Assistant Director of Agriculture acted for eight 

 months during the absence on leave of Professor Car- 

 inody, the Director. It has to be recorded also, that 

 during the year Mr. J. C. Augustus, Curator of the 

 Botanical Department, resigned his position to take up 

 the more lucrative one of Manager of Sir Norman 

 Lamont's pro[)erties. In spite of these changes the report 



under review shows that a great deal of useful practical 

 work has been carried on by the Trinidad Department of 

 Agriculture. The results of much of this are not included 

 in the present report, which is chiefly administrative. For 

 more detailed information the reader should refer to past 

 numbers of the Bul.'etin itf the Department of Ai/riculture of 

 Trinidad^ in which will be found also the results of valuable 

 investigations conducted by the Board of Agriculture, ia 

 regard to pests and diseases. 



FIELD SELECTION OF INDIAN CORN. 



As a guide to the points to be observed in the 

 field selection of Indian corn, the Agricultural 

 Gazette of New South Wales (October 191-5) furnishes 

 the following information: — 



(1) Avoid ears from plants which have a large amount 

 of free space around them, unless such ears are considerably 

 above the average, and select from those plants which 

 produce a good ear under normal or adverse conditions. 



(2) On rich ground maize suckers freely, and it is 

 impossible to select all ears from suckerless stalks. The 

 results obtained so far seem to indicate that a plant possess- 

 ing a good ear in a normal stand, may be selected whether 

 it has suckers or not; but it has been found that, if the 

 suckers also bear ears in a normal stand, the plant is usually 

 a good one to select from. 



(3) No advantage has yet been obtained from selecting 

 for two or more ears per stalk unless the first ear is up to 

 the standard. It does not seem advisable to select for two 

 or more small ears instead of one large one. 



(4) Ears too high on the stalk in tall-growing varieties 

 should be avoided, and in short-growing varieties the ear 

 should not be allowed to get too close to the ground. 



(.5) Ears showing insufficient protection of the husk 

 over their tip should be studiously avoided; especially is 

 this an nnportant factor oir the North Coast where the 

 weevil infests the crop in the field. 



(6) Short-shanked ears should always be avoided, 

 and the shank should neither be too thin nor excessively 

 thick. 



(7) Ears drooping at maturity are not only re.sistant to 

 the weather, but have been found in most instances to yield 

 much better than ears erect at maturity. 



(8) The stalk should be thick at the base, and .should 

 not taper too rapidly up to the ear. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Iiupejial Couuiiissione)' of Agriculture, 

 acciinipanied by Mr. W. R. Dunlop, Scientific As.sis- 

 tant, Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Sc, EntomolugLst, and 

 Mr. \y. Nowell, D.I.C... \iIycologist, will leave Barbados 

 on March' 9 by the C.R.M.S. 'Caraquet' for St. Kitts, 

 for the purpose of conducting in that island a meeting 

 of West Indian cotton growers. It is e.xpected that the 

 above officers will return bv the C.R M.S. 'Chignecto", 

 due in Barbados on March 23. 



