THE AGKICULTUKAL XEWS. 



March 11, 191G. 



EDITORIAL 



Head Office 



NOTICES. 



— Barbados. 



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 subscription 

 and advertisement rates, will be found on page 3 of 

 "the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Francis Watts, CM. G., D.Sc, 



.Agriculture for the West Indies F.I.C., F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 

 Scie^itific Assistant and 



Assistant Editor W. R. Dunlop. 



-Entomoloiiist H. A. Ballrm, JI.Sc. 



Mycologist W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



CLERICAL STAFF. 

 Oiief Clerk A. G. Howell. 



Assistant Clerk M. B Cunnell. 



■ Junior Clerk \Y P. B.ivell, 



Assistant Junior Clerk P. Taylia-. 



Typist Miss B. Rdliinsoii. 



(A. B. Price, Fell. .Journ. Inst. 

 \L. A. Corbin. 



Assistants for Publications 



Agricultural ^m^ 



Vol. XV. SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 1916. No. 3(i2. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this number gives the results of 

 experiments on soil explosions conducted recently in the 

 West Indies. 



On page Ki will be tbuud an article describing the 

 means of transpcjrting sngai-eane in Cuba. 



An interesting article on page 84 describes the 

 effect of lightning on coco-nnt palms. 



Insect Notes deal with pests in Mauritius, and 

 under Plant Diseases a malady of the mango is 

 rlescribed. 



Scientific and Industrial Research. 



The Board of Education of England has recently 

 issued a scheme for the organization and development 

 of scientific and industrial research. This is the 

 outcome of the strong concensus of opinion among 

 persons engaged both in science and industry, that 

 a special need exists at the present time for new 

 machinery, and for additional State assistance in order 

 to promote and organize scientific research, with 

 a view especially to its application to trade and 

 industry. ;- 



In previous issues of this Journal (Vol. XIV, 

 pp. 289 and 401 ), we editorially referred to movements 

 on foot to obtain Government assistance in giving 

 scientific support to certain industries that have been 

 seriously atfected by the War: and to the lack of 

 support which science receives from the Press gene- 

 rally. 



The scheme now under consideration, and which has 

 resulted from the movements referred to above, is not 

 intended to replace or interfere with the arrangement.s 

 which have been made or may be made by the War 

 Office or Admiralty or Ministry to obtain scientific 

 advice and investigation in connexion with the provision 

 of munitions of war, but is designed to establish 

 a permanent organization for the promotion of indus- 

 trial and scientific research. To that end it pro- 

 vides, inter alia, for the appointment of a small 

 Advisory Council whose primary functions will be to 

 advise the Committee of Council (i) on propo.sals for 

 instituting specific researches: (ii) proposals for 

 establishing or developing special institutions or 

 departments of existing institutions for the scien- 

 tific study of problems affecting particular indus- 

 tries and tr.ades: (iii) the establishment and award 

 of Research Studentships and Fellowships. lb 

 is deemed essential that the Advi.sorj- Council 

 should keep in close touch with all Government 

 I >epartments concerned with or interested in scientific 

 research, and act in intimate co-operation with the 

 existing scientific or professional associations, societies 

 and institutes, as well as with Universities, technical 

 and other institutions in which research is or can be 

 efficiently conducted. It is contemplated that the 

 Advisory Council will work largely through sub-com- 

 mittees reinforced by suitable experts in the par- 

 ticular branch of science or industry concerned. A large 

 part of their work will be that of examining, 

 selecting, combining, and co-ordinating rather th.m 

 that of originating. They will be at liberty to initiate 

 proposals and to institute inquiries preliminary to 

 preparing or eliciting proposals for useful research, 

 and in this way tWey may help to concentrate on 

 problems re(]uiring solution, the interest of all persons 

 concerned in thedevlopmeut of all branches of scientific 

 industry. 



■^^■^♦-^ 



Manufacture of Copra in Britisli Honduras, 



Attention is directed to this new line of duvelop- 

 ment in the British Honduras coco-nut-growing 

 industry, by the Royal Society of Arts in their Journal 

 for December 24 last. It appears that during thn 



