Vol. XV. No. 375. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



301 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



ST. VINCENT. According to the Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent's report, work in the Experiment Station and Botanic 

 Gardens during the month of .July involved chiefly planting 

 and cultural operation.s. The following plants were dLstri 

 buted: selected corn 951b., coco-nuts 59, papaw seed 3oz, 

 Concerning staple crops, Mr. Sands says the weather was season- 

 able and crops were making good progress in St. Vincent. 

 In the Grenadines, on the other hand, the weather was dry 

 and crops were suffering. ( )n the 25th an Ordmance termed 

 the Cotton Stainer ( )rdinance was passed by the Legislative 

 Council and assented to by His Honour the Administrator on 

 the same day. A credit system of supplying small growers 

 with cotton seed for planting was inaugurated at the Grovern- 

 ment cotton ginnery. The Agricultural Superintendent 

 visited the AVindward District from July li to 17. During 

 this visit an inspection of canes at Colonarie estate was 

 made. Moth borer and mealy-bug were present in and on 

 canes in places, but the damage being done was not severe. 

 The mealy-bug Avas being extensively attacked by the ento- 

 mogenous fungus, Aspe-y'Uus fiavus. In the Georgetown 

 district the distribution of the cotton stainer and its effect on 

 early planted cotton was studied. The Ordinance referred 

 to above was passed with the object of empowering the 

 Agricultural Department to take the steps deemed necessary 

 to control the cotton stainer pest, and Mr. Sands states that 

 operations consisting in the destruction of 'John Bull' trees 

 and the collection of the stainers found thereon were com- 

 menced on the 26[h, in several districts. 



ST. LUCIA. Mr. A. .1. Brooks writes to say that during 

 the month of July the following plants were distributed: limes 

 9,100, decorative and ornamental 3S, cassava cuttings 500, 

 vegetable seeds 99 packets, budded oranges and grape 

 fruit 71. Work in the Botanic Gardens included the 

 erection of a new entrance gate on the western boun- 

 dary, for use of pede.strians only. As regards staple 

 crops, cacao is said to promise well, the lime crop is 

 coming in fast, and sugar-canes are making good growth. 

 Extension in lime cultivation continues. The Imperial 

 Commissioner addressed a meeting of the Agricultural and 

 Commercial Society on July 10, on which date he returned 

 to Barbados after a stay of twelve days in the island. During 

 his stay Dr. Watts, accompanied by the Agricultural 

 Superintendent, visited Laborie, Meux Fort, MicoudDennery 

 and Castries. The pea.sant-grown produce presente,d at the 

 Government Lime Juice Factory has increased for the time 

 being, says Mr. Brooks, to the total exclusion of produce 

 from the large estates. 



of their students. Students have been assigned special 

 problems at home which would involve the principles studied. 

 These problems were called Projects. When electricity was 

 studied in a certain school one student was given the wiring 

 of his father's house as a project in which he could apply the 

 principles learned. Another student made a study of the ger- 

 mination of .seeds and other problems involved in his home 

 garden in connexion with a study of plant growth A general 

 extension of this idea in relation to practical agriculture is what 

 the Bulletin advocates. It continues by pointing out that a dis- 

 tinction should be drawn between a Project and a simple 

 exercise used as a Practicum to illustrate some principle, or for 

 the purpose of increasing skill in some operation of farm or 

 shop A Project, to be worthy of the name, should involve 

 skill in many operations and the application of a number of 

 principles. To accomplish this it should cover a branch of 

 farming that will extend over a comparatively long period of 

 time. The'testing of seed corn may be cited as an e.xample 

 of the simple laboratory exercise performed at school. The 

 stringing of seed corn would be a suitable home practicum, 

 the aim of which would be to enquire skill in the useful 

 operation. The growing of an acre of corn would involve 

 both of these operations and many others, hence it would be 

 a worthy project. 



At the end of the Bulletin are given outlines of project 

 studies. As an example, reference may be made to the Pig 

 Project Study outline. The student is supposed in pursuing 

 these projects to ask himself a number of questions. In the 

 ca.se referred to the questions run thus: Shall I raise pigs for 

 my projects And as subsidiary questions— Do I like pigs' 

 Is this section suited to the profitable production of pork? Do 

 pigs fit in well with the farm management plan? Is cholera 

 or any other disease likely to prevent profits? Other leading 

 questions are: What shall be my aim in raising pigs? How 

 shall I get a start l Can I give breeding animals proper 

 management i How shall I care for young pigs ' How shall 

 I fatten my pigs for market i and so on. 



It will be obvious that the object of these courses of .study 

 is to enable the student lo combine business experience with 

 his academic studies in order that he may eventually become 

 trained to take up practical farming without the usual period 

 of apprenticeship which has formerly been found necessary. It 

 is of interest to record the fact that in the West Indies, the 

 Cadet System instituted by the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, whereby the student while continuing his 

 scientific studies at the local secondary school, spends the 

 larger portion of his time at the Botanic Station doing 

 agricultural work, is somewhat parallel to the American idea 

 of Home Projects. It is possible that in the West Indies, 

 arrangements might be made for students who.se parents are 

 connected with estates to take up such home projects as 

 growing an acre of corn or cotton, or keeping pigs, etc., as 

 suggested in this Bulletin. 



HOME PROJECTS IN AGRICULTURAL 

 EDUCATION. 



It is the aim of Bulletin No. .'UG, issued by the States 

 Relations Service of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, to give suggestions towards making the home farm or 

 estate a more definite factor for agricultural students in 

 instruction through what is known as the Home Project Plan. 



In recent years progressive teachers of science have 

 made an effort to break away from text-books and formal 

 laboratory work and adapt their teaching to the environment 



A somewhat remarkable note appears in the Wealth, of 

 India condemning in wholesale fashion the Anderson Oil 

 Expeller in the Indian oil pressing industry. It is stated that 

 this equipment has been imported into India on the advice of 

 Government, experts, but in no case has this machinery been 

 found to give satisfaction. These unfavourable reports are 

 reproduced in the Wealth of India from apparently a native 

 publication, and it would .seem, considering the successful 

 work of the Anderson Oil Expeller in the United States and 

 locally in the West Indies, that the statements regarding its 

 inefficiency in India are exaggerated if not unfounded. 



