364 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 4, 1916. 



West Indian reader^ interested in the production of 

 bay oil will note with interest the article on baj- oil constants, 

 in the Ferjumery and Essential Oil Hicord for September 

 1916. The request is put forward that the above-mentioned 

 Journal maj' be supplied with samples of bay oil of specific 

 gravity between "936 and •938. Reference to the figures- 

 recorded shows that the percentage of phenol in oils within 

 this range of .specific gravity may vary as much as frora 

 32 to 48 per cent. 



GLEANINGS. 



Observations relating to the condition of staple crops in 

 Grenada during September indicate that cacao is very prom- 

 ising, while limes may be considered, on the whole, satisfac- 

 tory. It is stated that the peasant cultivations under cacao 

 showed a marked improvement. 



A statement is made in the Jcmrnal of Agricultural 

 Jiesearch (Vol. VI, No. 22) as to the effect of sodium salt.s 

 en plant growth. It is stated that the limit of tolerance of 

 crop plants to the salt in the soil is determined by the 

 quantity of the salt that can be recovered from the soil 

 (i.e. non-adsorbed) rather than by tlie quantity added to 

 the soil. 



In the Hawaiian Forester and .Agriculturist ioT July 

 1916 reference is made to the development of the hog industry 

 in Hawaii. It is stated that the time is undoubtedly near 

 vehen pork packing will be established in that territory, and 

 the importation of hams and bacon will be discontinued. It 

 is believed that the prices the cured product would bring 

 should prove highly remunerative. 



It is stated in the Annual Report ou the Education De- 

 partment of St. Lucia for 191-5 that during the year agricul- 

 ture was taught in seventeen elementary schools, and the 

 eight schools examined ])resented scholars showing an increase 

 of 5 per cent, on last year's number. Special attention has 

 been paid to grafting and budding, and experimental work 

 figured largely in the practical demonstrations. 



In connexion with the notice in this issue of the work on 

 Tropical Leguminosae, it may be mentioned that a personal 

 article on the author appear.-; in Tropical Life for September 

 1916. The author, Mr. De Sornay, was formerly Assistant 

 1 )irector of the Station Agronoraique, J\Iauritius, and is now 

 Laboratory Director of the Cie Colonials Engrais Chimique 

 (Colonial Chemical Manures Co.). 



According to a report in the Foriof-Spain Gazette for 

 October 14, the Trinidad lioard of Agriculture and Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and Agricultural Society have been 

 e.icchanging compliments in regard to the satislactory results 

 obtained from the manurial and othQr.^cxperiments on cacao 

 at River estate. It appears that in Trinidad general satis- 

 faction is felt that at last manurial experiments with cacao ■ 

 have been put on a sound and satisfactory basis. 



The trade of St. John, New Brunswick, receives atten- 

 tion in The Board of Trade Journal for August 10, 1916. 

 As regards agricultural conditions in New Brunswick, there 

 appears to be very little difference in the acreage sown thi* 

 year. It is stated that in some localities there is a slightly 

 smaller acreage under potatoes, owing to the high cost of 

 commercial fertilizers. The English potato benefits by the 

 application of artificial manure.s, particularly potash, more 

 than perhaps any other crop. 



One of the rainiest nvJhths of August, says the Demerara 

 Daily Chronicle, had for its successor, September, an exceed- 

 ingly dry and hot month, the average fall of rain during that 

 period working out at L95 inches and on a basis of forty-five 

 returns from the various Stations, as against 913 inches for 

 August. The highest fall registered in Georgetown was 1 inch 

 on the 8th, and the lowest on the 22nd, namely 19 parts. 

 The average for the courlties worked out at 1 93 inches for 

 Demerara, 2'29 for Es.sequibo, and r21 inches for Berbice. 



Turmeric in I'orto Rico is the subject of a note in the 

 Chainlier rjf Commerce Journal for July 1916, in which it is 

 stated that this plant grows wild over a considerable portion 

 of Porto Rico, and is fairly abundant. It is used by the 

 natives as a dye for the fibres from which hammocks are 

 woven, also for ribbons, cloths and the like. It is added 

 that text-books say that the yellow dye- obtained from the 

 root is not fast, but the natives nevertheless appear to have 

 rendered it quite permanent. 



Reference is made in the Gardener's Chronicle for 

 September 16, to the possibility that there may be in 

 existence microscopic parasites of plants, so small that they 

 cannot be viewed under the microscope in its present stage of 

 development. It is believed that these invisible organisms 

 maj- possibly be the cause of the strange mosaic disease of 

 tobacco and of tomatoes, and of the leaf curl of {)otatoes. 

 It is pointed out that ultra-microscopic organisms if they 

 do aflect cultivated plantis open up new and difficult problems 

 to the plant pathologist 



Information has been received from the Antigua Agricul- 

 tural Department to the effect that the Antigua Lime Growers' 

 Association has now been definitely inaugurated, and is 

 affiliated to the Antigua Onion Growers' Association and the 

 Antigua Cotton Growers' Association. The Lime Growers' 

 Association intends to start business in a very small way 

 in the first instance, and to confine its attention to commercial 

 experiments in the packing, handling and shipment of green 

 limes. It is hoped eventually to work up an export trade in 

 fruit and vegetable produce. "With the object of facilitat- 

 ing such developments, a central board for co-operative 

 organization has been foriaed, comprising one representative 

 each from'jthe onion, cotton and lime growers' associations, and. 

 two from the Agricultural «nd Commercial Society. 



