376 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



XOVEMBEE 18, 1916. 



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 Agriculture, 

 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, 



A gricuiture for the West Indies F.I.C., F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 



Scientific Assistant and 



Assistant Editor 

 Entoviologist 

 Mycologist 



W. R. Dunlop. 



H. A. Ballou, M.Sc. 



W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



CLERICAL STAFF. 



Chief Clerk 

 Assistant Clerk 



Clerical Assistants 



Typist 



Assistant Ttjplst 

 Assistant for Publicatioits 



A. G. Howell. 

 M. B. Connell. 

 ("L. A. Corbin. 

 - P. Taylor. 



Miss B. Robiii.sDii. 



Miss W. Kllis. 



A. B. Price, Fell. Joum. Inst. 



JigricuUurat llivirj) 



Vol. XV. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1916. Xo. 380. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



Son>e of the reasons why the employment of motor 

 cultivation in the West Indies should be given greater 

 attention are set out in the editorial to this number. 



On pages 372 and 373 will be found information 

 pertaining to the situation that has arisen on account 

 of rises in the price of flour. 



An interesting note on the importance of light in 

 tke germination of seeds appears on page 377. 



On page 3!Sl the working of the St. \'incent 

 IJovernment Granary and of the Andenson Oil Expeller 

 of St. Vincent are described. 



A note on the breeding and feeding of pigs is given 

 «n page 383. 



West Indian Archaeology. 



A review appears in Mature for September 28 of 

 1". A. Joyce's 'Central American and West Indian 

 Archieology' (London: Philip Lee Warner. Price 

 12s. (kl. net). The last hundred pages of the book 

 are devoted to the West Indies, and while the mattera 

 dealt with are not directly pertinent to agricultural 

 affairs, they are of sufficient scientific interest to justify 

 reference in these columns. 



It is .stated that the original stock of the whole- 

 Archipelago were Arawaks from the Northern Conti- 

 nent, and were in turn followed by the more bellicose 

 Caribs, who at the time of their discovery were in 

 possession of the Lesser Antilles and fast extending 

 into some of the greater islands. They had a patri- 

 archal system, with caciques or small chiefs. A tie of 

 friendship was the mutual exchange of their names. 

 They practised the couvade. The Arawaks were armed 

 with sword-clubs and javelins hurled by means of 

 ornamented spear- throwers. The chief weapon of the 

 Caribs was the bow. The male prisoners were eaten. 

 There is no evidence that stone weapons were used, the 

 bladesof stone found being tools. Charms were made 

 of wood and stone, images of man and animals. Inter- 

 esting are the stone collars which are said to be the 

 translation into stone of originally a wooden hoop, 

 a tree fork bent and fixed by bandages into this shape. 

 It is said that the enclosing of a spirit in such a circle 

 is connected with tree worship. This book should be 

 read by West Indians interested, as many arc, in 

 Carib implements. 



The Importance of Scientific Research to the 

 Industries. 



According to C. A. Jacobson, of the L^niversity ot 

 Nevada, the popular attitude of mind towards the 

 value of scientific research is the same in the United 

 States as it was in ..Great Britain before the war. 

 Writing in Science (September 29, 1910) he saj^s; 'As 

 a nation we are not sufficiently appreciative of the 

 value to industr}- of research in pure science. In 

 order to credit certain experimentation, we must 

 see a well-established connexion between the work in 

 hand and the end sought. A clear and definite series 

 of results pointing toward a certain conclusion must be 

 produced before wc are in a mood to consider the 

 possible importance of the investigation.' 



The article goes on to state that few of the 

 American manufacturers have realized the significance 

 of a well-equipped research department in connexion 

 with their industries. 'This statement, however, does 

 not refer to the testing laboratory, whose value h;xs 

 long been recognized and has its place in the factory.' 



In the West Indies one cannot help noticing the 

 fact that a similar attitude of mind prevails. The 

 general public has little sympathy with scientific 

 research, though every planter recognizes the value of 

 a testing laboratory in sugar factories, while the Admin- 

 istrations even have advanced so far as to support 

 analytical work in connexion with milk supply and 

 allied matters pertaining to the maintenance of public 



