Vol. XV. No. 381. 



THE AGRICULTURAL XKWS, 



39J 



of the Bahamas are suscejDtible to very great develop- 

 ments. It has been found possible for the Government 

 to send the Secretary of the Marine Products Board on 

 H tour of inspection to the Experimental Sponge Farms 

 in the vicinity of Sugar Loaf <^)ua3", Florida, thanks to 

 the courtesj of Professor A. J, Jleyen-. A report, which 

 was the outcome of this tour, clearl}' indicates that the 

 nrtificial cultivation of sponges can be made a profitable 

 industry if conducted on scientific lines. It follows 

 therefore, that 'The Mud' of the Bahamas is capable of 

 offering in the near feature an extensive field for 

 the investment of capital, as also remunerative 

 results to both investor and sponger. During 

 the year 1915-16, high prices were obtained for 

 sponges, and this in itself will tend to stimulate the 

 extension of sponge cultivation on scientific lines. In 

 191-5-16, l,62(S,n38 lb. of sponges were exported from 

 the Bahamas valued at £147,021, as compared with 

 1,142,-547 It), valued at £93,395 in 1914-1.5. 



In past i.ssiies of the Agricultural ]\eivs reference 

 has been made to the efforts that are being made by 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture to introduce 

 sponge cultivation into the Lesser Antilles. It may be 

 stated that action is still being taken to bring this into 

 effect, and with good prospects of success. 



Department Publications. 



The recently issued number of the West Indian 

 Bulletin (Vol. XVI, No. 1) contains papers on original 

 biological work conducted in the West Indies, and 

 indicates a distinct advance in our knowledge of the 

 subjects dealt with. This number also contains 

 discussions, on points brought up at the Cotton 

 Conference last March, received from Manchester. 

 With this number has been issued the index and title 

 page of Volume XV. 



The xVnnual Pieports of the local Agricultural 

 Departments are now passing through the press. The 

 Dominica, Grenada, andMontserrat reports, respectively, 

 have already been issued, and the St. Vincent and 

 St. Kitts reports should be in the hands of readers by the 

 end of the year. These reports are for the year ended 

 March 31, 1916. The present series is of a particu- 

 larly high standard and indicates important advances in 

 experimental and administrative work. The distribu- 

 tion of these reports is limited, but most of the informa- 

 tion calculated to interest readers outside the islands is 

 reproduced for their benefit in the Agricultural Neivs. 



Can Mules Breed? 



The evidence for and against the possibility of 

 fertility in mules is set out in an interesting article 

 ia the Journal of Hereditij ior 'Sowemhev 1916. The 

 general conclusion arrived at is that one should at 

 present keep an open mind on the subject. Cases have 

 been reported which have every aspect of being genuine, 

 but supporters of tbe negative side of the question say 

 that the observations have been faulty or inadequate. 

 An interesting case of alleged fertility was recorded in 

 the Agricultural Neivs for September 27, 1913 (Vol. 



XII, No. 298), which is not mentioned in the article 

 under notice. A female mule was stated to have 

 produced a colt by a jack donkey, and the authenticity 

 of the phenomenon was vouched for by a properly 

 qualified veterinary surgeon. 



The strongest negative evidence on the subject is 

 physiological. When body cells divide, there is no 

 preliminuy pairing of the chromosomes, or minute 

 bodies in the cell; but, when germ cells are formed, 

 each chromosome pairs with its mate as a necessary 

 preliminarj' to division. In the case of the pure 

 species, this is a regular and orderly process. But in 

 germ cell divisions of the mule this is impossible. One 

 trouble is that the hybrid has received nineteen 

 chromosomes from his dam, a mare, and thirty-two 

 from his sire, a jack: and when the chromosomes come 

 to pair off there are not enough of the right kinds to 

 pair. In addition there is an incompatibility between 

 those 'pairs" that are present, and pairing is difficult or 

 incomplete. The whole machinery of the cells is 

 therefore upset, and the cell itself destroyed. 



The microscopic studies on which the above fact? 

 rest were made principally on the germ gland of the 

 male. It is conceivable that matters might occasionally 

 proceed differently in the ovary of the female, where 

 a different chromosome constellation exists. 



Manchester and the West Indian Cotton 

 Conference. 



Two important letters appear in the recently 

 issued number of the West Indian Bulletin, one by 

 Dr. Lawrence Balls, formerly Botanist to the Egyptian 

 Government and now scientific adviser to the Fine 

 Spinners' and Doublers' Association, and the other by 

 J. W. McConnel, Vice Chairman, Fine Spinners' and 

 Doublers' Association, Limited. In these letters 

 appreciation is expressed of the general scheme of the 

 Conference and the useful results that accrued from it. 

 In the course of his letter. Dr. Balls urges that larger 

 yields per acre should be looked for in the West Indies. 

 He then goes on to sketch the ideal arrangement of an 

 experiment station for the jjurpose of seed breeding. A 

 few remarks then-fdUow on the question of mutation, 

 and the letter ends with observations relating to the 

 measurement of lint. 



Mr. McConnel refers to the kinds of cotton that are 

 wanted by spinners, and he attaches importance to- 

 efforts at continuing to produce the satisfactory strains 

 that are at present m existence. He regards as impor- 

 tant regulating the quantity produced of extra-special 

 types. The great defect of West Indian cotton 

 is that it makes 'neps'. This is a definite thing for 

 experiment workers to cure. As regards practical 

 mill tests, there are ilifficulties in the way, and it is also 

 hardly possible to furnish detailed information of the 

 behaviour in the mills of particular marks of cotton. It 

 is thought, however.that a limited number of samples- 

 of actual commercial crops could be added to the experi- 

 mental samples which are subjected to special tests as 

 described in the Annual Reports of the Agriculturak 

 Departments of the cotton-growing islands. 



