Vol. XI No. 254. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



31 



GROUND NUTS. The unidentified root disease of this 

 crop was very little in evidence during either period, thoxgh 

 the Spanish variety was again attacked, in Nevis, in period 



A. The leaf spot due to Cercosjyora perxQiiata was entirely 

 absent from the experiment plots in Dominica, in period A, 

 though it had caused serious damage in the previous season. 

 No experiment plots of ground nuts were grown in this 

 island, in period B. 



Itust {U redo arachidis) \s vecoxdedi in Dominica, Mont- 

 serrat and St. Kitts, in period A, and in Moatserrat in period 



B. In the latter island spraying experiments with Bordeaux 

 mixture were conducted on the experiment plots in both 

 periods, but the results obtained were somewhat contradic- 

 tory. (See the last number of the Agricultural News, p. 14.) 

 It was noted in period B that the Carolina Running variety 

 suffered most, and the Gambia least, from this malady. 



The only other point of interest in these reports, in 

 relation to a specific crop, is the decrease, during both periods, 

 of the root disease of Indian corn in Antigua and St. Kitts. 

 In the latter Presidencj", corn is not grown to any extent, .so 

 that it is a matter of relatively small importance, but in 

 Antigua the condition was at one time of a serious nature. 



The reports close with some account of the prevalence 

 of mistletoe and love vine, and with information concerning 

 the weather conditions incident in each island during 

 the periods dealt with, since these are always of importance 

 in connexion with the prevalence of plant diseases. 



Pencil Cedar. — In a recent letter to the Commissioner 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies, Mr. 3 C. Moore, Agri- 

 cultural Superintendent for St. Lucia, reports the discovery 

 of a juniper from the Petit Piton in that island. Some fourteen 

 years ago he had been informed by Mr. Evelyn, then Chief 

 Clerk at the Government Office at St. Lucia, that a coniferous 

 tree was found on the top of this Piton, atjd that it was the 

 pencil cedar. It was, however, not until quite recently that 

 Mr. C. Devaux succeeded in securing specimens from that 

 almost inaccessible locality. There are, according to him, 

 only half-a-dozen trees there, and they are stunted by wind. 

 The altitude of the station whore the tree grows is given as 

 2,460 feet. A fruiting specimen, together with a section of 

 a branch to show the wood, have been received at Kew from 

 the Commissioner of Agriculture. The tree proves to be 

 Juniperus barbadensis, L., a species closely related to ./. ''tV- 

 i/inifinn, L,, and J. bennudiaim, L , with both of which it is 

 frequently confused, as has been pointed out by Professor 

 Sargent (Sylva of North America, XIV, p. 89, t. 738.) The 

 area of this tree on the continent is distinctly littoral, extend- 

 ing on the Atlantic coast from Southern ('Jeorgia to about 

 27° N. lat. in Florida, and on the Gulf coast of Florida from 

 abo'.^.t 27° N. lat, but it al.so includes a number of widely 

 scattered stations in the West Indies, as the Bahamas. San 

 Domingo, and the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, as well as 

 St. Lucia. In Barbados it was in existence at least until 

 1830, when Maycock (Flora Barbadensis, p 39.5) recorded it 

 from there as a ' by no means common tree'. Since that time 

 it has not been mentioned as occurring in tlje island. In the 

 Blue Mountains of Jamaica it is now rare, and ranges from 

 3,500 to 6,000 feet; in San Domingo it was found at 5,000 

 feet, and in St. Lucia, as stated above, at 3^460 feet. These 

 mountain stations evidently represent only the last remains 

 of a former much wider vertical range in the islands, where, 

 as in Florida, the tree was much sought for on account of its 

 highly priced wood. (From Miscellaneous Notes in the Km' 

 Bulletin, 1911, p. 377.) 



WEIGHTS OF SEEDS FROM PARA 



RUBBER TREES. 



Accounts wore given in the last volume of the Afjri- 

 cidtural A^eu'S, pages 111 and 3(J3, of observations made 

 by the Grenada Agricultural Department in regard to 

 the weight of Pam rubber seeds. In connexion with the 

 subject, the following farther information appears in an 

 article by Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, Director of Agriculture 

 of the Federated Malay States, in the Agricultural 

 Bulletin of tlie Utrtuts and Federated Malay States, 

 November 1911, p. 3.5.5 : — 



Messrs. Macmillan and Petch state that they find 

 a large difference between the weight of seed from tapped 

 and untapped trees, the latter being considerably heavier. 

 The figures they give are 9 1 tti., against 7 8 lb. per 1,000 

 seeds, a difference of 13 ft. or 16H per cent, on the weight of 

 seeds from tapped trees. 



To see whether the difference is an actual one, and if 

 so, what it would amount to here, an extensive series of 

 weighings was carried out. Trees of the same age in the 

 Experiment Plantation and the Public Gardens, Kuala Lum- 

 pur, gave an excellent opportunity for comparison. The 

 following are the actual results : — 



Tapped. 



Untapped. 



300 seeds weighed 265 ft. 300 seeds weighed 2 93 lb. 



300 



300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 

 300 



290 

 2-88 

 2-76 

 2-80 

 2-71 

 270 

 2-71 

 2-72 

 2-81 

 2-84 

 2-73 

 2-74 

 2-77 

 2-80 

 2-81 



4,800 „ „ 40-39 ft. 4,800 „ „ J4-611b. 



Average was 8 4 ft. per 1000. Average was 9 '3 per 1000. 



It will be noted that not only is the average weight per 

 ],000 seeds distinctly higher from the untapped trees, but 

 that only one weighing of seeds from tapped trees gave 

 a higher total than the lowest weighing of the untapped trees. 

 The seeds were collected fresh every morning and weighed 

 immediately. The difference is 9 ft. per 1,000 seeds, or 

 107 per cent. — not quite so great as the Ceylon figures. That 

 this difference is entirely due to the extra weight of the 

 kernels, the husks remaining nearly constant, is shown by the 

 following test: — 



No. of seeds. Weight of kernels. Weight of shells. Total. 

 ^^PP^'ooT^ I 10 ft. 11 oz. 6 ft. 4f oz. 16 ft. 15f oz. 

 ^"'tooV''''} 12ft. Uoz. 6ft.4|oz. 18ft. e^oz. 



It will be interesting to see what the difference in germ- 

 ination between the two sets of seeds will be, after different 

 periods of storage. A series of experiments is in progress to 

 test this point, and will be reported on later, when complete. 



