Vol. XI. No. 253. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



53 



varieties had been secured. The results are given below : — 



AlphoDse 3 living 



Langra 1 „ i' dead 



ICheershapottee 

 Pihadoorea 



In addition to the above, two varieties ()| mangoes im- 

 ported from Bombay, namely Daramia and I'airi, were pre- 

 sented to the Gardens by Dr. H. A. A. Xicholls, C.M.G., 

 a few months ago (see A</ricidtuial yews as above). The 

 Dominica Botanic Gardens now possess si.K ii the leading 

 kinds of Indian mangoes, from which it is hoped, in due 

 time, to propagate largely for distribution locally, and to 

 agricultural establishments in other parts of the^ world. 



OAOAO PRIZE COMPETITION 

 IN TRINIDAD. 



A list of the rules in the cacao prize competition, 

 1912-i:3, held under the Cocoa Prize Competition 

 Committee of the Board of Agriculture, Trinidad, has 

 been received from the Secretary to the Board and is 

 reproduced below : — 



(1) Prizes will be awarded fer good cultivation of cacao. 



(2) The prizes will be awarded in two classes : — 



Class I: For Peasant Proprietors owning not more 

 than 16 acres altogether and in one piece. 

 Class II: For Contractors ^' 



(3) No Peasant Proprietor will be allowed to compete in 

 Class I unless he or she has 5 acres in bearing cacao, 

 and no Contractor will be allowed to compete in Class II 

 who has less than 3 acres in trees three years old at 

 the time of entry. 



(4) No person can compete in more than one class. 



(.5) Prizes will not be awarded unless there are atle&st 50 



competitors in each class in each district. 

 (C) Prizes to be given in each district as follows: — 



1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 6th. "th. 



Class I. Peas. Prop. .$90 •■?65 §45 $30 .120 — — 



„ 2. Contractors. 85 60 40 25 15 $10 85 



(7) The two districts in which prizes will be offered for com- 

 petition in 1912-13 will be : — 



(1) St. Anne and Diego Martin. 



(2) Savana Grande. 



(8) The competition will be for the period April 1, 1912, to 

 March 31, 1913. 



(9) In judging, marks will be given under the following 

 heads: — 



(1) Tillage 50 points 



(2) Sanitation of the cacao field and 

 treatment of diseases 30 ,, 



(3) General, including crop records, live 

 stock and any special features 20 „ 



(10) The method of cultivation and condition of the trees, 

 together with the circumstances of each cultivation, the 

 characteristics of the locality and the implements used, 

 will be considered by the Judges. In judging, the con- 

 dition of young cultivation, if any, will be taken into 

 account. 



(11) The .Judges may withhold, or alter the value of, any or 

 all of the prizes if the cultivations entered for competition 

 are not considered of sufficient merit. .',- 



(12) Due notice will be given before the judging commences, 

 and the decision of the Judges in all cases will be final. 



(l.!) Application for entry forms will be made to a source to 

 be chosen by the Committee. 



GERMINATION TRIALS OF PARA 



RUBBER SEEDS IN ST. LUOIA. 

 The' following account of experiments in the 

 germination of Para rubber seeds, conducted by 

 Mr. A. J. Brooks, Assistant Agricultural Superinten- 

 dent, St. Lucia, has been received from Mr. J. C. Moore, 

 Agricultural Superintendent in that island: — 



A consignment of Para rubber seeds was recently im- 

 ported from Singapore, and arrangements were made for 

 their being raised at the Experiment Station. Seed beds 

 80 feet long and 5 feet wide were prepared a few weeks pre- 

 vious to the arrival of the seeds The seeds were sown 

 2 inches deep, in rows 7 inches apart both ways Trials were 

 made to ascertain if a high germination could be obtained by 

 special treatment of the seed previous to sowing. Upon 

 arrival, the seeds were unpacked, and all mixed together in 

 one heap to ensure uniformity. The seeds which were found 

 to be showing signs of germination Vere removed and sown 

 separately; these were ecpul to about 7 per cent, of the total 

 consignment A similar quantity of seed was then taken, and 

 the shell of each seed was carefully cracked, and I hen placed 

 in a vessel of water and allowed to remain for two hours. 

 Other seed was then taken and soaked in water for twenty- 

 four hours without previously having the shell cracked. The 

 remainder of the seed was sown immediately upon arrival, 

 without any previous treatment. 



From the following Ubie, it will be seen that the seed 

 soaked for twenty-four hours without cracking gave the best 

 results: — 



Treatment of seed. Number Germinated Percentage 



sown. successfully, germination 

 Untreated 1,999 544 272 



Cracked, and soaked 21 . , , , „_ 



hours / ^'1 167 32-5 



Soaked 24 hours 4,048 1,616 399 



Showing signs of ger- ^ _ . , 



mination ) 



386 



71-3 



Total 7,099 2,713 (38-2) . 



The plants are now two months old, and with one or two 

 exceptions are growing strongly 



In forwarding the account, Mr. Moore states that 

 70S seeds, taken indiscriminately from the saTic con- 

 signment, and sown at the Botanic Station, after being 

 soaked for fifteen hours, have produced 412 plants, most 

 of which are now growing well. The difference in the 

 results obtained, as compared with those in the experi- 

 ment described above, is attributed to a variation 

 among the seeds in vitality, when they were packed; 

 as the manner of packing was uniform throughout, 

 and the conditions of transit appear to have been 

 uniform, also. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left 

 Barbados on February 11, 1912, by the S.S. ' Ocamo', 

 for the purpose of making official visits to St. Vincent 

 and the Northern Islands, in connexion with the agri- 

 cultural interests of those colonics. Dr. Watts is 

 expected to return to Barbados on March 16, by the 

 S.S. 'Guiana', and will probably visit St. Lucia while 

 on the journcv. '' 



