A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE ^T^.ii 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. ****^^. 



Vol. XI. No. 257. 



BARBADOS, MARCH 



1912 



Fkicb Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Pack. 



Page. 



A'4iicultui;il Conference, 



1912, II 65 



C.ilcium Cyanaiiiiik'. Pniii- 



erties of 73 



Ciuidelilla Wax 72 



CdCiia-nut Filu'o 68 j 



Cotton Notes : — j 



CntldH-rickiu!^ Rlachiiit; 70 

 Laboratory Mcasiireiiients j 

 for Valuing Cotton ... 70 

 West Indian Cotton ... 70 



Departmental Reports ... 69 



Department New.s 75 



Electricity and .\nimal Pro- 

 duction 73 



Fungus Notes : — 

 The Red F\ot Disease of 

 the Sugar-Cane in 

 Louisiitna 78 



Gleanings 76 



Humus in Soils, Method for 

 Determimtion of ... 73 



Insect Notes : — 



Sugar-Cane In.sects of 

 Hawaii 



International Exchange liy 

 the Smithsonian In.sti- 

 tution 



Market Reports 



Notes and Comments ... 



Pul)licatioiis (if the 



ImpiTial Department 

 of .Agriculture 



Silk Priiduitiim in Italy ... 



Soils, Krtect of Soluble Salts 

 on 



Students' Corner 



Sugar Industry : — 



Demeiara Sugar-Canes in 

 liouisiana 



Trade and Agriculture of 

 Barbados, 1910-11 ... 



We.st Indian Products ... 



West Indian Rubber and 

 Recent Rubber Exhibi- 

 tion 



74 



68 

 80 



72 



71 



67 



77 

 79 



The West Indian Agricultural Conference, 



1912. 

 II. 



•HE last number of the A(iricidtural News 

 : contained the first uf a sirie.s of editorial 

 [articles dealing with the recent Agricultural 

 ( 'onfercnce in Trinidad, and presented a general account 

 of the chief proceedings at the opening of the Confer- 



ence. It is now proposed to deal broadl}- with the chief 

 matters that were elucidated in discussion, on the next 

 two days, when subjects were taken up that are con- 

 nected with cacao and sugar,and with plant diseases and 

 pests, and cocoa-nut, lime, fruit and rice industries. 



The discussion in regard to cacao brought forward 

 the question as to whether sjjraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture may be counted upon as a control measure for 

 any fungus, whether the true cause of the disease is 

 known or not: and it was affirmed, as the result of ex- 

 perience, that such spraying is effective, no matter what 

 the origin of the fungus disease may be. If, however, 

 as, for instance in the case of cacao canker, the disease 

 has gained entrance into a plant, Bordeaux mixture can 

 be of no avail as a remedy; stress may be placed on its 

 use on the pods, as a preventive measure, because it is 

 through the pods that canker affects the cacao i)lant. 

 As regards the resistance of different varieties of cacaa 

 to this disease. Alligator cacao has been found in Trini- 

 dad to be particularly susceptible; while in Dominica, 

 Calabacillo shows a greater imnumitj' than Forastero 

 cacao. The experience of several of the Delegates in 

 relation to the occurrence of thrips under different con- 

 ditions tended to show that the attacks of this pest are 

 sometimes most severe where there is no shade, and 

 sometimes where this is provided; it seemed the inost 

 general circumstance, however, that it will probably be 

 found in the greatest amounts where sunlight has free 

 access to the plants. Further evidence was brought 

 forward to the effect that the pest is most likely to be 

 I)resent, in injurious number.-", in dry seasons, and in 

 cultivations situated in low-lying lands. 



The suggestion was made as to the existence of 

 natural enemies of thrips, when it was stated that 



