Vol. XI. No. 260. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



127 



disease as he found it in Costa Rica; he writes as follows: — 

 •The younger plants, say up to four months old, when first 

 attacked present no unusual appearance for a few days, after 

 that, it will be noticed that the stem is splitting starting from 

 the bulb upward, for a distance of 1 to 2 feet, exposing the 

 lower layer of the sucker, in some instances the split extends 

 all the way into the heart, the heart leaves will then grow 

 through the split and form for a time a new sucker, but this 

 in time will also succumb, and at last the whole plant will 

 rot to the ground. With the older plants the first sign of in- 

 fection is manifested in a different way, a fringe of yellow will 

 appear on the lower leaves of the plant, and this border of 

 yellow is so distinct that it can be noticed from quite a dis- 

 tance in contrast to the green of the other part of the leaf, it is 

 only after a few days of this state that the entire lot of leaves 

 turn yellow, at this stage it is often confounded with suckers 

 sutfering from drought or lack of drainage, but in a few days 

 the disease puts on another symptom which is peculiar to it. 

 All the leaves suddenly turn a brown colour and hang quite 

 limply down the side of the sucker. The heart, leaf and 

 bunch if young turning black. 



'The leaves do not have that crisp feel as do those that 

 are found on dry weather banana or from the natural .shed- 

 ding of the leaves, but a soft damp feel, which continues un- 

 til all the moisture dries out, it is only a matter of time when 

 the whole tree rots to the ground giving off a very oti'ensive 

 smell. 



'At all stages of growth, if the head or "yam" of an 

 infected sucker be split open, the heart will be found quite 

 rotten and corapo.sed of a putrid yellow mass, further out the 

 fibres will be found to be firmer, but still in a decomposing 

 state and having a yellowish tinge until the outer part is 

 reached, and here will be found say about 1 inch from the 

 surface, a bright red streak flanked to the outside and inside 

 by a brighter yellow than occurs on the other part of the cut 

 surface, the red streak follows all the pas.sages to the roots 

 and continues all along these to their extremities. All the 

 roots will present a sickly appearance, some quite dead, others 

 partly so, but none quite healthy. 



'The smell given off by a diseased banana sucker is offen- 

 sive and peculiar, and if once experienced cannot be mistaken. 

 It would be quite correct to use the Scotch term "feel the 

 smell'' in connexion with it.' 



This, then, is a summary of the literature on this subject 

 up to the end of the year 1 910. An account of the subsequent 

 work that has appeared to date, with a few conclusions 

 that seem to be indicated by the data so far available, will 

 appear in the next number of the Agricultural Xews. 



AGRICULTURE! IN JAMAICA, 1910-11. 



The following general accouno of agricultural con- 

 ditions in Jamaica during 1910-11 is taken from the 

 report on the Blue Book for the financial year ended 

 March 31, 1911, issued as Colonial Reports — Annual, 

 No. 703:— 



The farm school at Hope estate, which was opened in 

 January 1910, completed its first year with a full comple- 

 ment of students. The demand for admission has been so 

 great, that arrangements for extending the accommodation 

 by one half have been made. 



The stock farm, associated with the school, was operated 

 on a business basi.s during the year, by means of a working 

 account at the Treasury. The stock was valued on Decem- 



ber 31 by two practical stock breeders, and favourably re- 

 ported on. The balance sheet for the year shows a balance 

 of assets £760, on a capital investment of £950. The Public 

 Hospital and other Government Institutions in Kingston are 

 now supplied with milk from the farm at Hope. 



The appointment of a Veterinary Surgeon has enabled 

 a start to be made in the development of a branch devoted 

 to the interests of the animal industry, while an officer is now 

 available for service under the Diseases of Animals Law, 

 when outbreaks of diseases are notified in the Colony. 



The results from the use, on the large scale, of the tick 

 wash, introduced by the Department, have been very satis- 

 factory, and it has now been demonstrated that the tick pest 

 can be controlled in Jamaica, by the systematic spraying of 

 cattle with this preparation. The Paranaph compound is 

 made at the Laboratory and sold to the public at cost price. 



The Sugar Experiment Station was operated during the 

 year on the residue of the Imperial grant, a small surplus 

 still remaining to the credit of the fund at the close of the 

 year. The Imperial grant has thus enabled the station to be 

 equipped with laboratories and an experimental distillery, 

 and to provide for experimental plants on estates, while the 

 operating expenses of the station have been provided for 

 a period of seven years. This work is now being carried on 

 as a part of the operations of the Agricultural Department. 



The first field results with seedling canes raised at the 

 station indicated that some valuable new canes have been 

 secured. The most promising of these were raised by natural 

 cross-fertilization of the White Transparent with some Bar- 

 bados seedling canes in 1903. 



The work of agricultural instruction was extended during 

 the year by a considerable increase in the grant to the Jamaica 

 Agricultural Society, whereby four new instructors were pro- 

 vided. The results of this work are encouraging, and efforts 

 are now being made to operate cacao and rubber nurseries 

 in certain favourable centres, under the care of the local 

 authorities. 



The Prize-holdings Scheme is taking a firm hold on the 

 small settlers, and marked improvements in small holdings 

 can be traced to the operation of this competition in several 

 parishes. 



Special legislation, dealing with the importation of bees 

 and the infectious diseases of plants, have been effected, to 

 protect the honey industry from the risks of introduced 

 diseases, and to give powers for dealing with such dangerous 

 infectious diseases of staple crops as the bud rot disea.se of 

 coco-nuts, and the Panama disease of bananas, should the 

 latter ever obtain a footing in the island. 



Considerable interest has been taken in the prospects of 

 the rubber industry during the year. The Castilloa rubber, 

 of which three distinct species have been established in the 

 island, has given the most promising results, and there are 

 indications that on favourable soils in .seasonable districts 

 the Castilloa rubber tree is capable of giving good returns 

 of rubber in Jamaica. 



The erection of a large central sugar factory at Rose 

 Hall, in St. James, has been started, and it is expected that 

 the work will shortly be completed. It will deal with the 

 produce of nine sugar estates. 



In three sugar estates in Westmoreland arrangements 

 have been made to erect plants for boiling molasses sugar. 

 The logwood factory at Lacovia in St. Elizabeth has 

 been acquired by the Trust controlling the West India 

 Chemical Works at Spanish Town, and thus put an end to 

 competition in the purchase of logwood 



A new plant of modern design for the manufacture of 

 sugar has been erected at Holland estate in St. Elizabeth. 



