Vol. XI. No. 264. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



187 



One week after the corn was placed in the concrete 

 building, 30 lb. of carbon bisulphide was placed in several 

 dishes on the surface, and the workmen made their way out 

 as quickly as possible. 



The door was immediately closed and locked, and the 

 owner and a helper commenced to paste paper over the cracks 

 around the door. Before this could be fini-shed, an explosion 

 occurred, which blew oflF the door and threw the men to a dis- 

 tance of about 30 feet. Fire immediately followed the explo- 

 sion, and in spite of the convenient presence of a good supply 

 of water, and the energetic efforts of a large force of men, it 

 was found very difficult to extinguish it. 



The force of the explosion produced large cracks in the 

 concrete walls, which were a foot or more in thickne.^s, and 

 blew out wooden partitions; one of the men standing 

 outside near the door, v/hen the explosion occurred, was 

 rather severely burned by the flames. 



.V careful investigation of all the circumstances attend- 

 ing the explosion indicated that it was practically impossible 

 that it could have resulted from the presence of any fire, or 

 similar cause, and it was concluded that the heat of fermen- 

 tation in the interior of the mass of corn must have been 

 great enough to have caused the carbon bisulphide to ignite. 

 It is known that, at a temperature of from ■295°!'". to 300'F., 

 carbon bisulphide will burst into flame, and it is not doubted 

 that this temperature may have been equalled, or even 

 exceeded, in the case under discussion. 



Serious accidents have not often resulted from the use 

 of carbon bisulphide during fumigation. It is recorded, 

 however, that a workman caused an explosion in nailing the 

 cover on a packing case, the contents of which had been 

 heavily treated with this insecticide. The impact of the 

 hammer on the nail produced a spark sufficient to ignite the 

 escaping fumes, and the flame thus caused was communi- 

 cated to the interior of the packing case. 



In addition to the cautions given heretofore with regard 

 to the danger from fire, from artificial light of all kinds, from 

 the spark caused by turning electric light oft' or on and from 

 electric fans, that arising from the heat of fermentation in 

 masses of grain will have to be mentioned in future. 



=»>. 



AGRICULTURE IN BRITISH GUIANA, 

 1910-11. 



The various public agencies for the improvement of 

 agricultural efticiency continued their work during the year. 



The area under cane was 69,736 acres. The cane 

 cultivation suffered in certain districts to such an extent from 

 the ravages of insect pests that it has been lifeded to secure 

 the services of an economic biologist* for the Department of 

 Science and Agriculture. 



The experimental cultivation of varieties of cane was 

 continued by the I'oard of Agriculture, and in the sugar 

 plantations the area planted with varieties of cane other than 

 the Bourbon increased from 39,8-50 acres to 45,484 acres, 

 about 6.5 per cent of the total area under cane cultivation. 



RICE. The area under rice has increased in late years 

 and amounted to 31,680 acres last year; but owing to 

 various causes of a temporary nature there was a decrease of 

 6,174 acres on the area cultivated in 1908-9. Attention is 

 being given to the cultivation and reaping of it by mechani- 

 cal means, but this method can only be said to be on trial so 



far as this Colony is concerned. The rice grown is of 

 excellent quality. In the opinion of the Director of Science 

 and Agriculture there is an enormous area of the front lands 

 of the Colony preeminently suitable for the cultivation of 

 rice. 



c.^CAO. The area under cacao has not increa.sed and 

 is about 2,200 acres. The export fell from 75,355 lb. in 

 1909-10 to 46,347 lb. this year This may, however, to 

 some extent be explained by an increased local consumption 

 in the shape of sweets, and otherwise. There is an extensive 

 belt of land in the Colony well suited for cacao. 



RUBBER. The practical interest in the prosecution of 

 the rublier industry referred to in the report for 1909-10 

 continues in an increased degree, and a large number of 

 inquiries have been made in regard to indigenous latex-pro- 

 ducing plants. The Government Botanist reports that, while 

 the difference between the distinctive leaves of the various 

 species of Hevea are very minute, marked differences exist 

 in the flowers and .seeds of the various species, and by them 

 it is comparatively easy to distinguish between the various 

 local species and the true Para rubber tree, Hevea bras.il- 

 iensis. The local species are known not to yield a product of 

 commercial value 



Work at the several experimental stations established by 

 Government was systematically carried on during the year, 

 Hevea Orasiliensjs, Funtwnia elastica, and Castitloa e/astiva 

 being grown as well as the various native Sapium rubber trees. 

 Some 1,156 R) of rubber was exported during the year. 

 Upwards of 1,700 acres are now under cultivation in rubber. 



The 'rubber boom" reached the Colony, and a certain 

 number of properties changed hands under the operations of 

 the company promoter. Few of them are established planta- 

 tions, and dividend-earning is not a near possibility. 



COKFEE. The area under coffee was 2,546 acres. Of 

 this upwards of 1,600 are situated in the Canal Polder area of 

 West Demerara. Experiments carried on at the Botanical 

 Gardens and at Onderneeming Farm indicate that the variety 

 known as Coffea rohusta (a Congo coffee grown largely in 

 Java) is well suited for some of the river lands of the colony, 

 especially, perhaps, as a catch crop between rubber. 



coco-NUTs. Coco nuts are planted on some 9,760 acres 

 of land; the acreage last year was 9,466. The export of nuts 

 increased from 711,512 to 1,023,631. The caterpillar pest 

 (Brasso/is sop/iorae) of coconuts was common in some dis- 

 tricts during the year, and cases of bud rot have been report- 

 ed. There is, however, a vast area of land suitable for the 

 planting of coco-nuts, and given proper cultivation and 

 drainage the yearly crop could be very largely increased. 



CATTLE. There are large areas of land suitable for the 

 raising of cattle. The number in the Colony is estimated at 

 71,500, but it is probable thnt this estimate is considerably 

 below the actual figures. The value of cattle was .£6,663. 

 Horses are returned at 2,160, sheep, 17,500, goats, 10,300, 

 swine, 16,600, donkeys, 5,400. {Colonial Re^Mrts — Annual, 

 Xo. 702.) 



* An Economic Biologist for British Guiana has been since 

 appointed;. see AgricnlfHral News for March 2 and 30.— Ed., .4.iV. 



Attention is given in the Tropical Agriculturist for 

 March 1912 to the butter nut or Souari nut {Carijocar nucif- 

 erion), a native of Brazil and British Guiana which was 

 introduced to Peradeniya, Ceylon in 1891. It is stated that 

 the introduced plants are growing luxuriantly, and have 

 flowered freely for the last two years, so that they are expect- 

 ed to give fruit in the near future. The statement is further 

 made that the retail price of the nuts at Covent Garden is 

 3d. or id. each. 



