204 



THE AGRICDLTDRAL NEWS. 



June 1i, 1912. 



GLEANINGS. 



A table given in Diplomatic and Consular Reports, 

 No. 4862, Annual Series, shows that the exports of bananas, 

 tomatoes and potatoes from the Canary Islands, during 1911, 

 were respectively 2,648,378 crates, 991,047 bundles and 

 506,032 cases. The similar figures for 1910 were 2,700,352, 

 1,013,806 and 384,703. 



A statistical report from the Philippine Islands shows 

 that in the first quarter of 1911, the sugar exports aggre- 

 gated 62,625,188 !b., distributed as follows: United States, 

 50,777,011 ft.; China, 5,878,7251b.; Hong Kong, 5,953,209Bj.; 

 British West Indies, 16,243 lb. (The Louisiana Planter, 

 May 11. 1912.) 



According to the Government Gazette for March 29, 

 1912, the exports of rubber from the Federated ilalay States 

 amounted to 5,446,343 ft., as compared with 2,820,019 ft. 

 in the similar period of last year. The amount shipped in 

 February 1912 was 2,715,767 fc.;in the same month of 1911 

 it was 1,490,849 ft. 



It is reported from Montserrat that, at the end of May, 

 most of the sowing of cotton on estates had been completed; 

 peasant holders had, however, done very little planting, as 

 they were waiting for more rain. Light showers had been 

 received, which were causing the cotton that had been sown 

 to become well established. 



The Union Gazette of South Africa gives an estimate of 

 the maize crop of the Transvaal Province, for the present 

 year, as 2,307,970 bags of 200 ft.: the actual yield in 1911 

 was 3,177,298 bags. The expected decrease in yield is 

 chiefly due to the severe drought that was experienced during 

 the ploughing season, and to insect pests. 



It is reported by H. M. Legation at Caracas that the 

 drought in Venezuela during this year has cau.sed one half of 

 the cacao crop to be lost, so that some of those who have 

 a direct interest in the cacao industry in the Republic are in 

 financial difficulties. Another effect of the drought has been 

 that the collection of balata and rubber has been almost 

 impossible. 



Information contained in the Port-of-Spain Gazette 

 for June 1, 1912, shows that about 61,000 seeds of cedar 

 (Cedrehi odorata) and 56,000 seeds of cyp {Cordia gerascan- 

 thus) have been sold at the Crown Lands Office, Trinidad, 

 during this season. There are still 30,000 cedar seeds and 

 200,000 cyp seeds available for .'<ale, at 10c. per 1,000. 



A report received from Dominica at the beginning of this 

 month states that an average lime crop had been obtained, and 

 that the careme cacao crop had been almost all picked. In re 

 gard to the lime industry, 20,000 srodlings that had been ad- 

 vertised were allotted among applicants, und it was intended 

 to send them out during the present month and in July. 



In the course of experiments made at the Wye Agricul- 

 tural C'lllege, it was shown that the heaviest yield of tobacco 

 leaf and the largest amount of nicotine were obtained by 

 manuring with farmyard manure plus artificials Thus, 

 whereas farmyard manure alone yielded from 124 to 138 ft. 

 of nicotine per acre, farmyard manure plus artificials yielded 

 from 149 to 161 ft. (From the Gardeners' Chronicle, April 

 20, 1912.) 



A notice has been issued by the Trinidad Department 

 of Agriculture stating that, in accordance with Section 7 of 

 the Plant Protection Ordinance, 1911, every nursery must be 

 registered liy the owner or occupier thereof, at the office of 

 the Chief In.spector on or before a definite date in the year. 

 In relation to this Ordinance, a nursery is defined as any 

 land or premises whereon are grown or kept any trees, 

 shrubs or herbs intended for sale or distribution. 



It may be mentioned that ihe Australian Sugar Journal 

 (Queensland) for March 7, 1912, contains an article that is of 

 some interest in relation to the economy that may be 

 effected by the employment of electric motors in sugar fac- 

 tories. Economy in the matter of steam consumption in 

 sugar factories, in Queensland, is of special importance on 

 account of the circumstance that, under the conditions, each 

 ton of sugar manufactured requires the employment of 

 supplementary fuel to the value of about four shillings. 



From Diplomatic and Cotisular Reports, No. 4865, 

 Series, it is gathered that the principal agricultural 

 of Reunion for 1911 and 1910, respectively, were as 

 vanilla, 51 tons for both years; coffee 81 and 11 

 ylang-ylang, 36,366 ft. in 1911; geranium essence, 

 64 tons; aloe fibre, 311 and 268 tons; tapioca and 

 2,860 and 4,077 tons; rum 953,877 and 779,284 

 vacoa sacks, 806,500 and 881,685. Satisfactory 

 have been obtained from the experimental planting of 

 {Hedycldiuii gardnerianum). 



Annual 

 exports 

 follows: 

 2 tons; 

 45 and 



starch, 

 gallons; 



results 

 longose 



In regard to the preservation of wood, a matter that is 

 receiving special experimental attention in various parls of the 

 West Indies, there is interest in an account of investigations 

 that are mentioned shortly in the Experiment Station Record, 

 Vol. XXV, p. 844. It is stated that the work was done with 

 shingles made of loblolly pine, Pennsylvania pitch pine and 

 chestnut, which were treated with creasote by the open tank 

 process. The results showed that the creasote was absorbed 

 in the following amounts: loblolly pine shingles, 11'3 ft. of 

 creasote per bundle at a cost of 325 cents; Pennsylvania 

 pitch pine shingles, 15 5 ft. of creasote per bundle at a cost 

 of 417 cents: chestnut shingles, 17'1 ft. of creasote per bun- 

 dle at a cost of 45 5 cents. It is intended to test the.se 

 shingles, together with those of western cedar, red wood and 

 untreated chestnut, for durability over a term of years. 



