A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. IV. No. 92. 



BAPvBADOS, OCTOBER 21, 1905. 



Peice Ic^. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

 Banana, Fungoid Diseases 

 of 324 



Banana Grower.s" Confer- 

 ence at Barbados ... 325 



Birds of Dominica 328 



Birds, Protection of ... 333 



Carriacoii, Agricultiu'e in 329 

 Castor Oil Industry ... 320 

 Colonial Exhibit ion 



Awards 327 



Cotton Ncites : — 



Cotton Experiments in 



Dutch West Indies 32G 

 Medals for Cotton 



Growers 328 



St. Vincent Cott'>n 



Factory 326 



Weather Conditions 

 and C'i->tton Growing 320 



Date Growing in tlie 



United States 324 



Departmental Ilei>orts : — 



St. Lucia 331 



Department News 331 



Gleaninns 332 



I'AGE. 



Guango or Rain Tree ... 327 

 Horse Bean as Green 



Dressing 331 



Imjiort Duties on Tropi- 

 cal Fruit 334 



Insect Notes : — 

 Spraying Cattle for 



Ticks 330 



Success Knapsack 



Sprayer 330 



Jamaica Mineial Sjirings 335 



Market Reports 33G 



Notes and Couunents ... 328 

 Rat Virus in Dominica ... 322 

 Sea Island Cotton in the 



West Indies 321 



Sorghums, Cultivated ... 32!» 

 Sugar Industiy ; — 



Hawaii ... " 323 



Mexico 323 



Tropical Products in the 



United States 330 



West Indian Agricultural 



Conference, 1000 ... 333 

 West Indian Products in 



Canada 335 



b}' early frosts in October or November. These kill 

 the plants and thus destroy the possibility not only of 

 obtaining further pickings but also of ratooning the 

 plants, as unfortunately is being done in some localities 

 in the West Indies. 



Sea Island Cotton in the West 

 Indies. 



N a recent issue of the Agricultural A'ews 

 information was published in regard to the 

 prospects of Sea Island cotton in South 

 Carolina. The crop there is usually brought to a close 



As has already been pointed out, the practice of 

 ratooning Sea Island cotton lately adopted at Barbados 

 and elsewhere is rapidly assuming the form of a serious 

 menace to the success of the industry. The planters 

 in South Carolina, whether they wish it or not, are 

 compelled to abandon their cotton iields as soon as the 

 frosts come, and the cutlass and fire-stick should 

 perform a similar service in the West Indies and bring 

 to a definite close the life of all cotton bushes as soon 

 as they have occupied the land for one whole year. 

 After that period has elapsed insect and fungoid pests 

 are present in such numbers that the crop must, in any 

 case, be small in (juantity, and we know by experience 

 this year that the quality, also, is measurably affected. 

 Short and immature fibres appear in larger proportion 

 and the character of the lint is appreciably lowered. 

 We shall probably hear more of this later, when the 

 account sales for the ratoon cotton recently shipped 

 come to hand. 



As regards the prospects in South Carolina, it was 

 estimated by Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., towards 

 the end of September, that the crop of the islands as 

 a whole ' may fixll short of the last by 10 to 15 per 

 cent.' It was added : ' The general opinion now is 

 that the crop can, under no circumstances, equal the 



;^'. 



