Vol. IV. No. 75. 



THK AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



61 



PRECIS OF IXFORMATION FOR THE LEE- 

 WARD ISLANDS, 1904. 



■ This work, which is dedicated by permission to his 

 Excellency Sir Gerald Strickland, K.C.M.G., 'was originally 

 intended to be a hand-book for 190i. Difficulties in printing 

 and revision have, however, made this object impossible.' 



A large amount of useful information is contained in 

 this publication which might \vell be embodied in an annual 

 liand-book sucli as that issued in Jamaica. 



A list is given of the plants of the Leeward Islands as 

 well as of the useful trees, birds, etc. This book also 

 contains general information on agricultural subjects that is 

 likely to be useful to planters and small settlers. 



DOMINICA: By H. A. Alford NichoUs, C.M.G., 

 M.D., F.L.S. Antigua: Jose Aiijo. 



This is a little descriptive guide to Dominica, ' the 

 loveliest and grandest island of the Caribbean Archipelago,' 

 •copiously illustrated with views of typical scenery and places 

 of interest. 



A good brief account of the physical features and the 

 history of the island is given. Tlie advantages of Dominica's 

 mountains as a site for a West Indian sanatorium are urged : 

 in those districts there are no malarial moscpiitos, the nights 

 are cool, the air bracing, and the scenery magnificent. The 

 chief requirement, in order to attract visitors to the island, 

 is a small, but good-class, hotel whore visitors could be made 

 thoroughly comfortable at a moderate cost. 



Dr. Nicholls also gives a brief account of the agri- 

 cultural industries of the island — botli former and present. 



CViriVATION AND PREPARATION OF FARA 

 IWBBER: By AV. H. .lohnson, F.L.S., F.H.H.S., Director 

 of Agriculture, Gold Coast Colony. London: Crosby, Loch- 

 wood ct- Son, Ludgate Hill, 1904. 



This treatise has been written with the object of afford- 

 ing practical advice to the continuallj' increasing number of 

 persons taking up rubber cultivation. It is mainly a result 

 ■of information gained during an official visit paid to Ceylon 

 by the author in 1902 for the jnirpose of studying the 

 methods employed there in the cultivation of the Para 

 rubber tree and the preparation of its iiroduct for the market. 



As a result of the introduction of this tree into our 

 Eastern tropical possessions in 1876, through the agency of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, an important industry has 

 developed in the Malay Peninsular and Ceylon, and it is 

 suggested that the planting of areas with it is worthy of the 

 consideration of the Governments of other colonies. 



Mr. Johnson therefore supplies full information as to 

 the requirements of llevea brasiliensis, its planting and 

 •cultivation, the collection of its latex, and the jpreparation of 

 commercial rubber fronr the latex. In regard to tapping 

 instruments, the author favours the Ceylon one, a full 

 description of which is given on p. 51 of this issue of the 

 Agyi(-'iiltural Ntivs. Aluminium collecting vessels are recom- 



mended which can be fixed into position by pressing the 

 edge into the bark of the tree. 



A method of preparing the rubber is suggested, and the 

 author points out some of the causes of poor results that 

 have been oljtained by some methods. . 



The chapter on the ' Establishment and Maintenance of 

 a Para Piubber Plantation' gives useful information in regard 

 to expenses and probable profits. 



This work, which is nicely got up and contains several 

 good illustrations, is likely to prove of considerable value to 

 rubber planters. 



MONTSERRAT. 



Experiment Stations. 



In connexion with the departure from Montserrat 

 of Mr. A. J. Jordan, the Herald has the following 

 review of agricultural efforts in that island during the 

 last five years : — 



The Agricultural Department is part of the Inqserial 

 Department for the West Indies, and was started as the out- 

 come of the Royal Commission. The work was commenced 

 in February 1900. The organization was entrusted by the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies to Sir Daniel Morris and 

 bears the stamp of his genius. 



Isolated efforts had been made before by individual 

 planters, but the futility of such isolated efforts has been 

 clearly demonstrated by the complete disappearance of all 

 traces of them. 



About £2,500 have been spent from Imperial funds, 

 and this amount has been almost entirely circulated in the 

 island. 



In return we have three stations in full work, and from 

 these have been distributed during the past five years : — 

 67,000 plant.s, 130,000 cuttings, 90,000 .seedling.s, besides 

 several tons of seed. 



One most important part of the work is the training 

 of youths in modern agriculture. The boys have gone forth 

 with certificates, one for two years' and the other three years' 

 training. The foreman and two sub-foremen were trained at 

 the stations. There are some six boys now in training. 



The exjjeriinents have been, as far as possible, carried 

 out on field lines and the cost of cultivation given. These 

 should be of the greatest value and have made many points 

 clear, and a considerable amount of information has been 

 collected and recorded in an accessible manner. 



Like the work of the school and the church, much good 

 is done by example and influence that cannot be represented 

 on paper or computed by figures. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left; 

 Barbados in S.S. ' Dahome' on Tuesday, February 21 on 

 a visit to the Northern Islands. As already mentioned 

 Sir Daniel Morris will attend the Agricultural Shows 

 at Dominica, Montserrat, and Nevis, returning to 

 Barbados on March .3. 



Mr. L. Lew ton-Brain, B.A., F.L.S., Mycologist on 

 the staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 left Barbados in R.M.S. ' Eden' on Monday, February 

 13, for Antigua. Mr. Lewton-Brain is expected to 

 return to Barbados on March 3 next. 



