44 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Febkuaey 11, 1905. 



During the past foi'tniglit 6 bales of West Indian cotton 

 have been imported. Medium fine is quoted 4-6(/. per ft).; 

 and Sea Island, medium fine, 12c/. per Iti.; fine, 13(/. [ler lb.; 

 and extra fine, \5d. per H). {West India Conanittee 

 Cimtlar. ) 



GLEANINGS. 



!^[r. H. Millen, Curator of the Botanic Station at 

 Tobago, writes that scrap rubl)er, obtained from trees of 

 Castilliia elastica, was recently valued at 3s. 6d. [ler IJ). 



As a result of three visits to the island of Bequia, 

 Mr. Sands has come to the conclusion that lands planted 

 there in Sea Island cotton must be manured as they have for 

 a long time been worked in provisions. 



It is notified that the lectures on agricultural science for 

 teachers in British Guiana are to be resumed. The lectures 

 will be given at three centres, in Essequebo, Berbice, and 

 Demerara, respectively. 



Arrangements have been made for holding a course of 

 demonstration lessons for teachers at the Government 

 Laboratory, British Guiana, and also for a course in practical 

 agricultural work in the Government School Garden at 

 Bourda. 



According to the Agrindtural WotM, an important and 

 successful experiment has been made at the Kidderminster 

 Infirmary with a new serum for the treatment of anthrax, 

 discovered by Professor Sclavo, of the Royal l^niversity of 

 Siena, Italy. 



Mr. .lohn 



follow; 



Belling, 



„, B.Sc, writes from St. Kitt's as 



. 'An old specimen of the Traveller's Tree (Raveiiala 



nvidaijascan'ensis) is fruiting at Buckley's estate in this 

 i-sland. Fertile seed has previously been produced in 

 St. Kitt's. 



It is desirable to mention that in all cases where dollars 

 and cents are referred to in conne.xion with notes in the 

 Agricultural xVec.s on cost and profits of cultivation, etc., the 

 dollar may be taken at its {>ar value, that i.s, !?4'80 to the 

 pound sterling. One cent is equivalent to hd.; hence 100c. 

 equal 4.s. 2d. (1 dollar). 



The new American Breeders' As.sociation which meets 

 this month at Champaign, 111., promises to deal eftectively 

 with the improvement of plants and animals by scientific 

 methods. Its watchwords are 'Biologists study living 

 things and breeders improve living things.' 



At a meeting of the Trinidad Agricultural Society on 

 January 31, a discussion took place on the subject of the 

 cane-farming industry. A resolution was propo.sed asking 

 the society to make every eftbrt to place the industry on 

 a ' firm, satisfactory, and jiennanent footing.' The discussion 

 was adjourned till February 7. 



According to Farmers' Bulletin Xo. 12 of the Philippine 

 Bureau of Agriculture, the production of Manila henqi has 

 been for more than half a century the most imi)ortant 

 industry of the Philippine Islands. The exports for the 

 jear 1903 were valued at .S21,701,.575, or G6 per cent, of 

 the total exports. The present position and future prospects 

 of the industry are very encouraging. 



Dr. J. Boeke, who was in Barbados during the past 

 fortnight, is the delegate of the Dutch Government for the 

 investigation of the marine resources of the Dutch West 

 Indian Colonies. Dr. Boeke will proceed to Curacao where 

 he will spend four or fi\'e months before visiting the other 

 Dutch islands. 



In reference to the note in the Agricultural Wews, 

 Vol. IV, p. 12, with regard to a concession granted by the 

 Government of British Honduras for the exploitation of pine 

 products, the following extract from the Chamher of Com- 

 merce Jouniul is of interest: 'Perhaps one-third of the area 

 of Briti.sh Honduras is pine ridge, and, though the trees are 

 not of great size, the wood is very heavy and rich in sap.' 



'We are very glad that the fruit exhibited by Barbados and 

 Dominica gained the gold medal. We are told that the judges 

 were very favmuably impressed by the excellence of the 

 bananas. The fruit from Dominica was sent to us for 

 repacking. The grape fiuit was some of the best we have 

 seen.' (Extract from a letter from Messrs. Wm. Pink & Sons, 

 Portsmouth.) 



The ' artificial honey ' which is being foisted on the 

 British market is de.scribed in the British Bee Journal as 

 ' nothing more than glucose flavoured with real honey, and 

 to some people is even preferable to the genuine article.' It 

 is, however, a fraud on the consumer to charge him the price 

 of real honey for glucose (prepared by means of sulphuric 

 acid and starch) which is not a food in the ordinary use of 

 the term. 



A leaflet (Xo. 121) has recently been issued by the 

 Board of Agriculture on the ' Construction of Pigsties.' 

 The following points are urged : (1) the sloping floor .should be- 

 made of concrete, (2) the walls of brick rather than of wood 

 — in case wood has to be used, sheets of zinc should be- 

 screwed on the inside to preserve the walls from damp and 

 destruction by the pig.s, (3) for the roof, tiles, slates, or 

 thatch could be employed, (4) cai-eful provision must be- 

 made for drainage. 



The following is quoted from a circular issued by Messrs. 

 James Philip it Co. in respect to their e.xhibit at the Royal 

 Horticultural Society's recent exhibition : ' Fruits of the 

 orange family were largely in evidence, comprising the huge 

 shaddock, the better-known " pomeloes " grai)e fruit (often 

 called " forliidden fruit," for nearly every one bears what may 

 be likened to three finger-prints on its surface).' It would 

 be interesting to know whether any of our readers have- 

 noticed these markings and have attached any importance to- 

 them. Possibly they are only the result of contact with 

 neighbouring fruits. 



