Vol. IV. No. 74. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



35 



was adopted, and a Committee was a[>iiointed for the purpose, 

 and also to fix an ojjening price for molasses. On Friday 

 last the Committee handed in its estimate which places the 

 crop of sugar at 4-5,000 lihds., and of molasses at 30,000 

 puns. The ojiening price of molasses the Committee fixed 

 at 17c., package included. This is not a final price. The 

 Committee does not pretend to determine absolutely the 

 market, nor does it re]>resent any combine for that purpose. 

 The opening price merely rei)resents the figure below which, 

 looking to ordinary conditions of demand and supply, 

 molasses, in the opinion of the Coinii>ittee, should not go. In 

 other words, it is a valuable indication to the planter of what 

 may be regarded as the legitimate piice of his ])roduct, and 

 has no bearing on any rise wliu-h might be liiought about by 

 speculation or later crop developments, or on any depression 

 of the market which a. combination of buyers may be able to 

 effect. 



Manufacture of Molascuit. 



The following is e.\tracted from an article in the 

 Deraerara Argosy of January 14 : — 



There can be no doubt that the manufacture of molascuit 

 is making very satisfactorj- progress in British Guiana. The 

 average price paid in England during the past six months 

 was £i per ton. In order to produce 1 ton of molascuit 

 about 130 gallons of molasses, of a density of 44° to 46^ 

 Beaunie, are required, in addition to the mega.ss meal, which 

 is obtained by sifting the megass as it passes from the rollers, 

 ■whicli have crushed the canes, to the furnace. The average 

 cost of manufacture, including jiackages, local freight, 

 lighterage, and other incidental charges, is .$4'.50 per ton. 

 To this must be added the cost of home freight, royalties, 

 commission, etc., which averages about !g7 per ton. This 

 leaves net proceeds to the manufacturer of !p7'70 [£l 12.s-.] 

 per ton, equal to \'ery nearly 6e. per gallon for the molasses 

 used. 



There are at the present time forty-five estates in this 

 colony making sugar, but only a few of the larger estates are 

 equijiped with a plant for the manufacture of molascuit. It 

 is a iieculiar feature of this product that it can be made 

 entirely by hand labour without the aid of machinery ; but, 

 whereas the average cost of hand manufacture is 10s. per 

 ton, with a special ]>lant of machinery the cost can be reduced 

 to 60c. per ton. ^Molascuit as made here con.sists of about 

 75 per cent, by weight of molas.ses and about 25 per cent, by 

 weight of megass meal. The mixed product contains from 

 50 to 55 per cent, of sugar and about 13 per cent, of 

 moisture. 



BOTANIC STATION, DOMINICA. 



Supply of Budded Plants. 



The following notice, dated January 14, 1905, has 

 been inserted in the Dominica Official Gazette: — ' 



Owing to the length of time required to bud and 

 grow orange plants for sale, it is necessary that the Botanical 

 Department should know early what number of budded 

 plants are required for the coming season. «»*---.^^-^ 



Planters requiring supplies of budded citrus stocks for 

 delivery during the latter half of the present year are 

 requested to send their orders to the Botanic Station not 

 later than February 10. 



No orders for budded plants for delivery during 1905 

 will be received after the date mentioned. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SPRAYING. 



The following directions with reg.ird to spra_ving 

 dise.a.sed plants with insecticides and fungicides 

 are e.xtracted from a recent bulletin of the Cornell 

 University : — 



It should be remembered that in all cases success is 

 dependent on the exercise of proper judgement in making 

 applications. Prevention in the case of fungous diseases 

 should be the watchword. Plant diseases are larely cured, 

 but they can frequently be prevented. Know the enemy to 

 be destroyed, know the i-cmedies that are most effective, and 

 a;iply at the proper season. Be prompt, thorough, and 

 liersistent. Knowledge and good judgement are more 

 necessary to success than any definite rules. 



Spraying is an insurance. Spraying is no longer an 

 experiment. It is an accepted practice, as tillage, pruning, 

 and fertilizing are. It may not be necessary to spray every 

 year, but the farmer should be prepared to spray every year. 

 In case of doubt spray. See that pumps and rigs are in 

 working order before ploughing time comes. Order your 

 materials. ' Be ready.' 



There is no one best i)ump or nozzle. There are best 

 devices for particular kinds of work, depending on the size of 

 the plants to be siirayed, the kind of spray to be used, and the 

 extent of the operations. Get a good pump, one that works 

 easily and smoothly, and is strong enough to make a fine 

 spray when two lines of hose and four nozzles are used, if it 

 is designed for Held work ; it is economy in the end. Look 

 over the horticultural jiapers for advertisements of spraying 

 outfits, and write for circulars. Power pumps are becoming 

 more [lojiular each year. 



MOSQUITOS IN ST. LUCIA. 



The following extract from a report b}- .Dr. St. 

 George Gray, Colonial Assistant Surgeon in St. Lucia, 

 on the conveyance of disease by mosquitos, is instruc- 

 tive as indicating that an effort is being made in that 

 island towards the extermination of these pests : — ■ 



Another dangerous place is the drain running into the 

 northern end of the Botanic Gardens. I believe that this 

 drain is the source of most of the malaria occurring at 

 Barnardville and along the Darling Koad. ilorne Fortune 

 abounds in anopheles pools which keep the Military Hospital 

 well supplied with cases of malarial fever. There is a drain 

 at the back of the village of Anse-la-Raye, which, at times, 

 swarms with the lar\ae of anopheles. I have already 

 mentioned this drain in my rei)ort. 



Another notoriously unhealthy place was the Union 

 estate at the beginning of the year, when work on the new 

 buildings of the Agricultural School was commenced. At 

 that time not a week passed without from two to four or 

 more of the workmen being down with malignant malarial 

 fever. Towards the end of Ajiril I visited the works with 

 Mr. Mountjoy, the Architect, and found that the old estate 

 canal was a typical breeding-place for anopheles. This and 

 similar places were at once drained, and other pools tilled in. 

 Since then there has not been a single case of malarial fever 

 originating on the estate. Just before the school opened, I 

 went over the grounds with Mr. J. C. ^loore, the Agricultural 

 Superintendent, who has continued the work of draining and 

 filling in of all useless collections of water, and I could not 

 find a single mosquito larva. On the Choc estate, only 

 a short distance away, and where there is still a great deal 

 of malarial fever, I found numerous anopheles larvae, as well 

 as those of other mosquitos. 



