Vol. IV. No. 73. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



19t 



the cost of loading ; tlie Wilson-Webster seems to be ratlier 

 the better. Tlie 111:1010111:", liowever, has jet to be invented 

 wliich will pick the cane from the field and place it on cars. 



The report of the C'oniiniftee on Afanufacture is stated 

 to have for its object to discover the true standing of the art 

 of making sugar in the Hawaiian Islands. The processes of 

 milling and extraction have been taken up liy the Committee 

 on Maeliiner_y. The present report deals with such subjects 

 as extraction, claritication, evaporation, sugar house control, 

 etc. 



The Committee on Laliour-saving Devices also deals in 

 this report with cane-loading machines. Im|iortance is 

 attachetl to a new invention, vised in Louisiana. No cane- 

 cutting machine which is altogether satisfactory is described, 

 though ettbrts have been made to induce machinery manufac- 

 turers to take the matter up. New ploughs and other 

 cultivators are al.so .shortly mentioned. 



Martinique. 



The following extract.s from the Consular Report 

 on Martinique for 1903 de;il with the position of the 

 sugar industry in that island : — 



The exports of sugar from Martinique in 1903 show 

 a decrease of 5,906 tons in quantitj- and of £61,679 in value 

 as conip.ired with the sliipments during the preceding year. 



The decrease in the (piantity of sugar manufactured is 

 clue to a variety of causes, tlie chief being the low price of 

 sugar. Among other causes may be mentioned the tempo- 

 rary suspension of cultivation on the plantations in the north 

 of the island in consequence of the volcanic eruptions of 

 1902, the destruction of one of the sugar factories at that 

 time, and lastly, the reluctance of the planters to extend 

 cultivation until the benefits of the Sugar Convention are 

 felt here. 



The crop of 1903-4 in-omises to be still smaller owing 

 to the damage done to the young cane plants by the cyclone 

 of August 1903, a loss of 25 per cent, being anticipated 

 from this cause. 



Instead of the bounty of 13 fr. 50 c. per 100 kilos, 

 hitherto allowed him, the Martinique jilanter will now 

 receive only 2 fr. 25c. per 100 kilos, 'detaxe de distance,' 

 and about 1 fr. 15c. per 100 kilos. ' boni de tare.' 



This ' detaxe de distance ' is claimed by the French 

 colonial planter to be inadequate, the sum actually paid for 

 freight and other charges to place his sugar on the French 

 market amounting, it is stated, to fully 4 fr. 55e. per 100 

 kilos. 



Under the circumstances, the outlook for the sugar 

 factories is far from bright. Two only of the factories 

 worked by coiiqianies paid a dividend cluring the current 

 j-ear, and two factories, it is reported, are to close after the 

 crop of 19034. 



In 1903, 5-3,982 gallons less rum were exported than 

 in the previous year. Better prices, howe\er, prevailing, 

 .£26,518 more were realized than in 1902. 



STOCK NOTES. 



A Good Milch Cow. 



The following notes on milch cows are taken from 

 the Agricultural World of December 31, 1904 :— 



A good milker shows it in her general appearance. She 

 should be clean, clear fleshed, and with ncistrils which do 

 not show fast breathing ; keen eyes, but with no symptom of 



a wild look ; well-shaped, pointed ears : thin, rather long- 

 neck ; straight, even back, which does not sink in the- 

 niiddle, nor rise or fall at top of tail ; clean, well-shaped legs;, 

 udder dark yellow, with evenly formed teats ; six teats are- 

 rather a recommendation, but more than four should never 

 be brought into use. It is a good practice to handle and 

 speak to the cow when tending her, so that when she is 

 to be milked she will become ijuite docile. 



The power of the co« to take and digest large quanti- 

 tie.s- of food regulates to a considerable degree her value 

 as a milker. The sina'l eater is of little value, as it is 

 iiiqiossible for her to make milk out of food that contains too 

 liitle of the elements for forcj or milk making. 



In all cases a large eater is wanted. The large eater 

 will have a depth of body not seen in the small eaters. The 

 breadth of the bodj* will also be more than that of cows that 

 are small producers of milk. In the same connexion w& 

 may say that the body must also be long. It is not enougk 

 that the cow have a deep and wide paunch if it is short. 

 With these go the strong jaws, ■which must be strong to 

 masticate the amount of food the animals require to fill the 

 large cavity of the stomach. The greatest number of good 

 feeders have marked depth of body, and the ribs are 

 what we call well s[irung. This means that the ribs are not 

 bent down in such a way as to decrease the size of the- 

 abdominal cavity. No matter what the temperament of the 

 cow may be, if .she has not the [lOwer to digest easily 

 a great ipiantity of food, she will be of little use as a milk 

 producer. 



Small Settlers' Cows. 



Mr. Will. Cradwick, Travelliug Instructor, writes, 

 as follows in the December issue of the Journal of" 

 the Jamaica Agricultural Socicti/ on the subject of 

 suitable cows for small settlers. This is a subject to- 

 which special attention should be paid. One of the 

 principal duties of the Travelling Instructors in 

 Jamaica is the encouragement of stock-keeping, evea 

 in a very small way, among peasant proprietors: — 



Small settlers should endeavour to select their heifers. 

 for breeding on the following points : — 



(1) Tameness ; (2) healthiness; (3) size, especially 

 length and breadth and depth as opposed to legginess ; [4). 

 large yield of milk. 



The bull should be on the same lines. Never use a bull 

 whose only recommendation is cJieapness: take a little trouble 

 if necessaiy, and if neces.sai'y also spend an extra pound for- 

 a good bull. 



See that he is also: (1) tame; (2) healthy; (3) of 

 a good build, short on the legs, long and low. Try 

 to find out if his mother is still alive, and if so, if she breeds 

 regularly, raises her calves well, and gives plenty of good 

 milk. If she does that her son is a good bull to breed with. 



It is a mistake to suppose that a cow cannot give 

 a good cpiantity of good milk, and yet keep in good condition,, 

 give good lusty calves, and weigh well herself when fat. 



I have seen at Mr. Young's a cow give 10 cpiarts and 

 a pint before the calf sucked at all, and that cow moderately 

 fat would weigh 550 to 600 lb. I know a small settler who 

 has a cow which gives 7 quarts in the morning and raises 

 fine calves, is always in good condition herself, and would 

 if fat weigh a good 600 lb. Chance ? Yes, perhaps so ! but 

 careful -selection comes to the same thing. A strain of milch 

 cows is not made in a day or a year, but in many years. We 

 have the basis of a good strain, but if careful selection is not 

 carried on we shall never get beyond that basis. 



