88 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Maech 25, 190o. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 as all specimens for naming, should be addressed 

 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agri- 

 cultural News' should be addressed to the 

 Agents, and not to the Department. 



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 town, Barbiifios. LomJon Ar/enis : Messrs. Dulun & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

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 Agents will be found at foot of page 9.5 of this issue. 



The Agricultural Neivs : Price Id. per number, 

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^(jricultiiral I^Iciujj 



Vol. IV. SATURDAY, MARCH 2-5, 190-5. No. 77. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this issue of the Agricaltaral 

 aVeit's deals with some ofthe aspects ofthe Agricultural 

 Shows that have recently been held throughout the 

 West Indies. 



Xotes on the sugar industry relate to the 

 cultivation of seedling canes in Jamaica, and to the 

 raising of seedling canes in the West Indies. 



Several interesting notes with regard to the cotton 

 industry will be found on p. 8.5: of special interest to 

 jjlanters is the note on the sales of West Indian cotton 

 in England. 



Reports on the examination of the science and 

 agricultural classes at Harrison College, Barbados, are 

 published on p. 8(). It will be seen that the examiners 

 are very lavourabl}' impressed with the character ofthe 

 work presented by the boys. 



A summary of an address delivered l)y Sir Daniel 

 Morris before tlie St. Lucia Agricultural Society is 

 published on p. 87. 



An illustrated article on the Corn Ear Worm, 

 a common pest in the West Indies, will be found on 

 p. 90. 



An interesting tiade report on orange and citron 

 peels, which has been prepared by Mr. J. R. Jack.son at 

 the request ofthe Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 appears on p. 93. Mr. Jackson di.scusses the possibility 

 ofthe English market being supplied with this product 

 by the West Indies. 



Jamaica Prison Farm. 



In further reference to the successful establishment 

 of a farm at the Spanish Town jjrison in Jamaica, of 

 which mention was made in the Agr'uultaral News, 

 \o\. Ill, p. 20, the following information may be 

 of interest : — 



During the year ended March 31, 1904', the 

 amount expended on the farm, exclusive of prison 

 labour, was £342 2s. Id.: the actual value of the crops 

 reaped was £()08 17.5'. 4(/. 



'I'he prnicipal crops were : potatos, (14,053 lb.: yams, 

 13,424 lb.; pumpkins, 7,755 lb., and miscellaneous 

 \egetables in varying quantities. The grass cut 

 realized .£123, and the wood £l!tfl. 



Forestry in Barbados. 



It may not be generally known that in Barba<los 

 special inducements are offered to owners of land, which 

 is practically u.seless for other purposes, to plant trees. 

 A bounty of 20.s. for each acre for seven years is given 

 to the owner who covers his land in that way. Also, 

 land exceeding 1 acre in extent, planted with 

 mahoganj' trees in the manner specified in the 

 Preservation of Trees Act, Xo. 1 of 1 875, is exempt 

 from all taxation. 



Inspectors for the various parishes are apjjointed 

 under this Act whose duty it is to report ann\ially upon 

 the condition of the plots for which bounties are paid. 

 The reports of five of these inspectors are published in 

 the Ojfieitd Gazette of February 27, 1905, and these 

 show that in the five pari.shes inspected there ai-e some 

 400 acres of land planted, cared for, and protected as 

 required by the Act. 



The trees planted are chiefly mahogany, but white 

 wood, fiddle wood, manchineel, and several others are 

 also extensively planted. 



Tobacco in Hawaii. 



An experiment in giowing tobacco under shade 

 was commenced in Hawaii in August 1903. Mr. Jared 

 G. Smith, the Officer-in-Charge of the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, describes the experiment in the 

 HmraiiM n Furester and Agrl.ciilturi>'f for December 

 1904. 



As there was a fall of 201 7 inches of rain between 

 April 8 and 13, a week after the seedlings were trans- 

 planted, the loss of transplanted tobacco was very high, 

 and replanting had to be done continuously until 

 June 1. The leaf from the first crop and the ratoon 

 crop was harvested as it ripened in July, August, and 

 September. The picking during the three months 

 amounted to about 1.000 11). of cured leaf of very 

 variable quality. The varieties tried were Deli, Florida- 

 Sumatra, and Java-Sumatra. 



Mr. Smith considers the outlook for tobacco 

 cultivation in Hawaii good, provided suitable land can 

 be placed at the disposal of those who have sufiicient 

 capital to engage in the industry. There are, perhaps, 

 some 25,000 acres on the islands of the group that 

 possess the necessary physical texture. 



