86 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Makch -25, 1905. 



EDUCATIONAL 



Harrison College, Barbados. 



The toUowing is the report of the examiner 

 appointed by the Cambridge Syndicate to examine the 

 .science classes at Harrison College, Barbados : — 



Three papers were set on schedule.s supplied by the 

 College, namely, in Physics, Agricultural Chemistry, and 

 Practical Chemistry. 



J^hi/sics. — The .subjects in the Physics schedule included 

 Heat, Light, and ^Meteorology, and questions were set on 

 each of these subjects. The answers were, on the whole, 

 excellent, and only one boy has failed to get a grip of the 

 work. 



All the questions were well an.swered with one exception, 

 an ea.sy and straight-forward (piestiou on the measurement of 

 quantities of heat, which was practically not touched by any 

 candidate. 



Agricultural Chemistry. — No papers were received from 

 two candidates who sent up papers in the other two subjects. 

 The work of the seven boys who sent in papers was strikingly 

 uniform and good. Two parts of questions were generally 

 badly answered, one relating to the conversion of nitrate 

 nitrogen into ammonia, the other to the common impurities 

 in commercial nitrate of soda. 



Practical Cheniiftri/. — The schedule (for one year's 

 ■work only) in this subject was restricted to the preparation 

 of a few substances of agricultural interest, and the qualita- 

 tive examination of simple salts for specified acids and bases. 



Three simple salts were set for the examination, as it is 

 impracticable to convey preparations from Barbados for 

 inspection by the examiner. The three .salts were identified 

 by every one, though a few of the candidates did not describe 

 their experiments quite satisfactorily. 



On the whole, the results of the examination are most 

 .satisfactory and give evidence of careful and thorough 

 teaching. 



Agricultural Science at Harrison College. 



The following is the report of the examiner 

 (Dr. H. H. Cousins, Government Analytical and 

 Agricultural Chemist, Jamaica) on the results of the 

 examination in Agricultural Science at Harrison 

 College : — 



Papers were received from seven candidates upon each 

 of three subjects: (a) Cane Planting, (h) Sugar Manufacture, 

 (c) Practical Sugar Chemistry. The work was remarkably 

 even throughout, and there was very little difference in the 

 work presented by the first six candidates. The ijuestions on 

 the ideal sugar-cane, the moth borer, and the fungoid diseases 

 of cane were well treated, and the latest results of the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture had evidently been clearly 

 impressed. A high standard was attained in this paper by six 

 candidates. 



The answers to the pajier on sugar manufacture were of 

 unequal merit. The subject had evidently been efficiently 

 taught, since every question was well treated by some of the 

 candidates. The practical details of the hydraulic mill 

 attachment and of the triple effect were confused by some, 

 while clearly explained by others. I consider the results 

 shown on this paper to be very creditable. The practical 

 paper was marked upon a strictly technical basis, no credit 

 being given for results involving errors beyond the limits of 



ordinary technical laboratory work. On the whole, \cry 

 good work with the polariscope was obtained. 



The alcohol determination was not correctly made by 

 a single candidate. This may have been due to the use of 

 an uncorrected Tralles hydrometer. I have found it 

 desirable with my students to enqiloy the specific gravity 

 bottle instead of the hydrometer for this purpose. I am 

 satisfied that these candidates have not oidy been taught 

 well, but have had enough practice in practical sugar 

 chemistry to make them reliable workers capable of carrying 

 out ordinary chemical control in sugar works. 



RAINFALL RETURNS. 



Antigua. 



The Hon. F. Watts, Government Chemist and 

 Superintendent of Agriculture for the Leeward Islands 

 has forwanled rainfall returns for Antigua for 1904, 

 from which we extract the following : — 



The average monthly rainfall for 1904 (mean of seventy 

 stations) was as follows : — 



January ... ... ... ."5-L'9 inches. 



February ... 1-S3 „ 



March lo2 



-M>"1 2-u „ 



May 0-9l> 



June 1-12 



July 1-53 



August ... ... ... 6'3.S ,, 



September... ... ... .5'31 „ 



October ... ... ... 5'16 „ 



November ... ... .. .5"50 ,, 



December ... ... ... l'G8 „ 



Total 37-01 



The average annual rainfall for thirty-one years 

 (KS7-1-1904) was 46-03, so that the rainfall for 1904 was 

 9-02 inches below the averatre. 



St. Lucia. 



inche 



From the St. Lucia Opicial Gazette we extract 

 the following information with regard to the rainfall 

 for 190-i:— 



The monthly rainfall at the Botanic Station (height 

 above sea-level, 10 feet) was as follows : — 



.January ... ... ... S-.j4 



February ... ... ... 4-83 



.March ... ... ... 3.5.5 



April 2-09 



May 6-35 



June ... ... ... 6-59 



July 8-32 



August 9-19 



September ... ... ... 8-35 



October 9-83 



November ... ... ... 6-10 



December 3-98 



Total 77-72 



In the previous year the rainfall at the Botanic Station 

 was 86-84 inches, and in 1902, 91-43 inches. 



The total rainfall for the year at other observation 

 stations was: Agricultural School, 75-.52 ; Pdvicre Dorc^e, 

 .57-09 ; Errard, 74-86 ; and Soufriere, 95-03. 



