Vol. IV. No. 80. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



1.37 



ihat are required in the Britisli trade, and it is stated 

 that, to command a ready sale for his honey, the 

 bee keeper must strive to attain that standard. 



Stress is hiid on the necessity for grading the 

 •sections and directions are given as to packing them. 

 Further, the desirability of rendering them as attrac- 

 tive as possible is urged. 



The marketing of extracted or 'run' honey is also 

 •dealt with. Here, again, it is particulaily necessary 

 that the product should be carefully graded, since the 

 different grades are jjut to different purposes. 



Dominica. 



The following gentlemen have been appointed 

 members of an 'Agricultural Experiment Committee' 

 to confer with the Imperial Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture in regard to efforts that are being made to 

 improve the lime, cacao, fruit, and other industries : — ■ 



Messrs. E. A. Agar, C. Blandy, P. F. Cox, 

 E. Downing, F. Evering'ton, J. Cox Fillan, M. Fletcher, 

 H. A. Frampton, Joseph Jones, Dr. H. A. Alford 

 Nicholls, C.M.G,, and Mr. A. C. ShiUingford. 



His Honour the Administrator has consented to 

 be the Chairman of the Agricultural Experiment 

 Committee. 



Cacao Diseases in British Guiana. 



Mr. A. W. Bartlett, B.A., B.Sc, F.L.S., Government 

 Botanist, British Guiana, recently visited the more 

 important cacao estates along the Demerara river in 

 order to investigate an alleged outbreak of cacao pod 

 disease. 



Mr. Bartlett on his visit found one estate very 

 badly infected with the Surinam witch broom disease. 

 The estate was in a badly neglected condition, 

 consequently the disease had been allowed to spread 

 unchecked until it had gained a fair hold and is now- 

 distributed, more or less, over the whole cultivation. 

 An account of the treatment to be adopted for dealing 

 with this disease will be found on p. 135. 



As mentioned in the last issue of tjie Agri- 

 caltiind Neioe, Mr. Bartlett also reports the presence 

 of the thread disease of cacao in British Guiana. 

 This was found on a few isolated trees on two estates. 

 Apparently on those estates the disease does not 

 spread ra]jidly. 



On all the estates along the Demerara river 

 a certain number of diseased pods were found. Their 

 abundance appeared to be in inverse ratio to the 

 •quality of the drainage, cleanliness of the beds, and the 

 eare taken of the trees. 



Most of the pod disease would appear to be due to 

 Pliytopldhura omnivura. In the middle of many of 

 the black diseased areas on the pods a delicate white 

 incrustation was seen, which on microscopic examina- 

 tion showed the conidia of this fungus. The fungus 

 causing 'brown rot' disease of the pods {Diplodia 

 cacaoicola) was present on decaying husks, etc., among 

 the trees: it could not, however, be recognized as 

 causing any of the diseases. 



The Cacao Trade. 



Several important facts are brought out in the 

 note on the cacao trade which is published on p. 184. 

 First of all, the importations and stock of cacao in the 

 United Kingdom during 1904 'exhibited a great 

 increase over those in 1903.' On the other hand, 

 there was considerably less cacao exported from the 

 United Kingdom during the year than during 1903. 



The range of prices obtained by West Indian 

 cacao is also of interest. It will be seen that the price 

 of the Trinidad product was as high as 72.s. to 7Gs. 

 per cwt., the lowest prices being from 56s. to 64-s. 

 Grenada cacao ranged from .50.s'. to (iO.s. 6d. down to 

 52.S. to 57s., while that from Dominica ranged from 

 50s. to 61s. 6d., as top prices, down to -iSs. Gd. to 54.9. 

 at the worst times. 



Finally, it is mentioned that the African cacao 

 trade is increasing every year. It will, therefore, be 

 well for \\''est Indian cacao j^lanters to realize that, 

 although the comsumption of this article is on tlie 

 increase, great care must be taken in curing and 

 preparation with a view to placing on the market 

 only a good-grade product which will sell well at 

 tojJ prices. 



The Banana Trade. 



Fruit trade journals received by last mail contain 

 references to the second show of colonial fruit held by 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, and also to a paper 

 by Mr. Frank Pink of the firm of Messrs. W. Pink & 

 Sons, read at a recent meeting of the society. This 

 paper dealt with 'Bananas from a commercial point of 

 view.' Mr. Pink referred to the establishment of the 

 Jamaica banana industry, and to the efforts that have 

 been made to ship bananas from the other West 

 Indian Colonies. 



Referring to the Barbados banana, he said: 

 'Unfortunately, though one of the easiest fruits to grow, 

 it is one of the most difficult to transport.' 



In the reports of Mr. Pink's paper we observe 

 several inaccuracies. As these eece not likely to have 

 been made by Mr. Pink, it would be as well to correet 

 them here. It is stated that transit from Barbados 

 occupies six to eight days: this should, of course, be 

 ten to eleven. Again, it is stated that 'in British 

 Guiana, Trinidad, and Barbados, the grower packs his 

 own fruits, and then hands them over to the Imperial 

 Department;' .so far, this has been done only in 

 Barbados. 



It is stated that the bananas from Barbados 

 exhibited by Messrs. W. Pink & Sons, which were of 

 the same variety as grown in the Canary Islands, wore 

 in splendid condition and colour. This variety will, 

 doubtless, find a ready sale amongst high-class 

 fruiterers for dessert fruit. That the coarse type of 

 fruit received from Jamaica will always meet with a sale 

 amongst the working class we do not for a moment 

 doubt, but the sale will be limited ; whereas, if it 

 were of the same type as the Canary Islands produce, 

 the sale would be practically unlimited.' 



