110 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May C>, 1905_ 



GLEANINGS. 



Dr. Watts -nrites : ' It is interesting to note that fire- 

 flies have been observed in Nevis. It is curious that they 

 have made their appearance within the past year or two in 

 Antigua, Montserrat, and Nevis.' 



According to tlie 0/miie>; tlie fruit cargo whicli left 

 Jamaica by the Tort Kingston' on April 13, was the largest 

 shipment ever taken to England by any of the Direct Line 

 vessels, the bananas alone amounting to over 37,0U0 bunches. 



H.M. Consul at Palermo (Mr. S. J. A. Churchill), in 

 a recent despatch, reports that arrangements are in progress 

 for the establishment at Palermo of a citric acid factory 

 under a system discovered by an Italian chemist. {Board 

 iif Tnidc JouriHtL) 



Messrs. W. I'ink A- Sons write : ' We think you 

 ■will be pleased to know that we were awarded a silver 

 " Kni'ditian '' modal for Barbados bana;ias at the exhibition 

 of the Royal Horticultural )Society. This will be useful for 

 advertising [lurposes, and has already been the cause of 

 a better demand for the fruit.' 



Two boys who have completed the course at the 

 St. A'incent Agricultural School are now available for 

 employment on estates. Apjilicatious .should be made to the 

 Agricultural Superintendent, Kingstown. 



A few peo[ile planted cotton in British Honduras last 

 season, but their efforts did not meet with success on account 

 of excessive rains which caused their fields to become 

 flooded. 



The Government of Ecuador pays a bounty of 10c. for 

 each rubber tree planted in any part of the republic, 

 pro\ ided the number of trees planted be not less than 500. 

 and that these attain the age of five years. 



The Board of Trwlf Journal announces that seven 

 samples of diti'erent varieties of tobacco grown in .Jamaica 

 have been received and may be insijected at the offices of the 

 Commercial Intelligence Branch. 



Dr. H. H. Cousins writes from Jamaica : ' I am referring 

 youi circular on cotton disease to certain growers. The 

 industry promises well in Vera and other jilaces where it is 

 too drv to grow- bananas.' 



According to the Antigua Standard, the notice that 

 lands on Clare Hill and Skerrett's would be rented for 

 cultivation has been responded to with alacrity. This is 

 regarded as indicating that a cane-farming industry in 

 connexion with the central factory at GSunthorpe's is likely to 

 be developed in the near future. 



I'amiihlet No. 3G, entitled Manurial E.i'ptriinints mlth 

 Svgar-cane in the Leeward Islands, in HJOJ-A, is issued 

 to-day. This contains a summary of the results already 

 published in the large official report reviewed in the last 

 issue of the Acjrienltural News. This pamphlet can be 

 obtained of all agents for the sale of the Department's 

 publications jirice 4rf., post free, 5(/. 



Mr. Richard Stancliffe, who, it will be remembered, 

 accomiianied Mr. Oliver on his visit to the West Indies last 

 year as a deputation from the British Cotton-growing 

 Association, has jiresented to each cif the boys at the 

 Dominica Agricultural School a copy of a i>hotograph of the 

 pu[iils, taken in front of the school buildings on Morne 

 Bruce. 



An incpiiry is being made for cuttings of the single and 

 double white variety of llUdsew! sinensis. Those in a position 

 to supi'ly these are desired to communicate with the Editor 

 of theAf/ricvltnrul Ketcs, Head Office, Barbados. 



A return of the area in cultivation of canes other than 

 Bourbon in British Guiana (15,000 acres), shows a very 

 satisfactory increase in the cultivation of seedlings proper, 

 and an ecjually satisfactory decrease in the cultivation of the 

 White Transparent. 



Specimens of a tiny fish known as ' million > ' have been 

 received by the Zoological Society. To ten the theory that 

 the presence of this fish in the local waters accounts for the 

 absence from Barbados of the malarial mosquito, careful 

 experiments will be made. 



The Sea Lsland cotton farmers in the United States 

 Lave perfected their organization for the purpose of limiting 

 the sale of seed, and thus confining the growing of the 

 long-staple cotton to South Carolina. The organization is 

 to be called the Sea Island Cotton Seed Association. 



^Ir. .\rtliur M. Lee writes : 'Kindly permit me to correct 

 a clerical error in mj- letter of March L'7 (published in the 

 Aejrieultural News, Vol. IV, \'. 102). The amount charged 

 against the cotton for " manuring for cane crop (half cost) " 

 should have been .£1 5.S. instead of 15?.' The estimated 

 clearance per acre shoidd therefore read £5 Is. Id. instead of 

 £5 lis. 7d. 



At Foursquare the average yield of sugar reported is 

 slightly under 2 hogsheads to the acre : at Kirton in the 

 same district 1| hogsheads. These figures are better than we 

 expected, when we saw how the canes of that part of the 

 island suff'ered during the drought of last year. This 

 satisfactory yield is due to the large cultivation of the 

 No. I>. 147 canes, which are giving as fine a return as ever. 

 (Barbados Aijricultural J^qxirter.) 



A joint report by the Government Analyst and the 

 Government Geologist of Trinidad (published as Council 

 Paper, No. 4 of 1905)di.scusses the jiossiliility of establishing 

 a Portland cement factory in that colon}-. They conclude 

 that ' the existing and possible future demand for cement 

 ought to be sufficient to lead to the investment of capital on 

 the establishment of a small factory capable of producing not 

 less than 200 tons a week, and capable also of extension to 

 meet further possible requirements.' 



