104 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April S, 1905. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well 

 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. 



Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, BMi-bados. Lovdon Agents: Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 87, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.G. A complete list of 

 Agents will be found at foot of page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural News : Price Id per number, 

 post free IkZ. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2.S. 2cL Po'st free, Ss. M. 



glgriciiltural |}eiuH 



Vol. IY. SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 190.J. No. Vf<. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this issue of the Agricultural 

 Neus deals with the anangenicnts that the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture proposes to make for 

 supplying selected cotton seed for planting in the \Vest 

 Indies in 190.5. In connexion with this subject wc 

 would draw the attention of readers also to the article 

 on Disinfecting Cotton Seed on pp. 101-2. 



An interesting contribution by Dr. Francis Watts 

 on muscovado sugar will be found on pp. 98-100. It 

 deals with some of the changes occurring in commercial 

 sugars. 



Department Publications. 



With this issue the Agricultural AVics- appears 

 with a cover. It hn.s been pointed out that under the 

 old arrangement the outside pages often got soiled and 

 showed signs of travel, which had the effect of spoiling 

 the appearance of the volume when bound. The cover 

 in which it is now proposed to send out the Agri- 

 cultural Ncvs will afford the necessary protection. 



The inde.x and title page for binding Volume III 

 is issued as a supplement to the present number. 



Pamphlet No. 35, I d format ion in regard fi> 

 Agricultural Bcmls, is also issued to-day. This 

 pamphlet was referred to on p. 50 of this volume. 

 A paper on Rural Agricultural Banks for British 

 Guiana Ins also been included. 



Cassava Poisoning. 



At BeluKint in the Parish of St. Patrick, Grenada, 

 four children, all of one family, recently died from 

 cassava poisoning. It appears that the flxther, mother, 

 and four children partook of cassava cakes, prepared at 

 home, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. During the night 

 the children were taken ill and a Doctor was sent for, 

 one child died before the Doctor arrived at 1 a.m. ; two 

 died after the Doctor arrived between 2 and 5 a.m., 

 while the fourth died at G.30 a.m. 



The cause of death in all cases was eating 'badly 

 prepared cassava cakes.' No particulars are available 

 As to the kind of cassava, or the method adopted in the 

 preparation of the cakes. 



Cassava poisoning has occupied a good deal of 

 attention on the part of the Imperial Dejmrtment of 

 Agriculture. A leaflet has been prepared for general 

 distribution on the subject. The most recent informa- 

 tion is contained in an article that appeared in the 

 Agricidtaral Neus, Vol. Ill, p. 423. 



In connexion with the Cotton Industry there are 

 published, in addition to the articles already mentioned, 

 reports on the prospects of the West Indian crop 

 (p. 101) and a letter from a correspondent in St. Kitt's 

 on cotton as a catch crop (p. 102). On pp. lOti-T will 

 be found a detailed account of interesting experiments 

 carried out by Dr. Watts with Rivers' Sea Island 

 Cotton Seed to ascertain the effect, if any, of the fuzzi- 

 ness of some of this seed on the quality of the lint 

 produced from it. 



The Insect Note in this issue deals with the use 

 of popular names for insects. Attention is drawn to 

 the confusion that is likely to occur in this connexion. 



Reports on the successful Agricultural Shows 

 recently held at Nevis and St. Vincent are published 

 on p. 109 ; on the next page are reports on the half- 

 yearly examinations at the Agricultural Schools at 

 St, Lucia and St. Vincent. 



Sales of St. Vincent Cotton. 



As mentioned elsewhere the first sale of St. Vincent 

 cottim for this year is exceptionally good. The Vice- 

 Chairman of the British Cotton-growing Association 

 writes as follows : — 



' The shipments from Messrs. Hazell & Simmons of 

 St. Vincent are quite the best cotton grown under the 

 auspices of this Association, and have been sold at an 

 all-rcund price of lid. per lb.' 



Further it is stated: 'The West Indies have so 

 outpaced the Americans in the cultivation of Sea 

 Island cotton that I am sure e\ery day it will be more 

 difficult to get supplies of good seed from there. West 

 Indian cotton is to-day fetching 2d. to 3(/. per 11). over 

 similar (jualities of American cotton, and I see from the 

 papers that the American planters are ver}- much 

 alarmed at this, and have had a meeting at which they 

 bound themselves down not to ship any seed to the 

 West Indies.' 



Again it is added : ' Judging from the cotton that 

 has been received this year from the West Indies 

 I should say that you have some of the best cultivators 

 in the M'orld. Everybody who comes into these rooms 

 and sees the samples of cotton recently received goes 

 into ecstasies over them.' 



