Vol. IV. No. 91. 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



317 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



ST. KITTS-XEVLS; REPORT OJ ECONOMIC 

 AXD OTHER EXPERIMENTS, 1904-5. 



This report on economic experiments carried on in 

 ■connexion with the Botanic Station is supplementary to the 

 annual report on the Botanic (Station for the }-ear ended 

 March 31, 1905, which was reviewed on p. 269 of this 

 volume of the Ai/ricultural News. In the case of the 

 •economic experiments with sweet potatos, 3'ain.s, and eddoes, 

 trials were made of a number of varieties with the view of 

 testing their relative merits. Twenty kinds of sweet potatos 

 and eleven of yams were tested in the plots. 



Successful experiments in growing tobacco have been 

 carried on at St. Kitt's since 1901. The experiment was 

 particularly successful in the year under review, 1-5.3 Jb. 

 of cured tabaoco being reaped from the plot, which was 

 about nj- acre in area. Of this amount 105 tt). have been 

 .sold at l.s. id. to Is. 3c?. per B)., realizing £6 in all. 



Particular interest attaches to the section of this report 

 which deals with the cotton industry. Mr. Shepherd's 

 record of the year's work is decidedly encouraging. Growers 

 purchased 4,315 lb. of Rivers' Sea Island cotton seed through 

 the Department, while 300 D). were distributed gratuitously 

 iu Anguilla. The area under cotton in St. Kitt's was 1,057 

 acres. In this matter St. Kitt's occupies a somewhat unique 

 position, iu that cotton is grown almost entirely as a catch 

 crop on cane lands, thereby much reducing the cost of 

 cultivation. The results have apparently been satisfactory, 

 as there are indications that the area under cotton will be 

 extended during the present season. The exports of cotton 

 from St. Kitt's-Xevis and Anguilla for the fifteen months 

 ended March 31 last amounted to 166,118 t). of the 

 estimated value (at Is. per ib.) of £83,074. 



GRENADA: REPORT ON BOTANIC STATION, 

 19IU-5. 



The sales of plants and seeds during the year under 

 riview realized £57 17s. \Qd. This sum is an increase of 

 £12 18s. Id. on last year's receipts. 



The rainfall for the year was 70'82 inches, or 11 '55 

 inches less than in the previous year. 



There was a slight ino'ease in the total number of 

 economic and other plants sold and distributed free from the 

 .station. The number was 6,863. In addition, 329 lb. of 

 Sea Island cotton seed were sold. 



In the experiment plots attached to the station crops of 

 a number of economic plants were grown. The cotton 

 obtained a first prize at the local Agricultural Exhibition. 

 The manurial plots with cacao in the country districts were 

 abandoned ; but a new series is at present being arranged. 



Although the work at the station has been much 

 hampered by the staff changes, the general condition of 

 the station appears to be fairly satisfactory. 



As has been previously announced in the Ajrkidtural 

 News, the Agricultural Department at Grenada has been 

 entirely re-oganized. Full particulars of the new arrange- 

 ments were published on p. 158 of the present volume. 



Souari or Butter Nut. 



Mention is made by Mr. .1. 11. .Jackson in his monthly 

 report on the London drug and .''pice market (see p. 319) of 

 the sale of 5 barrels of Souari or butter nuts. These are the 

 product of a tree known as Cari/ocar nuciferum found in the 

 forests of British Guiana. The tree, which is grown in several 

 of the AYest India Islands, frequently attains a height of 100 

 feet. The fruit is a large, four-seeded drupe. The .seeds have 

 a hard shell and are about the size of a hen's egg. They 

 have a pleasant Havour and yield on crushing an edible oil. 

 The wood of the tree has been used principally in ship 

 building. 



Queen of Flowers. 



It would appear that some confusion exists as to the 

 tree which is known by the name of ' Queen of Flowers ' or 

 'Queen's Flower.' Its botanical name is Lagevstroemia Flos- 

 Regiiiae. A note on this handsome, showy tree, which i.5 

 a native of Ceylon, appeared in the Agvhndtural News., 

 Vol. II, p. 170. It is a large tree, sometimes attaining 

 a height of 50 feet. 



The name ' Queen of Flowers ' is sometimes erroneously 

 applied to another member of the genus, viz., L. Indica. 

 This is common in West Indian gardens and is known as the 

 'King of Flowers.' It is a shrubby plant, growing to a 

 height of 8 to 10 feet. It, usually has bright, rose-coloured 

 flowers, but there is also a less common variety with white 

 flowers. Lagerstroemia indica is usually propagated by 

 cuttings from the roots. 



Lace-bark Tree. 



The lace-bark tree (Lagetta lintearia), a native of 

 .Jamaica, is a slender tree, growing to a height of 20 to 30 

 feet, and belongs to the natural order Thymelaeaceae. The 

 so-called lace is obtained from the inner bark of the tree, 

 which is composed of numerous fibres interlacing in all 

 directions. 



Dr. Masters states in the Treasury of Botany : 'It Is 

 reported that Charles II received, as a present from the 

 Governor of Jamaica, a cravat, frill, and pair of ruffles, made 

 of this material; and to this day it is used for bonnets, 

 collars, and other articles of apparel, specimens of which may 

 be seen at the Kew Museum, etc' 



Piesidents in the West Indies are familiar with the 

 many pretty articles made from this fibre, which are quite 

 a feature of the curiosity shops, especially in Jamaica. 

 Among these may be mentioned the puffs or dusters with, 

 hollow handles, and riding whips. The latter are ' made 

 from cuttings of the smaller branches of the tree. 

 A section of each cutting is strip[)ed, the woody part 

 removed, and the loose bark is then plaited to form 

 the thong and lash.' (Wortley in Souvenirs of Jamaica.) 

 But, perhaps, a better-known use, to which the product 

 of this interesting tree is put, is in making various descrip- 

 tions of fancy work, such as d'oyleys, lamii-.shades, fans, etc. 



Reference was recently made in the .Jamaica Ttnies 

 to the fact that the supply of the lace-bark tree was in 

 danger of becoming exhausted. In reply, the Superintendent 

 of Hope Gardens writes that large numbers of the tree exist 

 in almost inaccessible parts of the ' Cock-pit Country,' and 

 that it would not be ditficult to prevent the wanton destruc- 

 tion of it if instructions were given by the Government 

 to custodians of Crown Lands. Plants are for sale at the 

 Hope Gardens at \d. each. 



