248 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AucjusT 12, 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: Mes.'^rs. Boweri & Sons, Bridcre- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Solio Square, ^^'., and The West India Com- 

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

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



The Agricultural Knvs : Price 1'?. per number, 

 post free lid. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Post free, 3s. M. 



Slqriciiltiiral MciuH 



Vol. IV. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 190.5. Xo. t^7. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in the present issue deals with the 

 important subject of the treatment of orchard soils in 

 the tropics. This is a matter of considerable interest 

 to cacao and lime planters in the West Indies. 



Interesting information is contained in the tables 

 on pp. 242-3 in reference to the successful culti\ation 

 of seedling canes on plantation Diamond in British 

 Guiana. On the latter page will also be found an 

 account of Trinidad trade in sugar products. 



Cold Storage for the Royal Mail Steamers. 



Fruit growers in the West Indies, especiall}' the 

 banana growers of fJarbados, will be glad to know that 

 another of the Koyal Mail steamers, the 'Orinoco,' has 

 been fitted with the Hall's sj'stem of cold storage. This 

 ship now has carrying space for fruit up to 2G0 tons 

 measurement. 



Further, it may bo stated that all the mail steamers 

 of the comjjany will shortly be similarly fitted for the 

 carriage of bananas and other fruit from Barbados. 

 Information was received by the Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture by last mail that the work of 

 installing the cold-storage system into the R.M.S. 

 'La Plata' had already begun. 



A New Sugar Plant. 



In a note in the Agricultur<d Xcws (Vol. IV, 

 p. 55) on a new sugar plant {Eapatorlujn licbandi- 

 anum). discovered by Dr. Bertoni in Paraguay, it was 

 stated that the British Consul at Asuncion had been 

 asked to procure seeds and leaves of this plant for 

 shipment U> Barbados. 



Five ])ounds of the leaves and a small package of 

 the tiowei-s of this plant were recently received by the 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture from the British 

 Legation at Asuncion. A number of specimens have 

 been mounted for herbarium purposes, and a cjuantity 

 of the leaves have been forwarded to Professor 

 d'Albuquerque, who has promised to analyse them and 

 report upon the amount of sugar which this interesting 

 plant contains and the form in which it e.xists. 



H. B. M. Consul at Asuncion has also been asked 

 to endeavour to ol:itain a good supply of fertile seeds 

 of this plant with a view to making an experiment in 

 growing it in the West Indies. 



E.xtracts from Mr. Freeman's descri])tive article on 

 the Jamaica Caurt at the Colonial and Indian Exhibi- 

 tion are published on p. 245. The Court contains 

 a comprehensive selection of the colony's products. 



This issue contains a further article on ratooning 

 cotton (see p. 24()): this is followed by a note on the 

 injurious effect of cotton seed on pigs. 



Brief notes will be found on p. 250 on the various 

 so-called wild bees in the West Indies. The oppor- 

 tunity is taken to assign to the various species the 

 names by which they ai'e known to entomologists. 

 Reference is made on the same page to the occuri-ence 

 at the present time at Barbados of a number of insect 

 pests. 



An interesting departure has been made in 

 Jamaica in connexion with the establishment of model 

 school gardens. These should be of considerable value 

 as object-lessons to teachers who may desire to take up 

 this important work. (Sec p. 251.) 



Trinidad Trade Statistics. 



Professor Carmody has compiled for the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition a large amount of useful 

 information which has been published under the title 

 of ' Statistics of Trinidad Trade.' 



Tables and charts show in a graphic manner the 

 exports of the principal products of the colon}' during 

 the last three years. 



These are sugar and its by-]iroducts, cacao, asphalt, 

 cocoa-nuts, and cocoa-nut oil. In the period of thirtv 

 ^■ears (1875-1905) the sugar exports have decreased in 

 value to one half, wliile the exports of cacao have 

 increased nearly to three times, and asphalt to eight 

 times. 



The direction of the trade in sugar has varied but 

 slightly during the past twenty years, the exports 

 being more or less equally divided between Great 

 Britain and the United States: more recently the 

 British imports of Trinidad sugar have increased, and 

 those of the United States decreased. Cacao, on the 

 other hand, has found new markets. While the exports 

 to Great Britain have not considerabl}- increased during 

 recent years, the exports to the L^nited States have 

 increased to ten times in thirty years, and those to 

 other countries to three times. 



