172 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 3, 1905. 



s,-«?^w^*^rrr 



In view of the presence of fungoid diseases in pine-apples 

 in some districts of Antigua, the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture recommends that no suckers be imported from 

 that island for cultivation in other parts of the West Indies 

 until further notice. 



GLEANINGS. 



The shipment of cotton from Antigua by last mail 

 amounted to 41 bales. The total weight of cotton was 

 7, .3-50 a>. 



It is proposed to hold an agricultural show under the 

 auspices of the Imperial Department of Agriculture at 

 Roadtown, Tortola, in the month of Sciitembcr next. 



In the years 1902 and 1903 the numbers of pine-apiiles 

 exported from St. Michael's, Azores, were 940,382 and 

 939,638, respectively. These were shared by London and 

 Hamburg. 



It is requested that specimens of cotton (lint) forwarded 

 to the Head Otfice of the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture for examination and rejiort should weigh not less than 

 4 oz., irrespective of the wrapping. 



The stallion ' Jamaica Lad' lately attached to the 

 Dominica Agricultural School has been loaned to Montserrat 

 for a time. For the present his services will be available at 

 Paradise at the charsje of 4.s. 



The Toffenburg goat 'Pauline' imported into Barbados 

 in 1903 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture has 

 recently given birth to three male kids. Since the kids were 

 weanecl 'Paixline' has given an average of 7 pints of milk daily. 



Of the thirty-eight candidates who sat at the examination 

 in agricultural .science held throughout Berbice on March 2-5 

 last, fourteen obtained certificates, while twenty -four failed to 

 satisfy the examiner. (Demerara Ari/ony.) 



In reference to the note in the Agricultural ITeii's (Vol. 

 IV, p. 121) on the West Indian onion trade, it may be 

 mentioned that the Agricultural Instructor at Tortola has 

 sold the onions raised at the Experiment Station to 

 a merchant in St. Thomas at lis. per 100 fc. 



jNIr. Frank Cundall, Secretary of the Institute of 

 Jamaica, wa.s expected to proceed to England by the 

 S.S. ' Port King.ston ' on May 25, for the purpose of 

 representing the colony at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 at the Crystal Palace. 



It is announced in the Trinidad Royal Gazette that the 

 Governor directs that in future cacao shall be described in 

 shipping bills by reference to its place of origin. This step 

 has been taken with the view of preventing the exportation 

 of imported cacao as Trinidad cacao, thereby causing harm 

 to the industry. 



Indian Planting and Gardening mentions that a new 

 use has been found for the Talipot palm {Corypha umhracu- 

 lifera). Buttons have been made from the seed.s, which, in 

 their prepared form, resemble vegetable ivory. As the palm 

 bears a larger number of these seeds a good business might 

 be done. 



According to the Port-of-Spain Gazette, the factories in 

 the southern district purchased 71,000 tons of farmers' canes 

 this year at a cost of .£49,700. The increased rates — 5s. 

 a ton — paid for canes this year over last season, placed the 

 appreciable sum of =£17,750 more in the pockets of cane 

 farmers down south. 



We are very glad to learn that the Government is able 

 at last to lay before the Council a bill dealing with praedial 

 larceny. This class of crime, which is rife in certain 

 districts, has checked planting enterprise, and all the 

 agriculturists of the island will rejoice at the prospect of the 

 evil being grai'pled with. (Dominica Guardian.) 



According to the United States Consul-General at 

 Marseilles, the principal centre of the oil-nut trade, African 

 nut.s, though richer in oil, are inferior to the American for 

 comestible purposes. The Virginia nut is said to be the 

 finest in the world, but it is not so advantageous as 

 a producer of oil. 



It may be mentioned that, with a view to preventing 

 the introduction of disease with cacao pods from one island 

 to another (as for example from Dominica to Nevis), the 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has given directions 

 that in all such cases the pods shall be steeped in Bordeaux 

 mixture previous to shipment. Further, the empty shells 

 should afterwards be buried with lime. 



According to the Considar Report on the trade of Te.xas 

 for the year 1904, there were exported during the year 

 210,114 tons of cotton seed cake and meal, valued at 

 £980,933, in addition to 1,902,745 bales of cotton of the 

 value of £21,402,736. Nearly half the exports of cotton 

 went to the United Kingilom, but most of the cotton seed 

 meal was shii)ped to Germany. 



A supplement to the Jamaica Gazette contains 

 a memorandum by the Island Chemist, summarizing the 

 operations during the year ended March 31, 1905, under 

 Law 45 of 1903 — a Law to provide for the establishment and 

 maintenance of a Sugar Experiment Station. Twenty 

 qualified distillers have applied for permission to attend 

 a special course of instruction on distillation in August next. 



A specimen of sugar-cane has been received at the 

 Head Office from Dr. Watts showing interesting variation. 

 The lower joints (six) show well-marked purple stripes ; the 

 next three or four joints show traces of the purple stripes, 

 while the remaining upper joints are entirely devoid of 

 markings. A similar specimen having already been received,, 

 a drawing of it is on record. 



