•220 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 15, 1905. 



The total amount of cotton seed .selected and dLsinfected 

 at St. Vincent up to June 30 was 20,97-3 Hj. Of this 

 amount 10,828 Iti. were exported, and 10,14.3 lli. distributed for 

 sowing locally. Similar returns for Barbados show that 

 4,809 R). of Sea Island seed have been distributed in the 

 island, and 1,330 ft), sent to other West India Islands. 



' '---^^ li -''i-J"^ '"-J?^'".>^ ^^^"^"^ 



GLEANINGS. 



The total crop of cotton at La Gueritc Expcriniciit 

 Station, in St. Kitt's, was 976 ftj. of lint, from 4 acres. This 

 has been .sold at 14irf. per ft). The total receipts from the 

 4 acres were therefore £.58 19.?. 4r/., or £1 4 14.<!. 10(?. per acre. 



The number of plants distriliuted from the Botanic 

 Station at St. Vincent during 1904-5 far exceeded that of 

 any previous year. The total number was 29,673, of which 

 no less than 26,256 were plants of economic importance, 

 including 22,204 cacao plants. 



The ex[K)rts of cacao from St. Vincent have shown 

 steady improvement since 1900. The number of bags 

 e.xported has been as follows: 1900, 443; 1901, 528; 1902, 

 523; 190.3-4, 702; 1904-5, 742. Previous to the hurricane 

 of 1898, the exports of cured cacao exceeded 1,500 bags. 



The total exports of sugar ])roducts from .lamaica during 

 the period April 1, 1905, to May 27, 1905, were: rum, 

 363,434 gallons ; sugar, 3,749 tons. This shows a decrease 

 of 90,000 gallons of rum, and an increase of 1,000 tons of 

 sugar over the corresponding period of last year. 



In the report of the Governing Body of Harrison 

 College, Barbados, for the year 1904, it is stated: 'The 

 report in science is good, and the Headmaster reports that 

 the subject is being well taken up by the boys in the higher 

 forms, which the CfOverning Body think is very desirable in 

 any community, and especially in this.' 



Land at the Orphan Asylum, British Guiana, about 2] 

 acres in extent, is being cultivated by the boys. Plantains, 

 cassava, sweet potatos, yams, and other provision crops have 

 been planted, as well as a patch of broom corn. To the 

 latter experiment reference has already been made in the 

 Ariricultm-al News (Vol. IV, p. 201). 



A West Indian [iroduce stall has been established at 

 the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, to 

 which West Indian produce neatly done up maj- be sent for 

 sale, subject to payment of 10 per cent, commission to the 

 West India Committee towards expenses, and 2i per cent, to 

 an attendant, freight to lie paid by the consigner. 



Mr. A. W. Bartlett, B.A., B.Sc, the Government 

 Botanist in Briti.sh Guiana, mentions in his Annual Report 

 that a date palm in the gardens which was blown down 

 during the year, 'bore some apparently fertile fruit. The 

 flowers must have been fertilized by the pollen from some 

 other species of palm, as there was no male tree of this 

 species flowering at the time.' 



Mr. W. N. Sands writes from St. Vincent: 'It would 

 be helpful in connexion with the choice of lauds for cotton 

 planting, if records of rainfall were kept on estates. We 

 have no records of the rainfall in the windward and leeward 

 districts, so that we cannot ascertain how the quality and 

 quantity of the cotton reaped is affected by rainfall.' 



Mr. Jlillen writes from the Piotanic Station at Tobago : 

 ' At the present time there is a large demand for bulbils 

 and plants of Agave sisalana. Some time ago an estate 

 was planted up with the above fibre plant, l)ut for want of 

 machinery and caiiital it was given up, but the plants which 

 were not destroyed arc found in a good quantity in almost 

 a wild state.' 



The Jamaica Daib/ Telegraph of .June 24 deals editori- 

 ally with the slump in the local banana market. The price 

 dropped during the week from £10 per 100 stems to £5. 

 With prices so low now this does not promise well for prices 

 later when the American market is flooded with home-grown 

 fruit. The multiplication of exportable products is therefore 

 urged, cacao, coffee, sugar, starch, dye extract being suggested. 



The lesson which our educationists and statesmen have to 

 learn from Japan is that the life of a modern nation requires 

 to be organized on .scientific lines in all its dei>artment.s, and 

 that it must not be directed chiefly to personal ends, the 

 attainment of which maj', to a large extent, intensify many 

 of our problems, but that it be consciously used for the 

 promotion of national welfare. (Extract from article in 

 Nature entitled ' Why Japan is Victorious.') 



A recently issued report of the Committee, appointed in 

 Briti.sh Guiana for the purpose of endeavouring to find 

 employment for the boys of the Reformatory School on their 

 discharge, recommends that the boys should be well grounded 

 in the operations of cottage gardening, including the processes 

 of potting, pruning, and grafting. It would then be possible 

 to find employment for them with house-holders who need 

 assistance in their gardens. 



The Governor of Trinidad (Sir Henry M. Jackson, 

 K.C.M.G.) visited Carenage on June 21 to present to the 

 Government School the silver challenge medal offered for 

 competition Ijy the Agricultural Society and a certificate 

 won by the school as the best all-round exhibitor at the 

 last Schools' Vegetable Show. A large number of peoi)le 

 were present, and interesting addresses were delivered by his 

 Excellency the Governor, the Archbishop, and the Inspector 

 of Schools. 



Last Easter a ' Planter's Week' was arranged by the 

 Administrator at Dominica, with the idea that, as there is 

 little work being done on the estates at that time, it would 

 be interesting and helpful for planters to meet together for 

 social intercourse. 'To that end,' writes Dr. Watts, 'a series 

 of entertainments, including two dances, a concert, cricket 

 matches, water sports, and other amusements were planned 

 and most successfully carried out. The idea seems an 

 excellent one in a country like Dominica where it is not easy 

 for people to exchange visits freely.' 



