A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. IV. No. 86. 



BARBADOS, JULY 29, 1905. 



Price Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Arbor Day 



N view of the fact that preparations are 

 likely to be made shortly for celebrating 

 Arbor Day in the West Indies, it may be 



useful to discuss briefly some points in eonne.xion with 



this movement. 



The King's birthday (November {)) has been more 

 or iess generally adopted as the day for observing 

 Arbor Day in the West Indies. At Jamaica and else- 

 where Victoria Day has been tentatively adopted for 

 the purpose. Last year Arbor Day was celebrated 

 with conspicuous success on the King's birthday at 

 Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, and St. Kitt's. 

 It would appear that that date is an appropriate one 

 to be chosen for this purpose on account of its being 

 a Public Holiday for the observation of the birthday 

 of Hi.s llajesty the King, wlm has always evinced so 

 lively an interest in tree planting, while, at the same 

 time, it is usually a seasonable one for planting opera- 

 tions. In most of these islands showers are expected 

 in November and the trees planted at that time would, 

 in most cases, have at least a couple of months, and 

 possibly more, in which to make a start before the 

 setting-in of the dry season. 



It is recommended that those islands which have 

 not, as 3'et, formally set apart an Arbor Day should 

 join in the movement, and that the King's birthday be 

 generally adopted as the occasion for the systematic 

 planting of trees. 



It is probably well known to readers of the Agri- 

 cultural News that the local officers of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture have given very material 

 assistance in connexion with Arbor Day celebrations. 

 The direction in which this assistance has been most 

 appreciated has been in raising and supplying plants. In 

 almost all cases the young trees planted have been 

 raised at the Botanic Stations. Assistance has also 



