232 



THE AGRICULTUKAL xMEWS. 



July 15, 1905. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 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. 



Laval Arjimt'<: Messrs. Boweri & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. LowJini Agents: Messr.s. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list ol' 

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



The Agricultural Nnvs : Price If?, per number, 

 post free lid. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Po"st free, .3,9. Sd. 



Agricultural |}inu!i 



Vol. IV. SATURDAY, JULY 29,' 1905. No. SG. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The aims and objects of the Arbor Day movement 

 are discussed in the editorial of this issue. Hints are 

 also given as to the preparations and arrangements 

 necessary for the systematic jjlanting of trees in this 

 connexion. 



On p. 227 the position of the sugar industry in 

 Java is reviewed. (5n the same page will be found 

 a description of the Grenada exhibit at the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition. 



A brief review of the c(jtton indu.strv of Antigua 

 appears on p. 230. This is followed by the first of 

 a series of articles on the reasons for avoiding the 

 ratooning of Sea Island cotton in the West Indies. 



The insect notes in this issue deal with (1) barrel 

 sprayers, their construction and uses, aiul (2) with the 

 predacious habits of the wild bees in relation to the 

 cotton worm. On p. 237 will be found a note on the 

 prevention of tropical diseases by the extermination of 

 mosquitos. 



Important experiments have been carried (jut in 

 Ceylon in the u.se of leguminous plants for green dress- 

 ing. In view of the importance of this subject in the 

 West Indies a short review of these experiments is 

 published (p. 23.5). 



The note on p. 23'S on the use of home-grown 

 food-stuiTs for stock contains useful infoi-mation in 

 regnrd to the value of sweet potatos, cassava, and cane 

 syrup, which the writer has found to give good results 

 in feeding horses and mules. 



Consumption of Cacao. 



i'((/('.s Review, di.scussing the rapid development 

 (jf the cacao trade, states that the importation of cacao 

 into the United States has grown from !).000,(K)0 It), 

 in 1.S.S3 to 24.,(X)0,000 lb. in 1.S93, and ()3,()00,()()() lb. in 

 1903. This indicates that the consumi)tion of cacao 

 is greatly increasing. 



While the importation of manufactured cacao has 

 fallen, the amount of capital emplo^'ed in cacao and 

 chocolate manufacturing establishments has increa.sed 

 from !5530,500 in 1880 to S(J,890,732 in 1900. 



Of the total imports (51,000,000 lb.), nearly 30 

 per cent, was from the West Indies. 



Cultivation of Oranges in Antigua. 



At a meeting recently held in the Liberta district 

 of Antigua, Mr. A. J. Jordan, Curator of the Botanic 

 Station, read a paper on the 'Cultivation of oranges 

 and other citrus fruits.' 



5Ir. Jordan mentioned that he had been much 

 impressed by the vigour and fruitfulness of the orange 

 trees in' the district. If the trees could do so well 

 without cultivation during such an unfavourable sea.son 

 as the present, good results might reasonably be 

 expected, in an avei'age season, if the trees were 

 properly cultivated. 



The first essential to success would be the 

 introduction of budding. One pea.sant proprietor ha<l 

 gone to the trouble of obtaining seed from Dominica: 

 but seed selection was not sufticient owing to the 

 plants not ' coming true.' 



Mr. Jordan then gave a practical demonstration of 

 the operations comiected with budding, and exhibited 

 ])lants budiled by boys at the Olveston School, 

 IMontserrat. 



West Indian Plants at the Colonial Exhibition. 



It woidd appear from the various reports on the 

 Colonial and Indian Exhibition that a special feature 

 of interest in the West Indian court is the collection of 

 living economic and other plants. Tlie majority of the 

 plants, which were sent over in tubs, are still fresh and 

 green. 



A laigL' c(j|lection of plants was sent from the 

 Public Gardens, Jamaica. Among the plants may be 

 mentioned tree ferns, a young cocoa-nut tree, Liberian 

 and Aiabian coffee trees, camphor, cacao, Avocado 

 pears, pimento, etc, etc. The coffee trees are reported 

 to be in speciall}' fine condition : seedling canes are also 

 growing in tubs. Unfortunately, the first shipment 

 arrived during a frosty spell and some of the ])l:ints 

 were killed. 



There was also sent from Jamaica a fine collection 

 of fruits, flowers, and leaves of economic plants preserv- 

 ed either in formalin or in alcohol and napthaline. 

 They have been put up in large, striking-looking jars, 

 and make a most .attractive exhibit of considerable 

 educational value. Among the specimens are the 

 principal West Indian fruits (mangos, star apples, 

 sour sops, naseberrics, custard apples, etc. 



