Vol. IV. No. 87. 



THE AGR [CULTURAL NEWS. 



265 



Hints for Exhibitors at Agricultural Shows. 



A small eight- paged jJinnphlet has been issued by 

 the Imperial iJejDartment of Agriculture, containing 

 ' Hints for the guidance of exhibitors at the Local 

 Agricultural E.xhibitions for Peasant Pioprietors.' It 

 furnishes brief directions as to the mode of preparation 

 of exhibits and information as to the qualities the 

 various exhibits should possess. 



This pamphlet is likely to be found very useful by 

 exhibitors and is being supplied to the local officers of 

 the Department for distribution. If necessary, further 

 copies can be obtained on application to the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture. 



Agriculture in Surinam. 



According to the Consuhi r Report on the trade of 

 Dutch Guiana (Surinam), the 3'ear 1904 was a very 

 bad one for agriculture in the colony. This was chiefly 

 ijwing to the unsatisfactory condition of the cacao 

 industry consequent on the spread of the 'witch broom' 

 disease. A note on this industrj" is published elsewhere 

 in these columns. 



Attempts are therefore being made to establish 

 new industries, among them being the cultivation of 

 bananas for export : suckers have been imported from 

 Jamaica and Barbados. A quantity of ssed of Para 

 rubber (Hevea hra.silien9is)hiis been imported and the 

 young trees are reported to be doing well. Up to the 

 end of the year some 150 acres had been cleared and 

 planted in sisal hemp. This acreage has since been 

 considerably increased. 



The rice industry has shown a considerable 

 •extension, the crop being 87.5 tons, against 442 and 304 

 tons in the two previous years. 



A scientific examination is now being made into 

 the timber of the colony, and it is hoped that this will 

 result in a large increase in the value of the exports. 



The values of the principal exports during the 

 year were as follows: balata, £37,904; cacao, £44,837 

 {against £110,795 in the previous year): timber, 

 £1,78.S: rum, £4,774: and sugar, £118,992. The 

 exports of gold were valued at £91,939. 



A New Source of Rubber. 



^^'hat appears to be a discovery of considerable 

 importance and one which may have far-reaching- 

 effects on the rubber industry has been made known 

 by the jiublication of a report by Dr. Huber, of the 

 Para State Museum, on Para rubber. This is referred to 

 on p. 271. 



Fi'om further information published in the Iiu^a 

 Fiuhhi'i- World it would appear that probably the 

 market has received very little pure Hevea rubber, the 

 product known as Para rubber being a blend of the 

 latices of Hevea hrasilieiisis and a. Saphun resulting 

 from indiscriminate tapping. This new rubber tree 

 has been identified as Saphtm Aaeuparlum: it 

 belongs to the natural order Ei^phorhiaeeae, of which 

 Heeea is also a genus, though widely separated. 

 It is said to be rather a hardy tree and to grow with 

 great rapi.:lity. Further, its seeds are much less 



delicate than those of HevcK. The tree is very 

 abundant in the Amazon valley. 



Ajiparently the product of this tree has only in 

 a few instances been marketed alone and very little 

 can be said definitely of its value. It is, however, 

 certain ' that there is produced from the latex of 

 Sapium Aucupariuni a rubber which finds ready sale, 

 and which, when mixed with Hevea latex, produces 

 a rubber not to be distinguished from the supposed 

 pure Hevea rubber.' 



West Indian Bulletin. 



In the new issue of the Wed Indian Ballvtln 

 (Vol. VI, no. 2) the report of the West Indian Agri- 

 cultural Conference, 1905, is concluded. 



The first paper contains an account of the ' Fruit 

 Industry at Barbados' by Mr. J. R. Bovell, giving full 

 details in connexion with the shipment of bananas and 

 other fruits. This is followed by papers by Mr. Bovell, 

 Dr. Watts, and Mr. Sands, summarizing the results of 

 experiments in the cultivation of cotton in the West 

 Indies. The fungoid and insect pests of cotton are 

 also dealt with in short papers by Mr. Lewton-Brain 

 and Mr. Ballou. 



Among a large number of interesting and 

 important j^apers in the section devoted to general 

 subjects, special mention should be made of that 

 by the Hon. Wm. Fawcett (.Jamaica) on ' Eaiffeisen 

 Agricultural Banks.' This paper has already been 

 published in pamphlet form with a view to its wide 

 circulation especially among members of agricultural 

 societies in the West Indies. 



Special interest attaches to Captain Short's paper 

 on ' Castilloa Rubber in Tobago,' and the discussion 

 which followed. Interesting results have been obtained 

 in these pioneer attempts to establish rubber planta- 

 tions in the West Indies which should j^rove of 

 considerable value to others who are proposing to 

 cultivate rubber-yielding trees. 



Another interesting paper is that by Mr. Wm. 

 Greig on the 'Cocoa-nut Industry of Trinidad' which 

 is referred to in the editorial in this issue. Notes 

 on the local breed of hairy or \voolless sheep are 

 presented in a paper by Mr. W. R. Buttenshaw, to 

 which is appended additional information v.-hieh has 

 since come to hand. 



The papers in the Educational Section give 

 a complete review of recent efforts that have been 

 made in the West Indies to introduce the teaching of 

 the principles of agriculture in colleges and secondary- 

 schools, to establish school gardens, and promote school 

 shows in connexion with the teaching of agriculture in 

 the elementary schools, and also of the efforts of 

 Agricultural Instructors. Special reference should be 

 made to a valuable paper read by Mr. J. R. Williams 

 on ' Popular Agricultural Education in Jamaica,' in 

 which it was stated that considerable improvement 

 had been shown in the attempts to teach agriculture 

 in the schools, as well as in the impression of 

 agricultural education in general. 



The number concludes with a discussion on the 

 observation of Arbor Day in the West Indies. 



