THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 



1911. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 apecimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Gommissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



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 will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



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gricultiiral |]riufj 



Vol. X. SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1911. No. 227. 

 ^^ — - 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The subjuct dealt with in the editorial of the 

 present issue is The Use of Wind-breaks. Neglect often 

 occurs in the mutter of pi-oviding these useful aids to 

 agi'iculturists, especially in relation to crops to occupy 

 the ground during one season, only. 



An account of the last year's working of the 

 Antigua Sugar Factory is given on page 3. 



On pages 4 and 5 is presented an abstract of an 

 interesting article that has appeared recently, on the 

 effect of bud mutation in causing deterioration of citrus 

 plants, ^fuch i)( the disa})p(iintinent that sometimes 

 occurs when suppitsed superior varieties of citrus plants 

 are imported into a new region is caused by decadence 

 that has taken place, owing to mutations in the plants 

 from which the propagating material was derived. 



Attention is drawn to an article on page .5, w liich 

 gives an account of agricultural shows that are to be 

 held during next month. 



The Hrst of two articles describing a method for 

 cotton selection throughout the season appe.irs on 

 page (). The subject will be concluded in the next 

 nunibi'r of the A(jricidtiiral News. 



The Insect Notes (page 10) contain articles 

 describing a method of increasing the numbers of the 

 hlark sca'e parasite, and a ( "ecidoni} lid Hy which 

 damages mango leaves. 



In the Fungus Notes, on page 14, is presented the 

 fiist of two articli's dealing with work that has been 

 done in connexion with the bud-rot di.sease of palms, in 

 India. 



The Continuance of the Work of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture. 



'J'he Imperial Coiuiuissioner of Agriculture has 

 been informed, by the Secretary of State for the 

 Colonies, of the decision of the Lords Commissioners, 

 of the Treasury to continue the maintenance of the 

 Central Office of the Imperial Department of Agricul- 

 ture, from Imperial funds, for a fuither period of ten 

 years, from April 1,1911. 



This decision should be welcome, particularly from 

 the fact that it secures the advantages to be derived 

 from the assurance of continuity in the work of the 

 Department. 



Postponement of the Agricultural Conference, 

 1911. 



Until December 21, 1910, it was anticipated that 

 the delegates for the_ Agricultural Conference proposed 

 to beheld from .fanuaiy 11 to 18, 191 1, would travel 

 to British Guiana by the Royal Mail Steamer leaving 

 St. Thomas on January '.i. On that date, however, 

 information was received to the effect that the route 

 of the steamer had been altered, thus making it un- 

 available for the ]mrpose. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture prompt- 

 ly communicated with His Excellency the Governor of 

 British Guiana, suggesting an alternative scheme, by 

 which the delegates could arrive in Demerara on or 

 about January 26, and leave about February 11. 

 After full consideratiim and discussion of the matter, 

 H is Excellency suggested that the Conference should 

 be postponed until such a time as steamer arrange- 

 ments shall be in a more .settled condition, and 

 jiroposed that it might be held about the middle of 

 April 1911. 



Dr. Watts has concurred in this proposal, and 

 every effort will be made to follow the course suf- 

 gested. In pursuance of this, delegates are re(|uosted 

 to continue the matters that they have in hand 

 already for the Conference, so that these may be in an 

 advanced stage of preparation, when they are required. 



Notice of the exact date on which the postponed 

 Conference is to he held, as well as of the arrangements 

 in connexion therewith, will be given as soon as 

 pos.sible. 



Cocoa-nut Bud-rot Disease in Jamaica. 



The account of the proceedings at a recent meet- 

 ing of the Board of Management of the Jamaica Agri- 

 cultural Society, Gontain(^d in the issue of the Journal 

 of tliat Society, for November 1910, shows that a serious 

 position exists in the island in regard to the bud-rot of 

 the Cocoa-nut [)alm. 



Among matters submitted to the Board in rehition 

 to the subject was a copy of a memorial to His Excel- 

 lency the Governor, from the Branch Society at 

 Savanna-la-Mar, drawing attention to the state of the 

 disease, and praying His Excellency to issue a proclama- 



