A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THK 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



■MY' 



Vor. X. No. 2-.4. 



BARBADOS, APRIL 15, 1911. 



Price \d. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Absoi-ljent ' OottDii ' from 



Rlaiiiie Plaiit.'i 121 



Bahamas, Sponge Fishoi- 



ies of 127 



Bookshelf 117 



Broom Corn, Machinery 



for Cleaning 121 



Cotton Notes : — 



Cotton-Growing in Asia, 

 Africa and South 



America 118 



West Indian Cotton ... 118 



Forest Resources, Some 



Facts Concerning ... 119 



Fungus Attacks, l^egrees 



of N'irulence of 113 



Fungus Notes : — 



The Funj;us Cau.sing 



Pine- Apple Disease ... 126 



Gleanings 124 



Hygiene in English Ele- 

 mentary Schools ... 120 



Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Puldica- 

 tions of 120 



paratively small anoTial toll exacted bv the root fungus 

 of that crop, or by the pod diseases of cacao, in order to 

 realize fully how different may be the effects produced. 

 In the first instance, the colonies were threatened 

 with the complete annihilation of their staple industry; 

 while, with the other two, though th? yield is reduced 

 to a greater or less extent by the parasites, some return 

 may always be expected from the ci'ops. 



Indian Runner Ducks ... 127 



Insect Notes : — 



Contrnl of Insect Pests 122 

 Palm Pests Attacking 



Sugar-Cane 122 



[nternational Rubber E.\- 



hibition. 1911 12:! 



Linseed Cake, Hydro- 

 cyanic Acid in 121 



Market Re]iorti 128 



Notes and Comments ... 120 



Pairi Mangi^ 116 



Sorghum, Poisonous Prop- 

 erties of Unripe ... 123 

 Students' Corner 125 



Sugar Industry : — 



Molasses Products in the 



Netherlands 115 



The Maiuifiicture of 



Sugar from .Maize ... 115 

 Water Findei s. Trials Con- 

 ducted with 121 



We.st India Committee and 

 the Rubber Exhibition 123 



The Degrees of Virulence of 

 Fungus Attacks. 



'N these days, when almost everyone con- 

 nected with agriculture has had a considerable' 



jand often unpleasant.experience of the general 

 effects of fungus diseases on crops, it is hardly necessary 

 to point out that some fungi are much more thorough 

 than others in carrying out their work of destruction. 

 It is only requisite to consider for a moment the 

 damage inflicted upon the sugar-cane in the West 

 Indies by the rind fungus during the last decade of 

 the 2J^st century, and to contrast it with the com- 



Since the attacks of endemic fungi, such as those 

 causing pod diseases of cacao, are much less immediate 

 in their economic effect, and consequently of a consider- 

 ably less alarming nature to the community in general, 

 ample time is afforded to the mycologist in which 

 10 perfect his means of combating them, and to the 

 practical agriculturist in which to realize the impor- 

 tance of such means and to apply them to his crops. 

 Moreover, endemic fungi are frequently in their nature 

 more easy of control than the epidemic. The majority 

 of plant diseases are of an endemic nature, and this fact, 

 taken in conjunction with their extended scientific study, 

 has resulted for the greater part in the formation ef 

 fairly efficient means for reducing the damage they 

 inflict, and the recognition of the nature and importance 

 of these diseases has called into being a bod}- (jf men 

 specially trained in the knowledge of this subject. 



Now, since common experience has shown in manj 

 cases that such trained men are able to give advice 

 wdrich, if followed, will result in the extensive reduction 

 of the losses formerly incurred owing to the attacks of 

 parasites, a natural belief is tending to arise that 

 mycologists can always afford advice of a simple kind for 

 controlling or eradicating all fungus diseases. In real- 

 ity, this is far from being the case. Much depends 

 on the nature of the host plant, on general external 

 conditions, and on the co-operation of large numbers of 

 persons whose crops are attacked by any given disease 



