Vol. X. No. 23.5. 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



137 



The Flora of Jamaica. 



A note appeared on page 92 of the current volume 

 of the Agricultural News, drawing attention to Vol. I 

 of the work entitled Flora of Jamaica, which has been 

 compiled by Mr. William Fawcett, B.Sc, F.L.S., late 

 Director of Public Gardens and Plantations, Jamaica, 

 and Dr. Alfred Barton Rendle, M.A., F.R.S., FJ..,S., 

 Keeper of the Department of Botany, British Museum 

 (Natural History). 



In the preface to the volume, attention is drawn 

 to the fact that Mr. Fawcett, during his residence in 

 Jamaica, gave attention to the botanical exploration of 

 the island, particularly in regard to the orchids, of 

 which, with the assistance of Mr.William Harris, Superin- 

 tendent of the Gardens, a very fine collection was made. 

 It was during one of Mr. Fawcett's visits to England 

 that an agreement was made with Dr. Rendle to 

 prepare an account of the Jamaican orchids together, 

 and in 1904 the genus Lepanthes was dealt with in the 

 Transactions of the Linnean Society. Progress was 

 slow, until 1908, when Mr. Fawcett went to live in 

 England on his retirement, but as the permission of 

 the trustees of the British Museum to publish the work 

 as a Ijritish Museum catalogue was obtained, and as 

 Jlr. Fawcett was able to give an ade(iuate amount of 

 time to the task, the present work has now been issued. 



It is satisfactory to be able to announce that 

 Mr. Fawcett will continue his labours at the Museum, 

 so that a complete Flora of Jamaica will probably be 

 issued by him, of which the present work is to form 

 the first volume. 



health and exerci.se, and information regarding infec- 

 tious diseases, malaria and vaccination. The subject 

 is said to be popular, and has been taken up in 

 a number of schools. 



Agriculture and Hygiene in Trinidad Schools. 



The Annual Report of the Inspector of Schools on 

 Elementary Education, Trinidad, for 1909-10, .shows 

 that, in District No. 1 , seven more schools were examined 

 in practical agriculture during the year than in 1908-9, 

 and that the results wei'e better, sixteen out of forty- 

 four schools having obtained the highest award. The 

 increased success in teaching of this kind is attributed 

 largely to the hints and practical suggestions given to 

 teachers by the agricultural instructors, when making 

 their periodical visits to the school gardens. These 

 remarks apply chiefly to the schools in the country. 



In District No. 2, twelve out of eighty-two schools 

 obtained the highest mark in practical agriculture. 

 The appointment of a new agricultural instructor is 

 expected to result in useful progress during the present 

 year. The number of schools examined in District No. 3 

 was eighty-five, twenty-seven of which gained the 

 highest marks; satisfaction is expressed with the pro- 

 gress that has been made. 



About three years ago, the Trinidad Board of 

 Education placed hygiene among the optional subjects in 

 the Teachers' Certificate Examination. By the new 

 Code of 1909-10, it has been included in the list of 

 special subjects that may form a part of the primary 

 school curriculum. A years oijurse includes instruction 

 in regard to the outlines of elementary physiology, 

 cleanliness and ventilation, proper clothing and feeding. 



The Barbados Goat Society. 



Notes on the formation of this society have 

 appeared in the Agricultural News, Vols. IX, p. 364; 

 X, p. 9. Since the lattei' was written, the society has 

 been regularly instituted, on January 31, 1911, and the 

 rules are now published. Its objects are mainly con- 

 cerned with the circulation of information regarding 

 goats, the encouragement of the keeping of better kinds, 

 and the improvement of the various breeds of these 

 animals, particularly in regard to milch goats. 



The members' annual subscription is .5s., except in 

 the case of peasants, who pay Is. A payment of a sum 

 not less than £2 confers the privileges of life-member- 

 ship, without any additional charge. The society is 

 managed by a committee of five members, whu are 

 elected at an annual general meeting to be held in 

 January. Other general meetings may be convened at 

 any time by the committee, on its own initiative, or 

 on the receipt by it of a requisition for such a meeting 

 signed by at least six members. 



The rules published by the society contain informa- 

 tion regarding the eligibility of goats for registration 

 in the herd book, nomenclature, and the keeping of 

 a stud goat register. They should be of use in cases 

 where it is desired to form similar societies in other 

 islands. 



The Rainfall of Dominica, 1910. 



According to the rainfall returns of Dominica for 

 1910, the highest precipitation was registered at Gleau 

 Manioc, Long Ditton, Lancashire and Saltoun, with 

 302-.5(), 2.59-73, 248-35, and 24118 inches, respectively; 

 the only other station at which more than 200 inches 

 was registered was Gorlet, with 219'69 inches. The 

 first-mentioned station has received the highest rain- 

 fall during the last three years, the figures for 1908 and 



1909 being 236-18 inches' and 2.58 82 inches. 



Batalie retains its position of 1907 and 1908, as 

 the station receiving the smallest rainfall, with .59'32 

 inches. It is followed by Wall House with 7181, 

 Macoucherie with 7325, and Goodwill with 8417 inches. 

 Reference to the results of last year will show that there 

 was a large increase in the rainfall, even at those 

 stations where it is usually low; this increase has been 

 maintained to some extent during 1910. 



The circumstance of the increased rainfall during 

 the last two years is also evidenced by the fact that in 



1910 the mean for thirty-four stations was 136-59, and in 

 1909, 137-3() inches; these figures are about .30 inches 

 more than those for 1908 and 1907. As w.as pointed out 

 in the last volumeof the AgricuXtaral News, p. 121, after 

 1906 the rainfall decreased by about 20 inches, and 

 remained steady for the next two years; in the last two 

 years, it has exceeded the precij»itation of 1906 bj 

 about 10 inches. 



