236 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 2-2, 1911. 



GLEANINGS. 



A report of the work done at the Botanic and Experiment 

 Stations, 8t. Lucia, during last niontli, shows that the planting 

 was eftected of 1^ acres of Para rubber, while the distribution 

 of Para rubber plants for use in the island reached the number 

 of 490. 



The report of the Government Veterinary Surgeon, 

 St. Vincent, for last month, shows that of sixty-nine deaths of 

 animals, reported in the island, none were caused by anthrax. 

 There was only one case in which the cause of death was not 

 a.scertained, but to this there is attached no su.spicion of the 

 presence of the di.sease. 



The di-itribution of plants from the Dominica Botanic 

 Station during June 1911 was as follows: limes 6,725, spine- 

 les.s limes 1,050, cacao 420, grafted cacao 100, budded citrus 

 plants 86, Para rubber plants 200, miscellaneous plants 432. 

 The total number of [ilants distributed from the station 

 during the month was 9,013. 



The Government Gazette of the Federated ^^alay States 

 publishes information to the eii'ect that the amount of culti- 

 vated rubVier exported during February and March 1911 was 

 1,490,849 ft. and 1,916,219 lb., respectively. In the period 

 January to March 1911 the output was 4,736,238 lb.: for the 

 similar period in 1910 the figure.s are 2,396,586 lb. 



The Agricultural Superintendent of St, Kitts states in 

 a report that the young sugar-cane and cotton crops in the 

 island have made good progress during June, and that they 

 were in good condition at the end of the month. The cotton 

 worm {Alabama an/Ulacea) has appeared in a few fields on 

 two estates, but has been kept in check by the use of Paris 

 green. 



The plants distributed from the Botanic Station, Antigua, 

 during last month were as follows : limes 500, cocoa-nuts 

 200, red cedar lS3, mahogany 72, i)alnis 2. It is worthy of 

 mention, further, that 998 .seed cocoa-nuts weie imported at 

 the same time for use in connexion with cocoa-nut planting — 

 a minor industry that is receiving a fair amount of attention 

 at the present time, in the island. 



A copy of a bulletin of the condition of crops in Egypt 

 on June 1, 1911, calculated on the returns from each province, 

 has been received from the Director General of Agriculture. 

 This shows that the state of the cotton crop in lower Egypt 

 is between ' fair below average ' and ' average '; in upper 

 Egypt it is just above ' average '. The same bulletin shows 

 that tlie condition of the sugar-cane crop is between ' average ' 

 and ' good '. 



A meeting of planters and others interested in live stock 

 was held in Antigua on July 7, 1911, in the room of the Agri- 

 cultural and Commercial Society, for the purpose of meeting 

 Mr. P. T. Saunder.", M.B.C.V.S., Veterinary Officer on the 

 Staff of the Department At the meeting, the opportunity 

 was taken by Mr. Saunders of giving information as to the 

 objects and aim of his visit to Antigua; a small committee 

 was appointed, to afford him assistance in his work, and an 

 itinerary was drawn up for visits by him to different estates 

 in the island. 



The ilontreal Star of June 8, 1911, states that the first 

 place in third year medicine at McGill University was taken 

 by Mr. R. H. Malone, late of Antigua; this candidate also 

 gained the Morley Drake prize, which is awarded on the 

 results of the examinations in bacteriology and parasitology, 

 and general pathology. Mr. Malone was once a pupil of the 

 Antigua Grammar School, from which in.stitution he won 

 a Leeward Islands Scholarship, tenable at Harrison College, 

 Barliados; he subsequently held the post of Junior As.*istant 

 in the Government Laboratory for the Leeward Islands. 



The Agricultural Superintendent of St. Vincent furn- 

 ishes a report to the effect that an excellent stand of cotton 

 has been obtained in the island, the seed having germinated 

 well throughout. The Agricultural Department has lieen 

 busily engaged with the selection, testing and disinfection of 

 seed for small growers, and since May 1, 7,507 Bb. of cotton 

 seed, or sufficient to plant 1,500 acres, had been sold up to 

 the end of June. The fact that practically the whole of the 

 past season's crop of white Sea Island cotton was sold at 

 18'i. per lb , and over, is considered a matter for satisfaction, 

 by growers. The Marie Galante produced has been valued at 

 9|cZ. per D). 



His Honour the Acting Administrator of St. Vincent has 

 forwarded a copy of th(> Report and General Abstract of the 

 Census, 1911, for that island, prepared by the Compiler of 

 Census, under instructions received from the Governor in- 

 Council. This shows that in the interval since the taking of 

 the last census in 1891 — twenty years — the population of the 

 island has increased from 41,054 to 41,877, which is a gain 

 of 823, or 2 per cent. It is notable that this gain has taken 

 place notwithstanding the visits of two great calamities 

 during the period, namely the hurricane of 1898 and the 

 volcanic eruption of 1902, which caused the loss of nearly 

 2,000 lives, and much [iroperty. 



According to The Board of Trade Journal for May 25, 

 1911, p. 430, it appears that after many failures and the 

 expenditure of a considerable amount of capital, the extrac- 

 tion of wax from the candelilla plant (see A'irieultural Xews, 

 Vols. IX, pp. 104 and 124; .\, p. 203) is about to become 

 a commercial success. There are now four plants for extract- 

 ing the wax in the Monterrey District of Mexico, two of 

 which, it is stated, are shipping the product to the L'nited 

 Kingdom. The further statement is made that the supply of 

 the plant is practically inexhaustible and the process of 

 extraction inexpensive, while the wax obtained is of excellent 

 quality. It may be mentioned that planting material of the 

 candelilla plant has been distributed for trial among several 

 of the experiment stations, liy the Imperial Department. 



