376 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 25, 1911. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 Barbados. 



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^gnciiltiiral Jjinuii 



Vol, X. .SATUUDAY, XOVEMBER -2",, 1911. No. 2-50. 



^NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



Id this number the cdito)ial deals with the results 

 of work thar, lias been undertaken recently in con- 

 nexion with the Assimilation of Nitrogen by Rice. 

 It has been shown conclu>ively that this plant can 

 employ ammonium sulphate directly as a source of that 

 element. 



The West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1912. 



It was mentioned in the last number of the Agri- 

 cultural News (p. 360) that the Imperial Commissioner 

 of Agriculture was visiting Trinidad for the purpose of 

 disL-ussing with His Excellency the (Governor, and those 

 iinmf'dwuely interested, the arrangements for the forth- 

 coming West Indian Agricultural Conference, which 

 will be held in that Colon}' from January 23 to 30, 

 1912 



As a result of that visit and consultation the Pi'o- 

 visional Programme of meetings of the Conference, 

 which will be held in the Council Chamber at the Red 

 House, has been prepared and is now under revision. 

 The important t ipics set down for discussion at this 

 Conference arc naturally Agricultural Education, 

 Cacao, Cotton, Sugar, Cocoa-nut and Rubber cultiva- 

 tion, and they will be taken in this order. An 

 important feature of the programme, which by the 

 way will be a departure from the proceedings at 

 previous Conferences, is the inclusion of evening 

 sessions, to be held at the Q)ueen's Ro3-al Collecre, 

 where addresses on various interesting subjects, in some 

 cases illustrated by lantern slides, will be given. 



As is customary, arrangements have been made 

 for a number of excuisions to various districts. 

 Amongst tliose in contemplatinn are: a trip to cacao 

 estates in the Santa Crnz valley; excursions to the 

 Pitch Like, nnd to River estate, including the Blue 

 Basin and the Wireless Telegraphy Station; and visits 

 to educational institutions in Port-of-S^iaiii. 



On page 371, an abstract is presented of a recent 

 ■ircular which treats of the effect of the sterilization of 

 seed in relation to inoculation ex])eriments with the 

 nodule organism of leguminous jilants. 



A note on machinery for separating and straining 

 lime juice is given on page 372. 



])etails of the Covernment cotton purchase scheme 

 in St. Vincent are presented on [lage 37."). 



Attention is directed to a noie which appears on 

 this page, regarding the forthcoming West Indian 

 Agricultural Conference. This has reference to the 

 provisional programme of the (.'onference, which has 

 just been prepared. 



Under the heading Insect Notes, on page 378, two 

 articles are given — one dealing with the cotton worm 

 and the other with some useful insecticides. 



'I'he Fungus Notes are presented on page 382. 

 They give the second and concluding article treating 

 of observations on root diseases in the West Indies. 



Agricultural Work at the Onderneeming School, 

 1910-11. 



The report on the Onderneeming School, British 

 (itiiana, for 1910-11, contains among other matters an 

 account of the work at the Farm during the year under 

 review. It shows firstly that steady progress has 

 been made in the impio\eineiit of the cultivation at 

 the school; this is evident by ihe fact that the increase 

 in the yield of coffee, from the same area, has been 

 from 1,808 ib. in 1904-5 to 6,389 lb. in 1910-11, and 

 there has been a similar steady increase, din-ing the 

 same period, from 1,9.57 ft, to 5,o82 lb in the case 

 of cacao, exce]it in 190.")-(i and 1907-8 when there were 

 temporary decreases. 



Excellent progress is stated to have been made ia 

 the recently established lime cidtivation, and this fact 

 combined with the demand for seedling.s m:ikes it 

 expected that the work will jirove a source of revenue 

 as well as a useful means of experimentation. .Seedlings 

 of Para rubber have been phinted throughout the coffee 

 fields, and careful experimental tappings are being 

 made. Other varieties of rubber under trial are 

 tiaplam Jenmani, Funtumia elastica and Uastilloa 

 elastica; the first two are succeeding, while Castilloa 

 elastica is reported as having fiiled. Information is 

 included concerning miscellaneous plants, comprising 

 the souari nut ((Jarifocur Dvci./cra). the durian, the 

 tonka bean and the Brazil nut. 



