56 



THE AGKICULTUBAL NEWS 



Febp.uaey 24, 1917. 



EDITORIAL 



Head Office 



NOTICES. 



Barbados. 



Letters and matter for publication, a.s well as all 

 specimens lor naming, bhor.ld be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 -Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agricultural 

 INews' and other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents, and not to the Department. 



The complete list of Agents, and the subscription 

 and advertisement rates, will be found on page S of 

 "the cover. 



Dominica Rainfall, 1916. 



Mr. Joseph .lones. Curator of the Botanic Gardens 

 Dominica, has kindly forwarded a printed copy of the- 

 Dominica rainfall returns for 191*). The monthly rain- 

 fall is recorded for thirty- three stations. The mean 

 rainfall for these thirty-three stations is 125-70 inches;, 

 for the twelve leeward coast stations, 91 '99: for the 

 three windward coast stations, 147(12; for eleven inUnd 

 i-tations, IGO-d"): and for seven Lasoye stations, 1]9'16 

 inches. In comparing the.se hgures with those for 

 1914 and 191.J we notice that the rainfall during the 

 past year has been above the average. In 1914 the 

 mean precipitation for thirty-two stations for the year 

 was 109"85 inches. During 191() the highest return 

 was from Gros Manioc, at which station 247 26 inches 

 were recorded. The rainfall fur the year at the Botanic 

 Gardens was S4'42 inches. 



Imperial Commissioner of Sir Francis Watts, K.C.M.G., 



Agriculture for the West Indies D.Sc,, F.I.C., F.C.S. 



SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 



9-<eie^itific Assistant and 

 Assistant Editor 



■Midomolofiists 



Mycologist 



\V. R. Dunlop. 



I H. A. Ballou. M.Sc. 



I J. C. Hutsoii, B.A., Ph.D. 



W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



'Chief Clerh 



M%erii-al Assistants 



Typist 

 Assistant Tijpist 



CLERICAL STAFF. 



A. G. Howell. 

 fL. A. Corbin. 

 - P. Taylor. 

 Ik. R. (". Foster. 

 Miss B. Robinson. 

 Miss W. Ellis. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial m the present issue deals with the 

 •subject of human food requirements. The table append- 

 ed gives figures ofanalyses of foodstuffs commonly used in 

 the West Indies. 



Insect Notes, on page 5.S. discuss wind ns a factor 

 in the dispersion of certain insects. 



Results of experiments in connexion with the 

 making of bread from wheat Hour diluted with sweet 

 potato meal, carriecl i.mt in .St. Lucia, ai'e given on 

 page 59. 



Fungus Notes, on page (i2, deal with the rin( 

 fungus of sugar-cane. 



Women and Agriculture in Great Britain. 



The continued demand for more men for the Army 

 has necessitated calling up many engaged in what have 

 hitherto been regarded as reserved occupations. Until 

 recently the more highly skilled workers on farms have 

 been exempt: the exigencies of the war have now altered 

 this, and agriculture has been depleted of its labour to 

 a serious extent. The scarcity of labour has been met 

 in various ways: by the loan of soldiers for harvesting 

 operations; by the organization of school-boy labour 

 during the holidays, and by the employment of ex- 

 service men But it is to women, particularly of the 

 better classes, that attention has been especially direct- 

 ed, and a great deal has been achieved in connexion 

 with their employment on the land. Articles have 

 recently appeared in the Journid of tlie Poard of 

 Agriculture of England and Wales on the subject. In 

 the latest issue of that Journal, an account is given of 

 two training centres for women, which it is understood 

 have done good work in turning out capable female 

 workers, familiar not only with such operations as 

 milking and butter-making, but also with the more 

 vigorous farm operations such as ploughing. 

 Illustrations are given of women cleaning and 

 and of two girls using unaided 

 with three horses, showing what 

 t(. be done in a crisis. After all, 

 It IS convention that has been the chief barrier in the 

 past to the employment of women on the land in Cireat 

 Britain. At the .same time there are real objections. 

 ( )n the (,'ontinent important branches of agriculture are 

 market gardening :ind the cultivation of the grape 

 vine — industries which are more suited to women labour 

 than the management of live stock, which nearly always 

 forms an integral jiart of British farmino- svsteins. 

 However, in war-time the objectionable aspect of things 

 fades into imperceptibility in the light of national 

 necessity, and this should be so in regard to the 

 employment of women on the land. 



As in other important matters connected with 

 the war, we sometimes hear of cases that are not. 

 without a touch ol humour. Readers of the Sporting 



littering stables, 

 the self-binder 

 can and oiigiit 



