Vol. XVI Xo. 3Si. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



15 



-yellows when these ears are planted. It is thus impossible to 

 eliminate reds without self-fertilization. 



A number of selected plants were self-fertilized. The 

 progeny of some consisted only of yellow ears, while others 

 contained more or less red. Selection was continue<l from the 

 pure yellow, and thus the percentage of reds was still further 

 reduced (to about 2 per cent.). 



To obtain an absolutely pure yellow strain, all the grain 

 from the selfed ears should not be planted. From the 

 behaviour of the plants from, say, 100 grains, the pUtity of 

 the colour can be judged. The remainder of the grains 

 -from ears that have shown themselves to be pure yellows can 

 then be planted in an isolated position to increase the type. 

 This method is being adopted with the hybrids which are 

 being studied, of American Yellow Dent by St. Vincent 

 Native corn. Further details of these experiments will be 

 found below. 



(.') To increase the siie of grain and the amount of grain 

 .per ear. 



An increase in the amount of grain per ear implies 

 an increase in the yield of shelled corn per acre. It has been 

 pointed out that in general, under St. Vincent conditions, 

 the average yield of grain per ear is under 3Joz. even when 

 Sood cultivation is practised. This is chiefly due to the 

 fact that the natural size, both of the ear and the grain, is 

 ■small, and it does not appear to be possible to raise the standard 

 very considerably by selection alone. Ears with more than 

 6 oz. of grain aie uncDmmon. 



To increase the amount of grain per oar, a number of 

 the best ears, i.e. those giving the greatest weight of shelled 

 ^rain, have been selected for planting during four generations. 

 No marked increase has been noticed in the size of the grain 

 or in the maximum amount of grain per oar, although the 

 average weight per ear is decidedly greater. 



In conjunction with the above, the practice is followed of 

 detasselling all plant.s which are obviously weak and undesir- 

 able. A marked diminution in the number of these types 

 has resulted. 



The Dent types grown in the United States frequently 

 yield from 75 to 100 bushels per acre, and higher yields even 

 than the.-*e are not uncommon. When these types are grown 

 in the West Indies they are usually a failure The plants 

 are weak and sickly, and are more subject to the attacks of 

 various insect pests than the native varieties. This has been 

 the experience in all the West Indian islau'ls where they 

 have been tried. In certain islands, notably Antigua, good 

 strains of corn have been secured through the hybridizing of 

 suitable American varieties. 



During the past season two crosses have been made: 

 (1) Long's N'ellow Dent x Native, (2) an American Flint x 

 Native. 



The first generation of the first of these crosses has been 

 grown and all the plants self-fertilized. The plants were 

 remarkably vigorous and showed .segregation in respect of 

 many of the grain characters. The size of many of the ears 

 was much greater than that of the native types. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



It is satisfactory to notice that the press as well as the 

 • Governments in the different islands are ventilating the West 

 Indian food (question. The Dominica Guardian for November 

 30, as the result of the circular letter issued from the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture to the Administrations, 

 • •ontains an editorial in which reference is male to the efforts 

 that are being put forward in Antigua to increase the amount 

 of provisions grown. The (Juiux/ian suggests that more 

 ground provision planting material should be raised and 

 distributed from the Botanic Gardens in Dominica. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKETS. 



Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the follow- 

 ing report on the London drug and spice markets, 

 for the month of Xoveniber: — 



The condition of business in the produce markets during 

 the month of November hap remained pretty muih the same 

 as that recorded in our last report. If there has been any 

 perceptible change it has been rather in prices than in the 

 quantities brought forward. The following are some of tha 

 principal details. 



lilNWER. 



At the spice auction on the 22nd of the month, the 

 offerings of ginger amounted to 37-t bags of washed Cochin, 

 all of which were disposed of: fair rough realized 46s. per cwt. 

 and wormy 12s. 6d. to 43s., which prices were an advance of 

 2s. per cwt. on previous rates. 



NUTMEGS .\ND MACE. 



At the spice auction on the loth of the month, there 

 was the very large supply of 1,163 packages of West Indiaa 

 nutmegs offered, the bulk of which was disposed of at: 

 advanced rates of 2'/. to 3<l. on previous prices. At the 

 same sale there was also an abundant supply of mace, aa 

 many as 358 packages being brought forward, and sold at 

 advanced rates. 



.SARS.4rAEILL.\. 



At the auction on the 16th, sarsaparilla was represented 

 by 30 packages of grey Jamaica, 16 of native Jamaica, 12 of 

 Honduras, and 50 of Mexican. Of the first, 18 packages 

 were disposed of, fair fetching Is. lOd. per D). and ordinary 

 Is. 9c?. : the whole of the Honduras found buyers at rates 

 varying from Is. 6d. to Is. 9c?. per &. The Mexican and 

 native .Jamaica were both entirely neglected. 



CrrKIC ACID, LIME OIL, KOLA, .\NNATT0 .SEED, AND 

 C.\SHEW NUTS. 



The quotation for citric acid at the beginning of the 

 month was 2s. 6c?. per &., and at this figure large quantities 

 changed hands. A week later, however, it had dropped to 

 2s. 5ti., but at the end of the month the average price 

 was 2s. 6d. At the first auction on November 2, it 

 was reported that the large consignment of 160 pack- 

 ages of West Indian lime oil had arrived, and a portion had 

 been disposed of at lis. for hand-pressed and 9s. for distilled, 

 prices which were maintained to the end of the month. 

 Kola was a prominent article at auction on the 16th, being 

 represented by 256 packages; the bulk of this consignment- 

 consisted of mouldy and damaged from Jamaica, and was 

 bought in. Four bags of .small Java fetched 4^c?. per R., and 

 at another auction it was reported that some dozen bags of 

 West Indian had realized 5d to 5hd. per 5). Some 5- 

 packages of annatto seed were oii'ered at auction on the 16th 

 of the month, but none was sold. It was reported that 8cf. 

 per tt). was the price at which fair Madras was to be obtained. 

 Cashew nuts were also in good supply at the same auction^ 

 76 packages were offered but there were no buyers. 



