Vol. XVI. No. 385. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL XEWS, 



23 



ORGANIZATION OF LOCAL FOOD 

 SUPPLIES. 



Suggestions are put forward in the Barbados Advocate 

 for January 18. concerning the need for Government action 

 in the matter of establishing larger areas in that island under 

 food-crops, even though it would necessitate a reduction in 

 the area under sugar-cane. It is suggested that the returns 

 should be calculated at the same value as if the land were 

 in sugar-cane, the loss, if anj-, being made good by the 

 Government. 



In connexion with these propo.sals, it will perhaps 

 interest readers to learn of the steps that have been taken 

 in Antigua, an isUnd that has always shown itself alive 

 to the value of concerted action. Here a Board for C'ooper- 

 ative Organizations has been formed, which was recently 

 instructed to consider steps to be taken in connexion with 

 the probable shortage of food in the island. 



Meetings of the Board were held and the fiillowing steps 

 were taken: — 



(1) A circular was addressed to all planters throughout 

 the island with a view to obtaining information as to the 

 quantity of foodstuffs planted in the island, also with a view 

 to urging the necessity on agriculturists for planting food- 

 crops, and obtaining promises in this connexion. The 

 circular was send to sixty-seven estates, and from these 

 fifty-five replies have been received. The position was 

 found to be by no means reassnrint;. The actual total area 

 returned as planted in provision crops in Antigua was 300 

 acres, while the areas immediately in prospect for planting 

 amounted to 394 acres. t)n every hand complaints were 

 received from estate managers of labour difficulties which 

 greatly interfere with the planting of provisions. Mention 

 may be made of the offer of one cane planter to provide 10 

 acres of land on his estate which would be placed at the dis- 

 posal of the Board or the Government for the purpose of 

 renting to peasants to grow provisions thereon. Several 

 other planters have offered to rent land to peasants with the 

 same object, but with little or no response. 



(2) The second line of action was to appoint sub- 

 committees in the different parishes. The duty of these was 

 to keep the Central Committee informed, of the position in 

 relation to the supply of foodstuffs in the different parishes, 

 and to urge upon the people the necessity for increasing the 

 amount of provisions at present grown, and to suggest plans 

 of action. 



The Central Board has made recommendations to the 

 Government that they should a.scertain and kee|) themselves 

 systematically informed on the following points in future: — 



(1) The quantity of foodstuffs stocked by merchants 



(2) The prospect of obtaining futur* supplies, and the 

 amount of orders placed. 



The Committee have further strongly recommended that 

 a store of corn, preferably locally grciwn, should be obtained 

 without delay, kiln-dried and stored at the Government 

 Granary with the object of making corn meal, as and when 

 required. 



Experiments have been conducted in connexion with the 

 preparation of sweet potato meal and the baking of bread 

 with this and with corn meal. So soon as definite informa- 

 tion is available, it is proposed to consider the feasibility of 

 recommending that the Government 'should enforce the 

 baking of a diluted bread (i.e. diluted with corn meal or 

 sweet potato meal). 



Finally the Committee have recommended to the 

 Government that it is desirable to give con.sideration to the 



question of standardizing the weights of loaves of bread, and 

 that information should be published concerning the relative 

 feeding value of the various food-crops. The Committee 

 have recommended that the attention of the Government 

 should be drawn to the need for the application of the most 

 stringent measures to check praedial larceny. 



From what has been stated above it will be seen that 

 the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Antigua has 

 been making active efforts to improve the local situation as 

 regards food supplies, and is in a position to furnish the 

 Government with information and support, should compul- 

 sory measures become necessary. 



RECENT SPREAD OF THE COTTON BOLL 

 WEEVIL. 



A. brief history of the movement of this uest through 

 the United States sugaests, from a study of specimens col- 

 lected in all parts of the infested regions of North America, 

 that there are three lines of dispersion. It seems probable 

 that the b)ll weevil originated in Guatemala or .some other 

 portion of Central America, and that the most typical strain 

 migrated northward through the mountains of Mexico into 

 Arizona, where it is now found as a native species on the 

 wild cotton-like plant Thurlieria the.tpesiok/es. The main 

 migration was along the Gulf Coast through the cultivated 

 cotton regions into the I'nited States. The third line of 

 dispersion was through ^'ucatan across the (4ulf, to Cuba. 

 Specimens collected at the three termini of these disper- 

 sions appear to be very distinct varieties. That variety 

 which is found on cultivated cotton in the United States 

 is the smallest found and the most variable. The move- 

 ment of the weevil is controlled by the amount of food 

 supply, which regulates the time and distance of natural 

 movement by winds and Hoods, and by artificial agencies. 



The most interesting development of the present year is 

 the extension of the weevil to the northern limits of cotton 

 growth in Oklahoma and Arkansas into Central Tennessee; 

 eastward to the Atlantic Ocean south of Savannah; and the 

 infesiation of practically all the cotton region of Florida. The 

 only Sea Island cotton section now not infested is that of 

 South Carolina. (Science, December 22, 1916.) 



Nature of Light Production in Animals.— 



The following has reference to the nature of the light 

 production in certain luminious animals. It is taken from 

 an article in Science (November 3). 



'If I>ubois's statement that Pholas luciferin will give 

 light with oxidizing agents, that it is not destroyed by- 

 heat and is found only in luminous cells, be confirmed, we 

 may perhaps look to two general methods of light production 

 in the animal Kingdom— one as in Pholas, the oxidation with 

 light production of luciferin by luciferase so closely paralleled 

 by pyrogallol and peroxida-es: the other as in Cypridina and 

 the firefly, through the interaction of photogenin and photo- 

 phelein, the photogenin giving light by .some mechanism 

 which can not at present be definitely stated. The closest 

 parallel is the zymase system. Just as zymase is inactive 

 without its co-enzyme so photogenin is inactive (will not 

 emit light) without photophelein. ,fust as there are certain 

 quantitative relations between zymase and co-zymase. so 

 there are similar quantitative relations between photogenin 

 and photophelein. As oxygen is necessary for light production, 

 we may, perhaps, provisionally regard photogenin as a sub- 

 stance autooxidizable with light production only in the 

 presence of photophelein.' 



