28 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 27. 1917. 



A note appears on Molybdenum ore in the Bulletin of 

 thi ImjKrial Institute for July-September 1916, that has. 

 a West Indian interest on account of the existence of deposits 

 in Virgin Gorda. It is stated that by a certain process, good 

 results can be obtained on ore containing not more than 05 

 per cent, of molybdenite The deposits in Virgin Gorda are 

 not rich in this mineral, but it might nevertheless be found 

 profitable to work them, or at least it might be worth while to- 

 leinvestigate the nature and extent of these deposits. 



GLEANINGS. 



A notice appears in the Fort-of- Spain Gazette of Jan- 

 uary 4, 1917, to the effect that in Trinidad a new supply of 

 teak seeds ('J'ectona grandis) has beeen received from Burma, 

 and is on sale at the Forest Office, Crown Lands Department, 

 at 20c. per 1,000. The cost of [jackage and carriage, if any, 

 must be paid by the purchaser. 



A list is given in the Report on the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, St. Vincent, for 1915-16, of the new lily pond that 

 has been constructed in the fJardens. A list is included of 

 the species of tropical water-lilies kindly presented for this 

 pond by the Director of the Itoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

 These consist of Victoria iei/ia, var. trtclceri, and ten species 

 or varieties of Nymphaea. 



An ingenious contrivance which enables one man to 

 work a motor-tilling machine in which the driver is obliged to- 

 have his back to the tynes which cultivate the soil, is described 

 in the International Revieiv of tJie Science and Practice of 

 A(iricuhure for May 1916. The contrivance' consists of 

 two mirrors, one of which is situated above the tynes so as t(y 

 reflect a view of the ground in which they operate on to 

 a second mirror located immediately in front of the driver. 

 The angular arrangement of the mirrors is such as to- 

 prevent any interference to the line of sight. 



In the St. Vincent Botanic (hardens the interesting old 

 tree, Spachea perforata, which is the only known specimen, 

 is beginning to show signs of decay: according to the 

 Agricultural Superintendent, it is unlikely that it will 

 survive for many more years. Ffjrtunately a limited number 

 of young plants have been raised, one of which has been 

 planted out in the gardens. 



Figures are given in the l!i>[iort on the Agricultural 

 Department, St. Vincent, 191."i-16, showing the recent 

 development in that island of the sugar industry. In l!)i;> 

 the total value of the exports of sugar products was onh 

 £17;H; in 1914 it rose to £l,.s.38, while in 1915 the total 

 value was £.3,756. It is estimated that the crop now being 

 reaped will yield an output more than double that of 1915. 



During December in St. Vin:ent, preparations were being 

 made to start sugar making, am! improvements in machinery 

 for the making of a good grade of muscovado sugar had been 

 made on several estates. The cane cultivations made good 

 progre.ss generally. Arrowroot reaping was retarded owing to 

 the unusually dry weather, (.'oltini , picking was carried on 

 under favourable conditions but the yields generally were 

 very poor. 



The considerable amount of space that Mature for 

 November 30, 1916, gives to a discussion of possible potassie 

 fertilizers, leads one toerpect that an important discovery Las. 

 been made in regard tn the extensive deposit of mica schist in 

 South Island, New Zealand, containing, on an average, 3 per 

 cent, of pota.sh. The mateiial is very soft, and if finely ground 

 might prove valuable as a manure, though it contains a very 

 low percentage of potash compared with kainit or sulphate of 

 potash. As there appears to be unlimited quantities of this 

 material available, the deposit may turn out to be of economic 

 importance. 



According to an article in the India RuUicr World for 

 December 1, there is some pro.spect that the Ifnited States 

 ]nay become a rubber producing country if an active attempt 

 is made to cultivate on an exten.sive scale the silver-coloured 

 Guayule shrub, Farl/inniiim argentatum, a member of the 

 aster family which grows wild in many sections of the 

 American south-west, as it does over the Central Plateau of 

 Wexico. On the basis that the pla a yields 8 per cent, of its 

 dry weigiit in rubl.iT, which is a conservative estimate, an 

 acre would yield 4,1100 fib. worth $1,520, according to the 

 pre.sent low market price of 38c. per B) There is no doubt 

 that if the project is practicable, the United States would 

 greatly stiengthen its pronomic p-isition if it could establish 

 rubber within its own territory. 



Kefereiice is mad.- in the Cyprus Agrtcidtur'il Journal 

 to the practices in use tor jjoisoning fish in Cyprus streams 

 and rivers. It will be remembered that in the Keport on 

 the Agricultural Department, Dominica, 1914-15, Mr. Jo.seph 

 Jones gave an account of the practices followed in that 

 island. In Cyprus, a plant of which only the local names 

 are given, but which i> siid to belong to theScroplmlareaceae 

 is collected in qi*intity, cut into small pieces, and thrown iri 

 the streams at various points. The milky sap which exudes 

 poLsons the fish, eels principal). Another method in use 

 is to employ the fruit of the shrub Styrax. The .action of 

 this fruit on the fish, though not more drastic than the 

 other, is of longer duration. The effect of both poisons is 

 to act as a narcotic, though they will actually kill very 

 young fish. 



