Vol. XVI. No. 40-t. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEW?. 



329 



Present Value of Fibres. 



The market value of sisal fibre has risen so much 

 in the last two years that there is little wonder that 

 increased interest is being taken in its pioduction in 

 these islands. From Messrs. Ide and Christie's monthly 

 circular concerning the London fibre market, dated 

 August 15, 1917, it appears that the shipment price of 

 Mexican sisal, which was 6Jc. per ft. in 191.5, had 

 reached 18|c. per ft. by the end of June 1917, on 

 a steady market. 



Another fibre which may in the future, owing to 

 the extension of coco-nut cultivation form a West Indian 

 export of some importance is coir. The present market 

 value of this, according to the same circular referred 

 to above is from £30 to £50 per ton according to its 

 quality. Seeing that this fibre may be considered as 

 only a by-product of the coco-nut industry, the prices 

 seem to be distinctlv remunerative. 



Machine for Eradicating Weeds by Burning. 

 In the Agricultural News, Vol. XIII, No. 32N, notice 

 was taken of a suggestion made in the Journal of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, A.\\g\xsX,\9\-\^,t\\a.t weeds 

 could be eradicated from walks and paths by the use of 

 an ordinary plumber's blow lamp. At the Show of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society held in Manchester in 1916 

 Messrs. Stephen Ballard exhibited their Burning 

 ^fachine made for destroying weeds between rows of 

 black currants, which they claimed they had done, 

 without the use of a hoe. In the front of the machine 

 there is a tank which holds 8 gallons of petroleum 

 sufficient for 1 acre, at a high pressure. Five inverted 

 blow lamps, similar to those used by painters, but 

 larger, are contained in five cannisters behind. These 

 project a flame, intensely hot, on to the soil below, 

 scorching up every weed on the surface, the makers 

 assert. The flame would naturally spread out at the 

 side, and thus damage the currant trees, but a slide 

 can be let down to the soil to avoid this. A smaller 

 machine for "destroying the weeds between rows of 

 strawberries was also shown. These machines are only 

 in the experimental stage, an-i are not on the market, 

 but they may have a great future before them, especially 

 where labour is scarce, though there are obvious draw- 

 backs attaching to their use. 



■ Tanning Possibilities in Antigua. 



At a meeting on August 3, 1917, of the Agricul- 

 tural and Commercial Society, Antigua, Mr. A. E. 

 Collens, the Acting Superintendent of Agriculture, 

 advocated the possibility of successfully tanning 

 leather locally, as a remunerative industry. He pointed 

 out that there was an ample supply for the purpose 

 of hides produced in the Presidency, the value 

 of hides exported in 1915 having been more than 

 £2,000, the local price of hides being 2d. per ft. As 

 regards the supply of tannin, there were many 

 common trees and shrubs in Antigua from which 

 tannin in ample abundance might be obtained. The 

 dried bark of the common mangrove contained 25 to 

 80 per cent, of tannin; the bark of the mango tree 

 contained from 20 to 30 or ev-n 40 per cent.; the bark 



of the common acacia, known locally as 'cossie', 

 contained about 19 per cent., while the pods of the 

 same shrub if the seeds were removed, contained 

 as much as 55 to 60 per cent. Leather has been, and 

 is successfully tanned on a small scale in some of the 

 West Indian islands by using native tanning material, 

 and Mr. Collens thought that it might be well worth 

 while trying it in Antigua. 



Cacao Thrips in Grenada. 



At a special meeting of the Agricultural Board of 

 Grenada, Mr. F. W. Urich, Entomologist to the Board 

 of Agriculture in Trinidad, gave an informal account of 

 observations he had made during his visit to Grenada of 

 the distribution of cacao thrips. He had visited practi- 

 calh" all the localities where thrips gave trouble, and he 

 was pleased to state that conditions were not as bad as 

 he had expected. Attacks were worst on the western 

 and south-western coasts. He advocated the adoption 

 of spraying as the method of control, and explained the 

 methods applied by the Trinidad Board for inducing 

 and helping peasants to spray for thrips. Certain 

 predaceous insects occurring in Trinidad might be 

 usefully imported into Grenada. 



Mr. Urich also referred to the possible danger from 

 black ants, which were fairly numerous in all parts of the 

 island. 



The Hon. F. R. Harford, in thanking Mr. LTrich, 

 remarked that from what the latter had said it appeared 

 that the local Department of Agriculture had been 

 working along correct lines. 



Plants Packed in Ice- 

 Sir Joseph Hooker,in his Himalayan Journals, Chap- 

 ter XXVII. refers to living plants packed in moss, and 

 transported in a frozen stale by one of the ice-ships 

 from North America. They were chiefly fruit trees, 

 apples, pears, peaches, currants, and gooseberries, with 

 beautiful plants of the Venus fl\--trap (Bionaia 

 muscipula). More perfect success never attended an 

 experiment; the plants were vigorous in bud, and the 

 day after they were released from their icy bonds, 

 the leaves sprouted and unfolded. 



Mistaken Notions about Botanical Gardens 



Sir Joseph Hooker, in the same book from which 

 the quotation above is taken says, in Chapter I: T was 

 rather surprised to find the Botanical Garden looked 

 upon by many of the Indian public, and even by some 

 of the better informed official men, as rather an 

 extravagant establishment, more ornamental than 

 useful. These persons seemed astonished to learn that; 

 its name was renowned throughout Europe, and that 

 during the first twenty years especially of Mr. Wallich's 

 superintendence, it had contributed more useful and 

 ornamental tropical plants to the public and private 

 gardens of the world than any establishment before or 

 since.' 



Human nature is \ery much the same everywhere. 

 Similar opinions have been expressed in other places 

 besides India. 



