Vol. XVI. No. 397. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



217 



initiative for a flower show which took place at Grand 

 Turk on Jla}- 14, 1!)17, and was formally opened 

 by the Commissioner. His Honour pronounced the 

 show, as a first attempt, an uncjualitied success, and 

 alluding especially to the exhibits of seed-cotton and 

 ginned c it'ton, which were one of the features of the 

 exhibition, was most emphatic in forecasting prosperity 

 to the Dependency from that industry. 



Scientific and Industrial Research. 



In continuation of references that have been made 

 in this Journal to the report of the Privy Council 

 for Scientific and Industrial Research for 191.5-ltJ, 

 it may be noted that, in the Froceedings of the Inati- 

 ttitc of Chemistry the fact is called attention to that 

 the British Government has decided to establish a 

 separate Department of Scientific and Industrial 

 Research, and to place a large sum of money at its 

 disposal to be used as a fund for the conduct of 

 research for the benefit of national industry on a 

 co-operative b;isis. In order to encourage firms 

 interested in various trades to make generous 

 contributions, the Treasury have agreed that any 

 money given for research on specified terms, shall be 

 regarded as working expenses and will thus be free 

 from income tax and excess profits tax. 



With a view to promoting this co-operative move- 

 ment industrial associations will be formed in connex- 

 ion with various trades for the promotion of research, 

 and they will work under the supervision of the new 

 central authority. 



The Lyons (International) Fair, 1917. 



Among the British exhibits at the Lyons Fair, 

 1917, the colonial produce displayed at the stand of the 

 Permanent Exhibition Committee of Trinidad attracted, 

 as may be gathered from the remarks of H.M. Consul 

 General at Lyons which are reproduced in The Board 

 of Trade Journal of April 26, considerable atten- 

 tion and numerous inquiries from would-be buyers. 

 A report by M. Lafreyre, who was in charge of the 

 exhibits from Trinidad, which appears in the Port-of- 

 Spain Gazette, contains the following extracts which 

 are of special interest to West Indian producers: — 



CACAO. The buyers, French and Swiss chocolate 

 manufacturers, found this article to their satisfaction. 

 The beans are fine and healthy, and they are of 

 opinion that the returns would be perfect and give 

 excellent results. There would be large buyers if the 

 merchandise could reach them at once; most of the 

 chocolate factories have no West Indian cacao. 



.SUGAR. The sugar, although rather yellowish, 

 would certainly have numerous buyers. Several usines 

 would take as much as could be sent to them and at 

 a very high price, but in these times, it might be 

 requisitioned by the Chamber of Commerce. 



coco-xuTS. Coco-nuts are in demand by the 

 Marseilles industries, especially the copra, which is used 

 for the manufacture of oil, butter and soap. 



Suspension of the 'Kew Bulletin'. 



In the Times of May 29, 1917, it is announced 

 that the publication of the Kew Ballet in, to the 

 national and imperial importance of which emphatic 

 testimony has repeatedly been borne in that organ, is, 

 under pressure of war economy and the dearth of print- 

 ing materials, to be suspended. Strong protests have 

 been made from all quarters against the suspension of 

 a Journal which not only serves as the official publication 

 in which the results of the scientific activity at Kew are 

 given to the world, but also serves the important function 

 of placing at the disposal of the economic and scientific 

 gardens in India and the Colonies the latest facts in pure 

 and economic botany that may be of importance to 

 them. In enemy countries, as a correspondent of the 

 Tiines points out, the starvation of intellectual 

 activities is not accounted to be any part even of war 

 economy. The ( !erman publications corresponding to 

 the Kew Bulletin continue regularly to appear and 

 even to receive reports from colonies which are no 

 longer German. It is difficult to believe, remarks 

 Nature in its issue of May 24, 1917, that either 

 the India Office or the Colonial Office, which are 

 both concerned with the functions that only Kew 

 is in a position effectively to dischaige. can have been 

 consulted in the matter, or, if they had been so 

 consulted, that they could have approved of a step so 

 unsound alike on economic and financial grounds. 



Swine Fever and Serum Treatment. 



In dealing w ith the procedure to be followed in 

 cases of swine fever, the Assistant Secretary of the Board 

 of Agriculture in England had explained that although 

 the introduction of anti-swine fever treatment had ren- 

 dered the slaughter of swine ailing from the fever undesi- 

 rable where the treatment was accepted b}^ the pigowner, 

 since in order to secure the best results from the treat- 

 menc such swine should be kept alive and mixed into 

 the treated swine, yet it was not desirable at the time 

 to cancel the arrangements for the slaughter until it 

 was ascertained to what extent the new treatment 

 would be taken up by pig owners. Six months experi- 

 ence of the new procedure provided evidence ihat pig 

 owners were responding well to the offer of serum 

 treatment, inasmuch as in almost 75 per cent, of the 

 cases in which treatment was applicable, the owner 

 agreed to its application, and it was therefore decided 

 that, as from June 2.5, 1916, slaughter in suspected 

 outbreaks of swine fever should be limited to such 

 slaughter as was essential for the purpose of arriving 

 at a definite diagnosis. Serum treatment is, as is 

 stated in the Anniud Report for 1916 of proceedings 

 under the Diseases of Animals Acts, now applied under 

 conditions calculated to secure the best results, and 

 if pig owners are not prepared to avail themselves of 

 the benefits to be derived from the treatment, they 

 cannot reasonably expect any further public protection 

 against avoidable loss arising from deaths among their 



