y2 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 17, 190(J. 



GLEANINGS. 



Says the Denierara Argvsy of February 24, last, the 

 North-West steamer arrived from Morawhanna yesterday 

 ■with a little over 1,000 Itj. of Venezuelan balata. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme ifc Holland, writing under date of 

 February 8, state: 'We have to report a good demand for 

 West Lidian Sea Island, and all desirable lots are quickly 

 Iiought up. Owing to the careful pre[iaration of Barbados 

 Sea Ishmd, this growth has commanded jirices from 15(/. to 

 \ld., in sjiite of a falling market for Carolinas in Charleston, 

 iind more pressure to sell. 



The (.'urator of the Botanic Station in Dominica 

 reports that during February last, the Litchi (Ni'jihdiuiii 

 Lit-clii) was in flower in the gardens. This, it ajipears, is the 

 first time that this plant has Howered in Dominica Speaking 

 ■of the Longan-tree (Xcphdium Longana), and the Ram- 

 butan {N. tappaceu'nt}, the Curator says that these do not 

 appear to be grown in the West Indies, and suggests that 

 the seed of these species might be obtained from the East. 



The [irison farm at Suddie is making great strides. 

 A considerable area of land has been cleared, much of it by 

 the e.xertions of the female prisoners convicted after the 

 riots. Over 1-50 young cocoa-nut trees have been put in. 

 The land is being planted with rice, Indian corn, sweet 

 potatos, plantains, and cassava. The provisions grown are 

 "used in the pri.son, and .sold. It is hoped in the near future 

 to make Suddie prison largely self-.supporting. (Demerara 

 Argoay, February 21, 1906.) 



The following extract from a letter from Messrs. Wul- 

 stenhohne k Holland to the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, gives a very encouraging re))ort of West Indian 

 ■Sea Island cotton in the Liverpool market: 'This season's 

 crop from the West Indies is beautiful, and in spite of good 

 Sea Island crop lots (from South Carolina) offering at \\d. 

 .and 15(/., we can get IGrf. and 17(/. jier lb. easily, for the 

 West Indian, and Ijuyers, including France, admit that the 

 British West Indian cotton is preferable. This is owing to 

 the cotton having been well grown, and in consequence much 

 more lustrous and Ijright than the Carolina.' 



The Demerara .rln/osy for February 10, 1906, says that 

 the Berbice Agricultural Show will be held in New Amster- 

 dam on March 21, 22, and 23. Over .?1,000 in prizes are 

 ottered for competition in e.xhibits of fruit, vegetables, 

 economic products, live stock, plants, cut flowers, liandicrafts, 

 needle, and fancy work. 



With regard to Para rubber seeds {Ihvta 6riisilie>isis), 

 the Forf'Of'-Sjtain Gazette for February 9, 1906, says that 

 advices from Ceylon intimate that orders can be placed in 

 that colory up to 500,000 seeds. The su[iply of seeds in 

 Trinidad being inadequate to meet local demand, it is 

 suggested that this is a favourable oiiportunity for obtaining 

 reliable sup|ilies. All information will be furnished at the 

 office of the Experiment Station, St. Clair. 



^Mention was made in the Agrifultiiral Keiv» (Vol, IV, 

 p. 299), of a scheme initiated by the Administrator of 

 Dominica for insuring plantations in the Lesser Antilles 

 against the effects of hurricanes. The matured scheme allows 

 estates to insure trees and crops against hurricanes, flood.s, 

 and volcanic eruptions. The matter is now in working order, 

 and planters can, by payment of a moderate premium, insure 

 their cultivation and crops. The planter should now be in 

 a position to face the future with an equanimity not hitherto 

 possible. 



A short review of a jiaper by Mr. H. H. Hume, from 

 Bulletin 74, Florida Agricultural Exi)eriment Station 

 appears in Zcitschrift fur rjianzenkraiikheiten for January, 

 1906, and describes experiments that have been carried out 

 in reference to anthracnose of the pumelow. This disease is 

 caused by a fungus {Colletotrichum yleosjMrioides), closely 

 allied to that causing the anthracnose of cotton. The fungus 

 apiiears to be a wound parasite, gaining entrance into the 

 fruit through wounds caused by wind, insects, etc. This 

 disease has not, up to the present, been recorded as being 

 present in the West Indies. 



The Temps of .lanuary 23, quotes from the Bulletin 

 Eeoitoiiiiijue de I'Lido-Chiiie an estimate by ilM. Brenier and 

 <Jlaverie of -57,000 tons as the world's production of rubber, 

 for 1904. Of the total, 33i per cent, came from America 

 and 21i per cent, from Africa. French West Africa produced 

 7,000 ton.s, the Belgian Congo 6,000 tons, and the French 

 ■Congo 3,000 tons. The world's consunqition is estimated at 

 -57,300 tons in 1904, of which the United States took 

 26,470 ton.s, Germany 12,800 tons, the United Kingdom 

 10,030 tons, and France 4,130. The Brussels Moxcvement 

 ■G'eijiiraphi<iue puts the production at 75,000 tons. (WeM 

 India Committee Circular, February 16, 1906.) 



From the Department of Agriculture, Nairobi, a leaflet, 

 No. 10, has been issued on the insect and fungoid pests 

 reported during the year 1904-5. The larvae of a moth 

 {.spodoptext exeiapta) destroyed the vegetation near Nairobi ; 

 a lady-liird (Epilaclma similis) is mentioned as doing great 

 damage to maize and wheat ; and several beetles and other 

 insects were observed. Amongst fungi, wheat-rust proved 

 fatal to the prospects of the wheat crop, dwarf beans suff'ered 

 from rust and anthracnose, and the crop of chick-pea 

 {Cicer arietiniiin)\\'ii^ completely destroyed by a uredu-iungns, 

 {Nature, February 1.5, 1906.) 



The Barbados Weekly Recorder of March 10 discusses 

 the situation in regard to cotton matters at Barbados as 

 follows : ' We are pleased to learn that the cotton industry is 

 in so flourishing a condition that the cotton factory cannot 

 keep pace with the demands on it. The company are now 

 face to face with the question of enlargement. More 

 machinery is needed. The factory is too small. It is also 

 badly situated. It is a clear case for a forward policy, and 

 the company should lo.se no time in issuing fresh shares and 

 raising the capital needed to meet the situation. The future 

 of Barbados Sea Island cotton is assured, and so long as the 

 commodity is kept up to its -present degree of excellence, the 

 Lancashire market will take as much of it as we can send to 

 England, and give a good price for it. It is a paying crop, 

 and there is no doubt the area of cultivation will increase 

 con.siderably.' 



