Vol. V. No. 102. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



87 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



The Sea Island Report, dated February 10, 1906, 

 furnished by Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of 

 Charleston, South Carolina, contains the following : — 



Islands. — The market was quiet and unchanged through- 

 out the week, with sales of only one crop lot of .50 bags at 

 28c., and 20 laags of odd bags of fully fine at 2.3Jc. 



There was some inquiry for crop lots at lower prices 

 than factors were willing to accept, and as they are still 

 refusing to lower their prices for the odd bags, we have only 

 to repeat our last quotations. 



The report, of February 17, on Sea Island cotton 

 contains the foUowiDg: — 



Islands. — The market throughout the week was quiet 

 and unchanged, with some inquiry for crop lots at lower 

 prices than factors were willing to accept. For the odd 

 bags of fine and fully fine, factors were continuing to hold for 

 their previous asking prices. 



After the close of the official report, three small crops 

 were sold for France at 27c. to 30c., and 1.50 bags of odd 

 bags fine and fully fine, off in preparation, at 16J-C. 



COTTON IN ST. KITT'S. 



The Agricultural Superintendent at St. Kitt's, 

 in a letter elated February 13, furnishes the following 

 with regard to a field of cotton on Conaree estate in 

 that island : — 



This field of 12 acres has already yielded 3,774 lti. of 

 lint, and there are between 400 and 500 Hi. of lint now to be 

 picked, which will give an average of 3.50 lb. lint per acre 

 from the first picking. The percentage of lint to seed at the 

 ginnery from this large quantity, was 27-5. 



THE COLONIAL EXHIBITION, 1905 



The General Report on the West Indian court of 

 the Colonial Exhibition, which was held at Sydenham 

 during the summer of 1905, has just been received. It 

 has been prepared with great care by tlie Secretary of 

 the West India Committee (Mr. Algernon E. Aspinall) 

 to whom the West Indies are largely indebted for the 

 success of this e.xhibition. 



The report is an interesting publication, and the 

 notes on the exhibits, from the pen of Mr. W. G. Free- 

 man, B.Sc, F.L,S., contain full descriptive accounts of 

 the several West Indian courts. The pamphlet is 

 illustrated with excellent photographs of the different 

 sections, and of some of the principal exhibits. Copies 

 may be obtained from the local Secretaries of the 

 Exhibition Committees in the islands represented. 



The origin of the exhibition, says the report, was due to 

 the proposals of the Crystal Palace Company, and the 

 representation of the West Indies was brought about through 

 the instrumentality of the West India Committee. 



On May 24, 1904, circular letters were sent to the 

 honorary correspondents of the West India Committee in the 

 West Indies, asking them to ascertain the views of the 

 colonies on the subject, and to the local Governments 

 inviting financial support, and the matter was at once 

 warmly taken up by the leading planting and commercial 

 bodies and the press throughout the West Indies. Several 

 islands did not see their way to particii'ate, owing to 

 financial reasons, but a prompt response was received from 



Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and Grenada, and, before the 

 close of 1904, each of these colonies had appointed an 

 energetic local committee with the view to making the 

 necessary arrangements, and sums of money were eventually 

 voted by the legislatures for defraying the expenses of the 

 representation of these islands. 



The condition and labelling of the exhibits are reported 

 on as follows : — 



The exhibits as they arrived from the colonies were not 

 immediately brought up to London, it being felt that it 

 would be best for the court to be erected before the process 

 of unpacking, with its inevitable confusion, was begun. On 

 the whole, the goods were extremely well packed, and in this 

 connexion, special mention nuist be made of those from 

 Barbados and Trinidad. Notwithstanding the fact that the 

 cases were opened by the Customs, the breakages and losses 

 were few and far between. As regards the individual 

 exhibits, a marked improvement in the manner in which 

 they were put up was noticeable. Tall specimen bottles were . 

 used with advantage in many cases, but there was still 

 a certain number of samples of preserved fruits, etc., so 

 badly bottled — in every conceivable size and shape of jar, 

 with hideous masses of sealing wax on them — as to render 

 them not only unsightly, but also useless from a commercial 

 point of view. 



Besides the desirability of the adoption of greater 

 uniformity in the putting up of exhibits, the committee 

 would like to call attention to the labelling of them. This, 

 in most cases, was entirely inadequate. The best effort in 

 this direction was undoubtedly made by Barbados. In this 

 section, distinctive labels bearing the arms of the colony 

 were fixed to each exhibit, but unfortunatel}', being made of 

 parchment, they would not adhere to the bottles, and required 

 constant attention. The committee would suggest that in 

 future exhibitions, this matter should receive special attention, 

 as much of the utility of exhibits depends upon their being 

 efficiently labelled, and they would further suggest that the 

 practice adopted by the Imperial Institute might with 

 advantage be followed. There, small labels of a uniform 

 character are attached to each exhibit, giving not only the 

 name of the exhibit, but also a brief descriptive note regard- 

 ing its origin and use. 



The report concludes with the suggestion that each of 

 the colonies should seriously consider the appointment of 

 a Permanent Exhibition Committee to act in conjunction 

 with a similar committee in London. 



ANTIGUA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Antigua Standard, in a late issue, gives an 

 account of a meeting of the Agricultural Society, on the 

 invitation of the Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc, to 

 visit the Botanic Station, School gardens, and Govern- 

 ment farm. 



The meeting was attended by twenty-two members of 

 the society. At each of the places visited, Dr. Watts and 

 Mr. Jackson, the Curator of the Botanic Station, explained 

 the work that was being done. Much valuable information 

 was imparted in this way, and several of those present 

 obtained a much better idea of the practical application of 

 scientific agriculture than they had previously possessed. 



This would seem to be an excellent plan for bringing 

 before the agricultural community the work of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in each island, and, more than almost 

 any other plan, is likely to place the member^ and others in 

 closer touch with the scientific work that is being carried on 

 with the view of assisting to improve local industries. 



