Vol. V. No. 100. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



61 



THE SCIEXCE YEARBOOK AND DIARY 

 FOR 1900. (By Major B. F. S. Baden-Powell, London.- 

 Jlessrs. King, Sell d: Olding, Ltd., ,27, Chancery Lane. Price 

 5s. 



The second number of this useful book has just been 

 issued. Amongst the interesting contents of this volume is 

 to be found a condensed resume of some of the more 

 important work that has been accomplished in science during 

 the last twelve months. 



The various branches of science are treated separately. 

 Under botany, we find that one of the chief pieces of work 

 performed this year is the beginning of ' the North American 

 Flora.' This work, when completed, will comprise thirty 

 volumes, and will contain all the indigenous plants growing 

 in North America, Central America, and the West Indies, 

 •except Trinidad, Tobago, and Curaijao. 



Further articles contain a list of the principal science 

 works of the year, a list of the scientific and learned societies 

 of England and America, with their objects, and a biographi- 

 cal directory of the well-known men of science. 



Such a collection of information as is given in this 

 volume is very useful to all interested in the progress of 

 science, and should be fully appreciated. 



BANANINE FLOUR AND BREAD. 



Referring to the West Indies, the Colonizer in its 

 issue of January 190G, states that remarkable strides 

 are being made in systematic attention to agriculture, 

 the culture of tropical products, and the development 

 of new ones ; and that this advance is due largely to the 

 initiative and splendid work done by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture in these islands, and by the 

 West India Committee in England. The writer of the 

 article goes on to mention one important industry 

 which is entirely of to-day — ' Bananine ' — a product of 

 ■Jamaica. 



' Bananine ' is a flour product derived from the 

 banana. The natives of Central Africa manufacture 

 a crude flour from this fruit ; and speaking of this, the 

 late Sir H. M. Stanley said, that if only its virtues were 

 publicly known, it would be largely consumed in 

 Europe, especially by inf;xnts, persons of delicate 

 <ligestion, dyspeptics, and those suffering from tempo- 

 rary- derangement of the stomach. 



The flour now placed upon the market under the 

 name ' Bananine,' made in British factories from British 

 'Colonial products, is far superior in rpiality to the 

 native-made product, and posse.sses a higher value as 

 food than even beef, containing, as it does, as high 

 a percentage of proteids, whilst its caloric or energy 

 value is almost four times as great. 



'It is from this product,' says the Colonizer, 'that is 

 derived the now well-known "Bananine" bread — the result of 

 practical and scientific experiments carried over a considerable 

 period — possessing all the qualities of a perfect food, 

 combined with pleasant ajipearance and flavour. The 

 nutritive properties of '" Bananine " bread are present in the 

 most easily available form of assimilation, and are certainly 

 appreciated by those suffering from dyspepsia and other 

 forms of digestive disorders. It appears as palatable and 

 digestible A\hen freshly baked as when several days old, nor 

 does it become dry even after keeping, It is certainly not 

 a luxury, but an everyday article of food, at a price within 

 the reach of all, and has a. pleasant flavour similar to that of 

 the best wholemeal bread.' 



RATIONS FOR A PEDIGREE BULL. 



The following particulars have been furnished in 

 respect of the rations and treatment for a pedigree bull 

 in one of the Northern Islands : — 



Horning. 



1 quart of oats. \ 



1 „ ,, finely crushed corn. | Mixed together and 

 1 ,, ,, oil meal. | made into balls. 



h ,, ,, mola.sses. 



Noon. 



1 quart of oil meal. \ 

 h ,, „ molasses. - M; 



iide into a mash. 



bran. 



Night. 



1 quart of oil meal. "1 



J- ,, „ molasses. \ Made into a mash. 



bran. 



It may be added that the bull is cleaned and brushed 

 down every morning, then turned out on the pasture with 

 the ilock, and put up at night in a covered pen. Whea 

 a similar bull is not turned out with the flock he should be 

 regularly given exerci.->e morning and evening. 



FIBRE PLANTS IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. 



The Agricultural Instructor at Tortola has recently 

 forwarded the following specimens of fibre plants 

 growing in the Virgin Islands : — 



(1) Very common everywhere and locally known as 

 Karatto or Coryata {Agave Karatto). This i.s 

 common also in other of the Leeward Islands. 



{i) Not very common but grown freely and could be 

 easily cultivated. Bowstring Hemp {Sansevieria 

 guineensis, broad-leaved form). 



(3) Not common, only occurring in a few places. Silk 



Grass (Furcraea gigantea, var. willemeetiana). The 

 conuuon silk grass of the West Indies is Furcraea 

 cubensis, a slightly smaller plant than the above. 



(4) Very common and known as ' Wild Date.' Probably 



Bromelia Karatas, but the leaves are usually much 



longer. 

 On a previous occasion the Agricultural Instructor 

 forwarded good specimen leaves of Agave simlana, cultivated 

 in Yucatan, Bahama.s, and Turks Islands for the production 

 of .sisal hemp. There is a good opening at Tortola for 

 a fibre hemp industry as land is cheap and offers favourable 

 conditions. 



