124 



THE AGKICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Ai'uiL U, 190G. 



A company for the manufacture of paper from bamboo 

 fibre has been started in Trinidad. The niachinerj- for this 

 enterprise was due to arrive on Fridaj-, !March '2, by the 

 S.S. ' Grenada.' The factory is to be at Gasparre Island, 

 wliere a suitable property has been rented. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Agricultural Instructor at Nevis reports that the 

 Aerniotor erected at Richmond Lodge has given satisfaction 

 in the preliminary trials in ginning cotton and grinding 

 foodstuffs, in spite of rather intermittent action due to light 

 winds and occasional squalls. 



The Curator at Dominica reports that close on 2,000 

 budded plants of lemons, Washington Navel oranges, and 

 grape fruit have already been cirdered for delivery, locally, 

 at the close of this year. The pros^iects of the orange 

 industry in the island are distinctly favourable. 



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

 Antigua, in a recent letter to the Imperial Commis.sioner of 

 Agriculture, rejiorts that Bougainvillaea glahra, var. cypheri, 

 growing at the Botanic Station, has developed an exceedingly 

 fine sj'ort, the colour of which is magenta. Efforts are being 

 made to propagate it. 



According to the new West Indian Produce Association, 

 whose headcjuarters are at Fenchurch Buildings, London, E.C., 

 it is recommende<l to 'smoke imperially ' as well as 'think 

 imperially.' It is announced that West Indian cigar.s, 

 and especially the well-known and highly appreciated 

 ' La Tropical ' and ' Golofina ' and other brands, are on sale 

 br the Association at reasonable rates. 



A fine specimen of the Immortel {Eri/thriiia uinhrom), 

 .so well known in Trinidad as a shade tree for cacao, is now 

 in flower in a garden in Belleville, Barbados. It is a hand- 

 some wide-spreading tree about 50 feet in height, and just 

 now, when, owing to the prolonged dry weather, everything 

 is dry and burnt up, this Immortel tree with its masses of 

 brick-red flowers, is a very striking and beautiful object. 



At the meeting of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, held at New Orleans in December 

 last, Mr. G. S. Fraps read a paper on ' The Effect of Climate 

 on the Composition of Cotton Seed.' Observations made 

 during two seasons showed that cotton seed meal from the 

 western parts of Texas, where the climate is semi-arid, was 

 richer in nitrogen than meal from the eastern part of the 

 State. Texas cotton seed meal was considered richer than 

 cotton seed meal from other sections. 



According to the statement of the rainfall returns for 

 Dominica during 190-5, published in the Official Gazette for 

 March 17, 190G, the highest rainfall for the year was 232-11 

 inches registered at Corona estate, and the lowest 46"07 

 inches at Macoucherie. The rainfall during the month of 

 August was the heaviest, Layou Park registering 33-25 

 inches, but Macoucherie only -1"80 inches. The mean rain- 

 fall, based on returns from thirty -three stations, for the month 

 of August was 10-80 inches, but for the month of February 

 4-32 inches: whilst for the whole j"ear it was 118-93 inches. 



The Bermuda Government has voted the sum of X250 

 tosvards defraying expenses of experiments in tobacco growing 

 at that place ; and it is understood that a Jamaica manufac- 

 turer has decided to move his establishment to that island. 

 On her last trip to Bermuda, the S.S. ' Beta ' took four cigar 

 makers from Jamaica. 



The Hon. B. Howell Jones has recently imported two 

 pure-bred black-faced Shropshire rams. The grandfather of 

 one of these animals was sold lately for 309 guiuea.s, which 

 is believed to be the record price for black-faced rams. The 

 two rams have been sent to plantation Hope. (Dcmerara 

 Anjoiy, ilarch 28, 1906.) 



At a meeting of the Board of Management of the 

 Jamaica Agricultural Society held on February 21 last, the 

 subject of disease in cocoa-nut trees was referred to as 

 follows: — 'The Colonial Secretary forwarded a letter from 

 Mr. G. P. Dewar reporting a serious disease among the 

 cocoa-nut trees in Hanover. This disease was very contagious 

 and was spreading very rapidly. Jlr. Dewar inquired 

 whether the Government would introduce a bill compelling 

 the owners of trees attacked by the disease to cut them down, 

 and so check its spread. The matter was referred to the 

 Staple Product Committee.' 



According to Gillespie Bros. & Co.'s New York Market 

 Beport for March 16, ginger continues to be the principal 

 factor in the spice market. ' The continued upward movement 

 of the European market, and the situation in Jamaica as 

 reported by cable, make it almost impossible to attempt to 

 predict what price Jamaica root will reach, or even to name 

 quotations. London has advanced 'Is. per cwt. within the 

 past fortnight, and buyers here have advanced their ideas 

 Ic. per lb., but were unable to obtain anj- ginger even at the 

 advance. With the situation as it is to-day, it is possible to- 

 obtain almost any price within reason for the small parcels 

 that are coming to hand. On to-day's market, we quote from 

 8c. to 8;^c. per lb. for dark scraggy root, and from 10c. ta 

 llic. per lb. for the small white to bright bold ginger.' 



The cultivation of the seedless orange has created a revolu 

 tion in the orange-growing industry of the United States, 

 says the Florists' E.a-han'je. Since the early seventies, when 

 it was introduced from Brazil by William Judson, United 

 States Consul at Bahia, it has added •'?43,000,000 directly, 

 and 860,000,000 indirectly to the taxable w-ealth of 

 California. Mr. Judson heard of these peculiar trees when 

 travelling on the Amazon liiver, and sent a native, who 

 brought him some of the fruit and .some of the shoots of 

 the trees. He sent six shoots to the Department of 

 Agriculture at Washington, but they excited no interest 

 there, and in 1873 he sent four shoots to Southern 

 California. One died from neglect, another was eaten by 

 a cow, but the other two flourished. Sixteen seedless 

 oranges were the crop of these two shoots, and they were 

 carried from place to place for exhibition. It was feared 

 that the fruit would be hard at the next crop, but it 

 turned out better than before. Immense fields of oranges 

 are the result of the.se tw-o shoots first planted in Southern 

 California. 



