Vol. V. No. 108. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



18.5 



Agriculture in the Leeward Islands. 



The Blue Book on the Leeward Islands for 1904-.5, 

 just issued, contains a review of the agricultural 

 improvements daring the year. 



After a reference to the establishment of the two 

 central sugar factories in Antigua, it is stated that the 

 operation of the contract entered into by the owners 

 of certain muscovado sugar estates in Nevis to purchase 

 canes from the peasantry on a sliding scale had proved 

 very beneficial. ' The expei'iments with varieties of 

 sugar-cane, conducted by the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, are watched with interest and participated 

 in by the planters.' 



The assistance offered by the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture in connexion with the cotton industr}', 

 together with the enterprise of growers, had enabled 

 a real and business-like attempt to be made to produce 

 cotton of the first quality. 



In Dominica, the cultivation of limes and cacao was 

 steadily increasing, and a growing trade in fresh fruit, 

 particularly oranges and limes, was springing up. ' The 

 exports of the island, which is now in a flourishing 

 condition, are steadily growing.' 



In Montserrat the lime industrj' was once more 

 established, while the cotton industry had been taken 

 up in the Virgin Islands. 



Sugar-cane Experiments in Jamaica. 



A report by Mr. H. H. Cousins, M.A., F.C.S., 

 Island Chemist, on the work of the Sugar Experiment 

 Station in Jamaica for the year 1905, has recently been 

 issued. The report is divided into five parts as follows : 

 (i) Manurial experiments on estates; (ii) varietal 

 experiments on estates; (iii) selection and trial of 

 seedling canes at the central station ; (iv) distillery 

 experiments ; (v) report by the Fermentation Chemist 

 on the manufacture of Jamaica rum. 



For the season 1904-5 manurial experiments were 

 conducted on six estates with plant canes and on two 

 estates with ratoon canes. 



With regard to the varietal trials on estates, it is 

 mentioned that only two estates were able to carry on 

 experiments, but during the coming season this work 

 is to be largely extended. The selection and trials of 

 seedlings at the central station will be dealt with in 

 a future issue of the Agricultural News. Some 

 interesting results have been obtained. 



While it is not suggested that any sweeping 

 generalizations should be drawn from the preliminary 

 distillery experiments, which are only in their first 

 season, the records are likely to be of intei'est to all 

 connected with this branch of the sugar industry. 



In the last section of this repoi't the Fermentation 

 Chemist gives the results of his personal experience in 

 the distilleries and his observations upon the types of 

 micro-organisms which he has found to be at work. 



It may be mentioned that the Sugar Experiment 

 Station was established in consequence of the passing 

 of a special law in 1903, by which the Legislature 

 appropriated the Imperial Grant-in-aid of the sugar 

 industry amounting to £10,000. 



Exports of Ceylon. 



In a review of the colony's trade, in the Annual 

 Report for 1904, it is stated that the products of the 

 cocoa-nut palm represent nearly 25 per cent, of the 

 export of Ceylon produce. The total value of the 

 exports of such products during the year was 

 £1,627,260. There was a decrease in the export of 

 oil and poonac, but cocoa-nuts and copra show an 

 increase. There is reported to have been a very large 

 extension of cocoa-nut plantations in the North- 

 western Province. The export of tea (158,000,000 lb.) 

 is the largest yet recorded ; but the value has decreased. 

 This is due to the fall in value of Ceylon tea in the 

 British market. It is believed that the future is more 

 hopeful on account of the successful exploitation of new 

 markets and the consequent relief in the strain on the 

 home market. 



The value of the cacao exports increased during 

 the year, but the price was lower than in 1903. The 

 main cause of the low value of the Cej'lon cacao is the 

 mixed nature of the purple and white seeds. 



The rubber industry attracted much attention 

 during the year. The Para rubber tree has generally 

 been planted, mainly in conjunction with tea and cacao. 



Many other crops have been grown, and experi- 

 ments with new varieties have been carried on by the 

 agricultural department. 



^m I -^^^— 



Composition of Wheat Flour. 



In the Booh of the Rothamsted Experiments, 

 Mr. A. D. Hall discusses the question of the composition 

 of the wheat grain and its mill products. This was 

 a question to which Lawes and Gilbert devoted much 

 attention. In a paper published in 1857, they showed 

 that, as a result of exjjerimental millings of wheat 

 grain, the percentage of nitrogen was lowest in the 

 flour itself, but increased considei-ably in the more 

 branny portions. The ash was ten times as great in the 

 coarsest bran as in the finest flour. 



These investigators strongl}- protested, however, 

 against the idea that the whole meal of the wheat grain 

 is the most nutritive food, and that ordinary white 

 bread is deprived of much of its value by reason of the 

 removal of the bran. It was well known that the branny 

 portions had a decided aperient action, which caused 

 them to pass through the body too rapidly, consequent- 

 ly before the system had extracted as much nutritious 

 matter as they should yield. 



' Of course, if the branny portions were reduced to 

 a perfect state of fineness, and it were found that this 

 prevented the aperient action . . . there might be some 

 advantage. But to suppose that whole-wheat-meal, as 

 ordinarily prepared, is, as has generally been assumed, 

 weight for weight more nutritious than ordinary bread- 

 flour is an utter fallacy, founded on thereotical text- 

 book dicta, not only entirely unsupported by experience, 

 but inconsistent with it.' 



Mr. Hall states that the result of an elaborate 

 experimental test of this subject by the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, during the last few years, has 

 been to confirm fully Lawes and Gilbert's opinion of the 

 superior nutritive value of white bread. 



