152 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 12, 1906. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well 

 as all specimens for naming, should be addressed 

 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agri- 

 cultural News' should be addressed to the 

 Agents, and not to the Department. 



Liical Agents: ile.ssr.s. Bowen & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Coiii- 

 mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.G. A ctunplete list of 

 Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural Neirs: Price If?, per number, 

 post free li(7. Annual .subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Post free. 3.s-. Zd. 



Slqriiniltural v^liuuH 



Vol. V. 



SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1906. No. 106. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



Particulars ai-e given in the editorial of this issue 

 as to the exhibitions to be held in Canada this year. 

 There will be the annual exhibition at Toronto from 

 August 2.5 to September 8, to be followed by the 

 Dominion exhibition at Halifax from September 22 to 

 October 15. It is recommended that the West Indies 

 should assist Messrs. Pickford & Black to secure 

 a prominent position for them at both these exhibitions. 



The operations of the Naudet diffusion process 

 for sugar extraction are being watched with consider- 

 able interest throughout the sugar-growing world. 

 Information is published on p. 147 which goes to show- 

 that the process has given very satisfactory results in 

 Trinidad and has now passed the experimental stage. 

 On the same page will be found a statement as to the 

 results of growing West Indian seedling canes in Cuba. 



The illustrated article on steam ploughing in the 

 West Indies (p. 149) will also be of interest to sugar 

 planters. Satisfactory results having been obtained 

 in Trinidad and Antigua, it is probable that there 

 will be an extension of this .system of tillage. 



Further information with regard to the sales of 

 West Indian Sea Island cotton appears on jj. 150. 



On p. 154 there are illustrated articles of interest 

 in regard to West Indian insect pests. Attention 

 might also be drawn to the illustration showing 

 the powder bellows for distributing Paris green. 



Useful hints as to the judging of fruits and 

 vegetables at agricultural shows appear on p. 155. 



West Indian Bulletin. 



The first number of Vol. VII uf the Wi'st Indian 

 Bulletin will be readv lor distribution in the course of 

 the next few days. It will contain a number of papers 

 <jf general interest to West Indian planters. These 

 include a pajier by Dr. Francis Watts on the Agri- 

 cultural Industries of Montserrat, and one reviewing 

 the Cotton Industry in the Leeward Islands. There are 

 also two interesting papers on entomological subjects. 



Exports of Dominica. 



It is of interest to pass in brief j'eview an official 

 statement of the exports of Dominica during the year 

 1905. A similar review for the previous year will be 

 found in the Agricultural News, Vol. IV, p. 152. 

 There it was stated that the most valuable product of 

 the island was cacao, the exports of which, in that 

 year, amounted in value to £21,325. 



In spite, however, of an increase in the exports of 

 cacao, the first place is now taken by concentrated 

 lime juice, of which 124.U25 gallons were exported, the 

 value being £2(i,4S3, as against £17,792 in 1904. The 

 output of cacao has increased from 9,880 cwt. to 

 11.840 cwt., the value for the year being placed at 

 £25,554. The exports of other lime products were as 

 follows: raw lime juice (104,475 gallons), £5,483; fresh 

 limes (13,5(i4 barrels), £4,747: lime oil, £1,947: pickled 

 limes, £241. It will thus be seen that the lime 

 industry was worth £38,901, as compared with a total 

 of £28,986 in the previous year. 



Tobago, Hints to Settlers. 



A useful little handbook on Tobag(j, containing 

 hints to settlers, has been prepared and will be issued 

 m the course of the next few days as No. 41 of the 

 Pamphlet Series of the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture. It is of a similar character to that 

 pre|jared for Dominica by Mr. H. Hesketh Bell 

 (Pamphlet Series, No. 24). It contains, however, 

 a map of the island and ten full-page illustrations. 

 The text of the pamphlet was prepared by Mr. James 

 Todd Rosseau, the Magistrate and Warden of Tobago, 

 with the assistance, in regard to cacao and rubber 

 cultivation, of Captain M. Short, the Chairman, and 

 Mr. Harry Smith, the Secretary, of the Tobago 

 Planters' Association. 



As is shown in another column, the value of the 

 exports of Tobago is increasing. The cacao industry 

 of the island is very promising, while it apjjears that 

 the cultivation of rubber, which is a comjiaratively 

 new industry, is likely to give good i-esults. Cotton 

 is an industry well suited to the south-western district 

 of the island. 



Appendices contain valuable information in regard 

 to the cost of bringing 100 acres of forest land into 

 full bearing in cacao. The capital necessary is 

 £2,000 to £3,000. There are fjivourable openings for 

 young men possessing the necessary capital and 

 energy to start cultivations of cacao, rubber, cotton, 

 and other crops in Tobago. 



