292 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



September 22, 1906. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



A NEW BANANA. 



In a report on a botanical mission through the 

 Forest districts of Bnddii, etc., of the Uganda 

 Protectorate, Mr. M. T. Dawe, Officer-in-charge of the 

 Forestry and Scientific Department, describes the 

 finding of a new banana in the Toro district, the 

 description ot which is as follows ; — 



It is singular in that it has not the usual cone of male 

 Hewers and bracts at the extremity of the panicle, which is 

 abrupt and only prolonged a few inches beyond the fruiting 

 portion. The launch has from five to thirty fingers or even 

 more ; but the fewer the bunch contains the larger they are. 

 They are frequently 12 to 15 inches long and from 7 to 9 

 inches in circumference They are excellent to eat when ripe 

 and are also very useful for cooking purposes. 



Dr. Stapf, of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, considers 

 it to be closely allied to iVtisa cornindata, a Malayan species, 

 the fruit of which has been compared with a cucumber as 

 regards shape and size. 



JAMAICA ORANGES. 



The West India Committee Gircvdar publislie.s 

 the following as a warning to Jamaica fruit growers : — 



Dealing with the imports of oranges into the United 

 Kingdom from .lainaica, the Fruit-Grotrcr reminds the 

 Jamaica growers and senders that the immense advantage 

 which this practical monoply gives should be made the most 

 of. There is no fruit grown more welcome during the late 

 summer and early autumn months than oranges, and Jamaica 

 oranges are especially good from the fact that they are 

 thin-skinned, have an exceedingly refreshing juice, and are, 

 in fact, an all-round fine fruit for hot weather. There is 

 scarcely any limit to the quantity of such fruit we can take. 

 It should therefore be a subject for earnest conference 

 amongst the growers and others interested in orange 

 shipments from Jamaica to see how far such a demand can 

 be met. The statistics compiled by Mr. B. t'. Orgill, which 

 show that a total of over 84,000 cases of citrus fruits 

 were sent from Jamaica to the United Kingdom between 

 August 23, 190-5, and February 1, 1906, and that Jamaica 

 has practically the entire market for oranges for nearly three 

 months, are interesting from many points of view, and are 

 likely to be very carefully digested in all parts of the world 

 where oranges can be grown for export. So that, unless the 

 Jamaica growers put their house in order at once, it is more 

 than likely that we shall find these fruits reaching us from 

 other sources. 



BUDDED ORANGES IN TRINIDAD. 



The following is extracted from the Annual Report 

 of the Trinidad Botanical Department : — 



When the Experiment Station was .started in 1898, one 

 of the first works carried out was the planting of a select lot 

 of orange trees, which had shortly before been imported from 

 Florida. 



Well-established budded plants of all the jkinds can 

 bo ijurchased at the nurseries, but the demand is so large 

 that orders should be lodged well beforehand, and can only 

 be taken in rotation. It may be said of them that there is 

 not a bad kind in the lot of fourteen varieties. They do not 

 show to advantage in the dry soil at St. Clair, and the fruit 

 of some kinds in adverse seasons is necessarily small, but 

 planted in good soil, it has been seen th.at they [iroduee fruit 

 excellent in size and quality. 



Plants bought at the St. Clair nurseries have been 

 known to fruit in their fourth year. The price lias been 

 Is. each — well established in bamboo 

 the nurseries. This is practically cost 



fixed at 2-lc., or 

 pots, delivered at 

 price. 



A list of these varieties of oranges w^as published 

 in the Agricultural News, Vol. V, p. 20. 



PINE-APPLES FROM DOMINICA. 



In June last, three crates of pine-apples, grown at 

 the Dominica Botanic Station, were shipped to Messrs. 

 George Monro, Ltd., of Covent Garden. Two of the 

 crates contained ' Smooth Cayenne ' pine-apples, and 

 the other ' Bullheads,' and it was with reference to the 

 latter, especially, that a Covent Garden opinion was 

 desired. 



Messrs. Monro reported : — 



This variety is apparently a cross from the 'Ripley 

 Queen,' as it is very similar in some respects to it. Most of 

 these were ripe, but not of so good a shape as the ' Smooth 

 Cayenne,' and customers do not appear to take to them. . . 

 The quality is good, and they might possibly sell if customers 

 get to know them, but at present there is nothing that takes 

 the market better, and is more reliable, than the ' Smooth 

 Cayenne.' In fact there is nothing else coming from the 

 Azores but that variety. 



The three crates sold for £3 ISs. dd. 



