Vol. V. No. 112. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



249 



The Value of Agricultural Instruction. 



In a recent report to the Jamaica Agricultural 

 Society, one of the local Agricultural Instructors refers 

 to the increased attention being paid to the subject of 

 school gardens. Both teachers and scholars appeared 

 anxious to have good gardens. This, was particularly 

 noticeable in the case of teachers who had attended the 

 annual courses of agricultural instruction. ' One was 

 constantly meeting cases where real practical good had 

 been derived from these courses . . , and there were 

 instances where the influence for good was spreading 

 far beyond the school, and was gradually having a good 

 •effect on the whole district.' 



He also referred to the advantage derived from the 

 fact that many of these teachers were secretaries of 

 the local branches of the Agricultural Society. 



Exports of Martinique. 



The Consular Report on the trade of ^Martinique 

 for the year 1905 shows that the total value of the 

 exports from the island amounted, during the year 

 under review, to £72.5, 400, as against £(5lC,788 in 

 1904, an increase of £19<S,409. Nearly all the products 

 ■of the island shared in this increase. 



The principal product of Martinique is sugar, 

 of which 30,180 tons, of the value of £466,101, were 

 ■exported. The exports of rum amounted to 2,014,.338 

 gallons (valued at £136,647). 



The output of coffee rose from .3,298 lb. in 1904 

 to 27,484 ft), in the year under review : that of cacao 

 :from 6,264 cwt. to 9,22.5 cwt. 



The other exports of Martinique are hides, cassia, 

 logwood, vanilla, and musk seed. 



Agriculture in Porto Rico. 



The Consular Report on the trade of Porto Rico 

 for the year 1905 contains interesting references to the 

 agriculture of the island, which appears to be in a very 

 healthy state. 



Great advance is being made in the sugar industry, 

 which is attracting capital. The value of the crop 

 shows an advance of £743,161 on the previous year. 



It is stated that the conditions are so favourable 

 for the citrus industry that the grower may expect to 

 enjoy a profit of £40 per acre by the end of the fifth 

 year from planting. 



There are about 6,000 acres devoted to cotton 

 planting, but this area is not likely to be increased. 

 Tobacco was exported from the island to the value of 

 £659,620. Considerable improvement is noted both in 

 the quality and quantity, and further attention has 

 been paid to the cultivation of superior wrapper 

 tobacco under shade. 



The coffee industry' showed little or no improve- 

 ment on the past year's conditions of depression. 

 Pine-apple growing, both for export whole and for 

 ■canning, is increasing in favour. It is estimated that 

 4,000,000 plants were set out during the year. Pine- 

 apples are largely planted in the orange groves. 



Rubber Planting in Trinidad. 



It would appear from the Annual Report of the 

 Botanical Department that much interest is being 

 taken in rubber planting in Trinidad. The various 

 kinds of rubber plants are reported to have been in 

 constant demand at the nurseries; 11,876 rubber plants 

 were distributed during the year. The supply of Hevea 

 seed and plants is unequal to the demand, but, as many 

 of the trees are commencing to bear, this difficulty 

 will soon be disposed of. The possession of fruiting 

 trees of West African rubber {Funtumia elastica) 

 added largely to the income derived from the sale of 

 plants and seeds. 



Of Castilloa rubber Mr. Hart says : — 



' Several plantations, of over 20,000 trees each, now 

 exist. On most estates the growth is excellent, one 

 which was recently visited being able to show trees, 

 six and a half years old, having a diameter of 12 inches 

 at 3 feet from the ground. These trees are sufficiently 

 mature to give good rubber, as was proved by trial 

 bleedings, but it is doubtful if it would prove true 

 economy to bleed at so early an age. On another 

 estate where there are trees ov-er twenty years of age, 

 excellent rubber was produced.' 



Funtumia elastica, has shown its suitability for 

 cultivation in Trinidad. ' It yields excellent rubber 

 at six years old, which is more easily prepared than 

 any other kind. The seeds grow freely, and young 

 plants stand considerable hardship.' 



West Indian Bulletin. 



The second number of the West Indian Bulletin, 

 (Vol. VII), issued to-day, contains several papers of 

 general interest to West Indian agriculturists. 



First comes a review of the efforts of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, 

 contained in a letter addressed by Sir Daniel Morris, 

 K.C.M.G., D.Sc, etc., to the Secretary of State for 

 the Colonies, forwarding a report on the Department, 

 which has been published as ColWial Reports — Miscel- 

 laneous, No. 36. 



Next comes a technical paper by Dr. Watts and 

 Mr. H A. Tempany on the ' Polarimetric Determination 

 of Sucrose' (Part II). This is a continuation of the 

 previous paper published in the West Indian Bulletin 

 (Vol. VI, pp. 52-60). 



A report by Mr. Charles Allan, B.Sc, Fermentation 

 Chemist in Jamaica, on the manufacture of Jamaica 

 rum, reviews the methods at present in vogue for 

 manufacturing ' cornmon clean ' rum and the high- 

 flavoured rum known as ' German rum.' Mr. Allan 

 shows that these methods are of a haphazard, rule-of- 

 thumb nature, and should be replaced by a standardized 

 method with a view to ensuring uniformity of quality 

 with the minimum waste of materials. 



A very interesting paper by Mr. Thomas Thornton, 

 A.R.C.S., on the " Improvement of Cotton by Seed Selec- 

 tion,' is reviewed in the editorial to this issue. Cotton 

 growers will also find useful matter in a paper on the 

 manuring of cotton. r 



The other subjects dealt with are the ' Canning of 

 Pine-apples' and the 'Production of Camphor.' 



