264 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 25, 1906. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



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 cultural News' should be addressed to the 

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glgriciittural |Tnu!i 



Vol. V. SATURDAY, AUGUST 2.5, 1906. No. 113. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



A new work on the cultivation of Para rubber 

 briefly reviewed in this issue's editorial. 



A note on the working of the Antigua Central 

 Sugar Factory appears on p. 259. This is followed by 

 a note on the feeding value of sugar. A brief review 

 of the sugar industry in Porto Rico will be found on 

 the same page. 



The ' Cotton Notes ' in this issue contain informa- 

 tion on the prospects of the industry in several of the 

 "West India Islands. The results of the investigations 

 into the unsatisfactory character of some of the 

 St. Vincent cotton seed are discussed on p. 261. 



An illustrated note on the avocado pear will be 

 found on p. 262, 



Trade in Green Limes. 



Reference was made in the Agricultand News 

 (Vol. V, p. 204) to a record shipment of green limes 

 from Dominica early in June last. It would appear 

 froiM the Leeward Islands i^rcc Prcs.s' that this enormous 

 shipment had a disastrous effect on the market. This 

 shipment, in addition to arrivals from Me.xico, Mont- 

 serrafc, Trinidad, and Porto Rico, completely demoralized 

 the market ; a state of affairs which brokers thought 

 would not recover for a month or si.\ weeks. 



There is no doubt that a trade of this sort, dealing 

 with a special product, requires very careful nursing, if 

 it is to become an asset of any value for the island. 

 The fruit growers will have to form some sort of 

 organization for the regulation of the output and their 

 nnitual protection. 



An interesting report from the Imperial Institute 

 on a sample of tobacco grown under shade at the Hope 

 E.xperiment Station, Jamaica, is published on p. 263. 



A report by the Mycologist on cacao disease on an 

 estate in Trinidad is published on p. 266. Recommenda- 

 tions are given for the treatment of diseased trees. 



The cultivation of broom corn and the prospects of 

 finding a market for this product in Canada are dealt 

 with on p. 267. 



Page 271 contains reviews of recently issued reports 

 on the Botanic Station, Agricultural School, and 

 Experiment Plots in St. Lucia : the Botanic Station in 

 Tobago, and the Stock Farms in Trinidad and Tobago. 



Quality of Nevis Cotton. 



It is much to be regretted that the quality of 

 Nevis cotton has, this season, been very poor. In 

 letters received by this Department from the British 

 Cotton-growing Association, and from Messrs. Wolsten- 

 holme and Holland, Nevis cotton is spoken of as 

 unsaleable. 



This unfortunate state of affairs may be in part 

 due to the drought, but it is feared that insufficient 

 attention was paid to the necessity of planting only the 

 best seed and to the subsequent cultivation of the 

 crop. It cannot be impressed upon growers too strongly 

 that unremitting attention is necessary at all stages in 

 cotton cultivation. Growers, in Nevis especially, are 

 therefore urged to remember this during the coming 

 season. 



Cotton from Carriacou. 



The Grenada Government Gazette, August 1, 

 contains correspondence from the Commissioner of 

 Carriacou relative to sales of Sea Island cotton shipped 

 from that island to the British Cotton-growing Associa- 

 tion in May last. 



The shipment included 2 bales of genuine Sea 

 Island and 1 bale of a variety known locally' as 'silk 

 cotton,' which Mr. Whitfield Smith regards as 'adegen 

 erate relic of the Sea Island type introduced into 

 Carriacou many years ago.' 



The former were described by the brokers as 

 fairly clean and bright and of fair length ; value, Vid. 

 to \W. per ft). The other bale was valued at Ihd. 

 per lb. A trial shipment of this cotton was made to 

 ascertain if it posessed any special market value. It 

 would appear to be equal in this respect to the Marie 

 Galante cotton generally grown in the island. 



With regard to the Sea Island cotton, the results 

 of the shi])ment are encouraging, when it is taken into 

 consideration that this is a first attempt and that the 

 peasants have not yet fully realized the importance of 

 thoroughly cleaning their raw cotton. 



