Vol. V. No. 117. 



THE AGKICULTUEAL NEWS. 



329 



San Joaquin, not many miles from our south-western 

 frontier.' 



On the Pomeroon, cacao does not appear to thrive 

 so well as in manj' other parts of the colony. This 

 Mr. McTurk attributes to want of deeper drainage, 

 rather than to any inherent defects in the soil. 



Agricultural News. 



In consequence of the adoption of a better class of 

 paper, with a view to obtaining better results with the 

 blocks used for illustrating the Agrlcidtu.ral News, 

 single copies of this publication now require \d. for 

 postage. 



It has therefore been decided to raise the post-free 

 subscription rate from 3.s. 3f?. to 4s. 4cL per annum. 

 Subscribers and local agents will kindly note that this 

 change will be made at the commencement of next year. 



Planters and Pupils. 



It is desired to draw attention to the follow- 

 ing announcement in the ^Vest India Committee 

 Circidar : — 



Being constantly asked for the names of planters willing 

 to receive pupils or visitors on their estates for a small 

 premium or weekly payment, it has been decided to insert 

 advertisements from such planters for the nominal sum of 

 10s. per annum in a special column which will be provided 

 for this purpose. It is believed that this will be the means 

 of placing intending settlers into communication with the 

 planters in the West Indies, and will prove of mutual 

 advantage, and from the numbers of inquiries which have 

 been received, there is no doubt whatever that this arrange- 

 ment will prove advantageous if generally supported and 

 taken up. 



In view of the many inquiries received by this 

 Department of a similar nature to those mentioned 

 above, it is thought that this proposal of the West 

 India Committee is likely to prove a very useful move. 



Cotton Seed as a Human Food. 



A review of the cotton seed industry, in the 

 U. S. Monthly Consular Reports, for June, contains 

 some interesting facts in regard to the uses of 

 cotton seed. Last year 4,500,000 tons of seed were 

 bought from the southern planters, and the sum of 

 i?7.3,000,000 was paid to them, thus adding practically 

 25 per cent, to the value of the cotton crop. It is 

 likely that a recognition of the value of cotton-seed 

 meal as human food will further increase the value of 

 cotton seed. Professor J. H. Connell, of Texas, 

 exhibited at a recent meeting of the Cotton Seed 

 Crushers' Association at Atlanta, Georgia, samples of 

 biscuits and cakes made from a combination of cotton- 

 seed meal and wheat flour, which were pronounced to 

 be delicate and tasty. 



For cooking purposes cotton-seed oil was, he said, 

 equal in all respects to the best lard. By an invention 

 of comparatively recent times, cotton-seed oil could be 

 freed from the impurities which gave it a rank odour. 

 So-called olive oil contained a large percentage of 

 cotton-seed oil. 



West Indies at tlie Canadian Exliibitions. 



Elsewhere in these columns is published a short 

 account of the West Indian exhibits at the Canadian 

 National Exhibition at Toronto and the Doniinion 

 Exhibition at Halifax. It is evident from the press 

 reports that considerable interest has been attracted 

 by this section at both exhibitions. 



It will be remembered that the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, realizing the advantages that were 

 likely to accrue to the West Indies by reason of closer 

 commercial relations with the Dominion of Canada, 

 impressed on the various Governments the advisability 

 of securing the adequate representation of these islands 

 at the Canadian Exhibitions. Permanent committees 

 were appointed in most of the islands, to which was 

 deputed the work of collecting and forwarding exhibits. 



All who have taken part in this work are to be 

 congrattdated upon the success that has met their 

 efforts and upon the lively interest that has been 

 attracted by the West Indian exhibits on the part of 

 Canadian manufacturers and also trade representatives 

 from the United States, who visited the exhibitions in 

 great numbers. 



As previously mentioned in the Agricidtural 

 News, the Imperial Department of Agriculture issued 

 a special handbook containing information in regard 

 not only to the exhibits, but also to the economic 

 resources of the West Indies. This course was evidently 

 much appreciated. As an instance of the educational 

 value of the exhibition, the CanadAan Grocer mentions 

 the case of a teacher who asked for a supply of these 

 handbooks to enable him to give one to each of his 

 pupils. 



On p. 325 of this issue of the Agricultural News 

 there will be found an illustration of the West Indian 

 exhibit. 



The World's Cacao Trade. 



According to the figures published in the 'German 

 Cacao Trade Journal,' there has been a steady increase 

 in the world's cacao production since 1901. The 

 principal producers, Ecuador, Brazil, Trinidad, San 

 Domingo, Venezuela, and Grenada have all shown very 

 considerable increases in their output. The production 

 is also largely increasing in British West Africa, the 

 German Colonies, Cuba, and Porto Rico. 



' Planting of high-grade cacao is not being carried 

 on to the same extent as that of the cheaper varieties, 

 which may be accounted for by the fact that cacao is 

 no longer merely a luxury, but is becoming a staple 

 article of food even among the working classes, this end 

 having been brought about by improved manufacturing 

 methods which have enabled the lower grades of cacao 

 to be handled to advantage.' 



In regard to the world's consumption of cacao, the 

 United States led in 1904, using 33,159 tons. Germany 

 followed with 27,101 tons, France with 21,799, the 

 United Kingdom with 20,552, and the Netherlands 

 with 21,124 tons. Hamburg has become the leading 

 centre of the cacao trade, having surpassed Havre and 

 New York. London is losing ground year by year. 



