Tol. V. No. 122. 



THE AGEtCULTURAL NEWS. 



413 



mPonT^ 



JAMAICA : REPORT ON THE GOVERNMENT 

 LABORATORY FOR 1905-6. By H. H. Cousins, M.A., 

 J.C.S. 



During the period covered by tins report 1,213 samples 

 were dealt with ; of these 102 were official ; 193, agricultural ; 

 49, general ; while 869 were for the Sugar Experiment Station. 



Sixty-six soils were analysed, and in each case a certain 

 line of treatment was deduced. A report was issued, in 

 •conjunction with Mr. Cradwick, upon the soils of St. Jlary 

 and Upper Clarendon. Analyses of native food stuffs brought 

 -out the superior C|uality of native maize as regards albu- 

 minoids in comparison with the imported maize. 



Reference is made to the work of the Sugar Experiment 

 Station, as also to certain other interesting points in this 

 report, elsewhere in these columns. 



In conne.xion with agricultural education, it is mentioned 

 that thirteen students attended the course of study in 

 agricultural science during the year. A special course for 

 -distillers was held in August. The work of the Lecturer in 

 Agriculture in connexion with the training of teachers is also 

 reported upon. 



BRITISH GUIANA .- REPORT OF THE GO VERN- 

 MENT ANALYST FOR 1905-6. By .J. B. Harrison, 

 ■Q.U.G., M.A., F.I.C., F.G.S. 



During the year under review .5,488 samples were 

 received at the Government Laboratory for e.xamination. Of 

 these, 2,071 were sent in by the Comptroller of Customs, 

 764 by the Inspector General of Police, and -583 by the 

 Board of Agriculture. 



In connexion with the examination of articles of food 

 .-and drink, reference is made to the large proportion of 

 samples of adulterated milk. The infliction of heavy fines 

 .for the sale of adulterated milk by the Georgetown Magis- 

 trates has had the effect of lowering the exceptionally high 

 rates reported in the previous year. 



Reference was made in the last issue of the Agricultural 

 .News (p. 396) to the analyses of sugar-cane and its products. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Luperial Commissioner of Agriculture and the 

 -Scientific staff of the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture will be away from headquarters from January 

 8 to 20, 1907, attending the West Indian Agricultural 

 Conference at Jamaica. 



The Hon. Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., Superinten- 

 dent of Agi'icnltnre for the Leeward Islands, returned 

 from leave of absence in R. M. S. ' Magdeiena ' on 

 December 11. After remaining at Barbados in connex- 

 ion with official business at the Head Office, Dr. Watts 

 "-•embarked in S. S. ■' Oruro ' for Antigua on December 1.5. 



BOTANICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN 

 JAMAICA. 



The November issue of the Journal of the 

 N'ew York Botavical Oarden contains an account by 

 the Director (Dr. N. L. Britton) of a plant-collecting 

 expedition, which visited Jamaica in September 1906. 



The unexplored parts of the Cockpit country in the 

 west-central district of Jamaica and the .John Crow itountain.5 

 at the eastern end were to be explored. The expedition, 

 guided by the Superintendent of Hope Gardens, .spent 

 a week at the eastern edge of the Cockpit country. The 

 region is one of porous limestone, about 2,000 feet 

 above sea-level, sparsely populated, and travelling is difficult 

 and slow. Complete exploration of the district would rei^uire 

 a pack-train and camp outfit. Many novelties and new 

 species were found, however. Dr. Britton hopes that 

 a complete investigation may be made before the cutting 

 down of timber has altered the flora. 



A week was spent in the higher portions of the Blue 

 Mountains, at Cinchona, the New York Botanical Garden's 

 tropical laboratory. A path led to an elevation of 7,000 feet. 

 Here rare mosses and liverworts were found. 



For three days the expedition went to Hollymount, in the 

 centre of the Island, where collections were made and near 

 whicli cacti were found. A special study was made of .Jamaica 

 palms. The tallest palm native to the island is the cabbage 

 ])a.\m {Orcod'XK-a oleracea), the royal palm {Oreodo.ra rer/ia) not 

 growing wild, although it is much planted for ornamental 

 purposes. Several days were spent at Hope, studying the 

 plantations and herbarium. Castleton Gardens in the wet 

 region, near the centre of the island, were also visited. 

 Of these gardens Dr. Britton says : ' A very notable collec- 

 tion of economic tropical trees from all parts of the world 

 has been brought together here, including, probably, the 

 niost complete series of palms to be found anywhere in 

 America, all in fine condition.' The collections of prepared 

 specimens and of living plants made during the expedition 

 aggregate some .5,000 specimens. 



GUAYULE RUBBER. 



Considerable interest has of late been attracted to 

 what is known as ' Guayule ' rubber in Mexico. The 

 following information in regard to this plant is extract- 

 ed from an article in the Tro2xn2^flanzer, for May 

 1905 :— 



The 'Guayule' {Parthenium argentatum) is a low 

 perennial composite about 2 feet high, with grey bark, silvery 

 leaves, and inconspicuous yellowish flower-heads on long 

 stalks. It is widely spread along the dry calcareous steppes 

 of the northern part of the high plateaux of Mexico, at an 

 elevation of 2,800 to 5,200 feet. 



This plant yields no latex when wounded, but the 

 caoutchouc is in closed cells in the bark and the wood. To 

 extract the rubber, the whole plant is dried, ground up, and 

 as much of the woody matter as possible removed from the 

 small round lumps of rubber which result from the grinding. 

 The rest of the woody matter is then dissolved with hot 

 ■ alkali, and the rubber pressed into large, flat cakes. 



The product contains as much as 10 to 27 per cent, of 

 resins and aromatic substances, and has sold for l.s. 5(7. 

 to 2s. 4c/. per ft). One factory is now working, and four 

 others are planned. It is estimated that the plants growing 

 wild contain about 30,000 tons of this rubber, which will 

 supply the factories for some years. Some 7 to 12 per 

 cent, of impure rubber can be obtained from the plant. 



