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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 20, 1906. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



ORANGES AND GRAPE FRUIT IN CUBA. 



Mr. F. S. Earle, late L)irector of the Agricultural 

 Station, writes as follows in the Cuba Review on the 

 best varieties of oranges and grape fruit for cultivation 

 in Cuba: — 



The two oranges that have so far given the most uniform 

 satisfaction are Pine-apple for early and Valencia for late. 

 They are both of very good Havoiir and are smooth and 

 attractive in appearance. 



The Navel or 'seedless,' as it is so often called, must 

 still be placed in the doubtful list. The indications are that 

 it will be sufficiently fruitful and that on some soils at least 

 it will be thin-skinned and of sufficiently good quality. In 

 ■other localities it shows a tendency to be coarse in texture 

 and poor in quality. It will doubtless do better as trees get 

 a little more age and as growers learn better how to manage 

 and fertilize it. Here, in most seasons, it ripens very early 

 and it gets sweet enough to be quite good to cat long before 

 it colours. In fact, failure to colour properly promises to be 

 one of its failings. 



Parson Brown has been planted considerably for an 

 ■early orange. It seems to have little to recommend it except 

 its earliness. The quality is only fair and it has only a short 

 shipping season, and in some years it has exhibited an 

 alarming tendency to develop a brown rot at the blossom end. 



The Pine-apple is a much better orange in every way and 

 is nearly as early. ^lany other cringes are being planted 

 in an experimental way, but as yet no positive opinion can 

 be formed of them. 



The Dancy Tangerine is probably the best of the ' kid 

 ^love ' class. It comes into bearing early and bears very 

 heavily, but the trees do not seem to be quite so vigorous as 

 would be desirable. 



GR.\PE FKUIT. 



Of the grape fruits, JIarsh's Seedless and Duncan 

 are pirobably being planted more than any others. Both 

 are good, thrifty trees and come into bearing young. The 

 Marsh runs a little small, but as the market developed 

 last winter this may not prove to be a disadvantage. It is 

 nearly, though not quite, seedless. The Duncan is a large, 

 handsome fruit and is a little better flavoured than the 

 Marsh. There are also some local kinds of great value that 

 are beginning to attract attention and are being propagated 

 by some. Too much cannot be said in regard to the superior 

 quality of Cuban grape fruit. The flavour for some reason is 

 milder and richer here than in either Florida or California. 

 When fully ripe they may be eaten out of hand like an orange. 



without the need of sugar. They are already attracting the 

 favourable attention of the market, and there seems room for 

 a very large development of the Cuban grape fruit industry. 

 They hang on the tree after ripennig much better than the 

 orange and are much iafer to ship and handle. Fruit that is 

 fully ripe in November will hang on the trees uninjured till 

 May or .Tune, tlius giving a great advantage in marketing. 



APPLE BANANA. 



The apple banana, with a slightly acid flavour, is 

 commonly grown in some of these islands, especially in 

 St. Lucia, Dominica, and Grenada. The S]5anish name 

 is Mansana. 



The plant is usually very tall, 13 to 17 feet high, and 

 on that account is liable to be injured by high winds. The 

 individual fruits or fingers are smaller than the Chinese or 

 Dwarf banana, but larger than the Silk or Ladies finger. 

 A fine hand of the Apple banana, containing forty-one fingers, 

 grown at Barbados, was recently forwarded to the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture by Dr. lb A. Stoute. This may 

 possibly be the highest number oi fingers on one hand yet oa 

 record. 



It may be mentioned that the pnoduction at the 

 Tobago Botanic Station of a bunch of the Apple banana, 

 weighing 100 lb., was recorded in the Aaricultural jfews, 

 Vol in, p. S^IS. 



ORANGE WINE. 



A new product is announced from St. Vincent in 

 the form of ' orange wine.' This has been prepared 

 by Mr. W. C. Forde from juice expressed from oranges 

 crrown in the island, and is described as ' an invigorat- 

 ing, delicious, and refreshing beverage.' 



Commenting on this enterprise as worthy of local 

 support, the St. Vincent Sentr-y says: — 



Apart from the economic view, the deliciousness of the 

 beverage appeals to the taste, and an unprejudiced trial by 

 the public will very probably result in the permanency of 

 their jiatronage. Sir Daniel Morris, the Inqierial Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, remarking on a sample bottle which 

 was submitted to him, whilst admitting the wine to be 

 ' palatable and refreshing,' speaks encouragingly of it, and 

 ' trusts that Mr. Forde will be able to make a profitable 

 industry of it.' 



