161 



Hill, in St. Elizabeth, as a splendid district for bananas and cocoa, but 

 neither was grown there so far. 



Banana Lands. — A memorandum on the exhaustion of potash on 

 banana lands was submitted, wiih a minute from Mr. Cousins on the 

 subject, which was offered for publication in the Agricultural Society's 

 Journal. 



Woodpeckers. — A letter from the Acting Colonial Secretary with 

 regard to Woodpeckers was read, in which it was stated that His Ex- 

 cellency the Governor in Privy Council had considered the question of 

 removing these birds from the list of protected birds, and decided that 

 they should not be removed. 



Prison Farm. — A letter from Mr. J. T. Palache was read asking if 

 he could be permitted to take representatives of the Branch Agricul- 

 tural Societies in Manchester, to see the cultivation at the Prison 

 Farm, and if these could get free passes on the Railway. 



It was decided to consider the matter of offering reduced fares to 

 approved parties of six members of branch societies generally for the 

 purpose named. 



Bees Wax. — A minute from Mr. Cousins was read reporting that he 

 had analyzed samples of bees wax taken by the Constabulary all over 

 the Island, and these were all found to be genuine. 



The meeting adjourned to 14th July. 



CITRUS FRUIT CULTURE. 



By J. VV. Mills. * 

 Working-over old Orchards. 



In every fruit district the introduction of inferior varieties neces- 

 sarily causes much loss to growers, as it is expensive to replant or to 

 work over old orchards. This is the price that horticulturists willingly 

 pay for new and improved varieties. The orange-growers of southern 

 California have experimented with almost every known variety, and 

 have been compelled to abandon a number that once were popular. 

 The heaviest loss incurred was because of the iuferior Australian Navel 

 which proceeded the Washington Navel and suificiently resembles it 

 in growth to have been sold in numbers of cases for that far better 

 variety. In recent years many trees of Australian Navel, Mediter- 

 ranean Sweet, and seedlings have been rebudded to the Washington 

 Navel and its improved types. 



While it is easy to perform the operation of budding, it requires 

 special knowledge and skill to get the new tree-top rightly started and 

 through the first season. Even an old orange tree will take buds in 

 the main branches or trunk, and will produce a luxuriant growth from 

 the buds the first year, if properly managed. But if such trees lose 

 their lops after the first summer's growth, they are usually worthless 

 or are not profitable for years. In such cases it is better to take out 

 the trees and plant young budded trees from the nursery. 



* University of California, Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 138. 



