begin to decay, the "head" is ripe. The heads, as a rule, are 

 lifted, and kept perfectly dry till required for planting. Shoots 

 are produced by these in the same way as produced by potatoes 

 that are kept for seed. Generally, the heads are planted whole, 

 but occasionally a head is composed of two or three small tubers, 

 and these are separated and planted, two of these small heads 

 being placed in a hill instead of one strong one. 



Preparing the hills. The cultivator with his hoe digs the ground 

 on an area of about four feet by three ; he thoroughly pulverizes 

 this and picks out all stones, roots, &c., and draws the soil into a 

 mound. The hills are usually 6 feet apart, and when all are pre- 

 pared, he proceeds to plants his "heads." With his hand he 

 makes an opening in the centre of the hill or mound of earth, and 

 carefully plants his " seed," generally one strong head to each hill. 

 As soon as planting is finished, he puts a stout bamboo pole or 

 stake firmly in the ground, one to each plant, as a support for the 

 vines to twine on, and he slants these in one direction up the hill 

 (yams are generally grown on the hill-sides in Jamaica). He care- 

 fully watches his plants, moulding the hills, and training the 

 young vines in the way that they should grow. 



When the tubers are fit for cutting they are used principally by 

 the grower and his family, but any surplus stock is disposed of. 

 His wife takes them to the nearest local market and either sells 

 them, or barters them for plantains, " new sugar," or any other 

 product not grown or prepared in her own district, or she carries 

 them to Kingston market, and with the proceeds purchases such 

 necessaries as she may require. 



Catch crops are always grown between yam hills ; these may 

 be corn, peas, ochro, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, or other quick 

 growing crops. 



A curious fact in connection with the twining habit of yams 

 may be noted here. As far as I am aware, the stems of all the 

 cultivated species, with one exception, twine to the right, that is 

 from the west, by the south to the east. The exception is the 

 Indian yam, or Cush-Cush, it twines to the left, that is from the 

 west, by the north to the east. 



NOTES ON IMPORTEDAND NATIVE COR"^ . 



By H. H. Cousins, M.A., Agricultural Chemist. 



Analyses of seven samples of imported American corn as sold 

 in Jamaica have been made to ascertain the average composition 

 of the imported article in comparison with well-cured native corn. 



The average of the seven samples, which show little variation, in- 

 dicates a content of 9"4 per cent, of albuminoids as against I2*4 in a 

 fair sample of country corn based upon a content of 12 '/, moisture. 



These figures clearly bring out the fact that our tropical corn is 

 richer in flesh-producing material than the imported corn grown 

 in the United States and is therefore superior as a food for horses. 



These analyses are the work of Mr. E. J. Wortley, Assistant 

 Chemist, and are a continuation of the analyses already published 

 in this Bulletin, Vol. III. Oct., 1905, p. 214. 



