230 HORTICULTUKE [BoT. Absts., Vol. IX, 



pollinated. The first fruit weighed 3f pounds. The seeds of this plant yield an oil of remark- 

 able drying properties; besides, the plant is a very desirable climbing ornamental, quickly 

 covering walls or arbors and producing striking flowers. — It is stated that some of the best 

 flowered mangoes are the poorest shippers. Selection work with mangoes and avocados to 

 supply the Canadian market is urged. Trials with avocados indicate that varieties from the 

 Mexican highlands are not satisfactory for growing on West Indian island coasts. Onion cul- 

 ture is making considerable progress; on one estate some 30,000 pounds were produced last 

 season. It has been proved that onion seed can be produced in Dominica, but for the present 

 planters depend on supplies of Teneriffe seed. Camphor experimentation is still in progress. 

 — Among the principal exports, the lime crop shows an increase of 12,000 barrels over the aver- 

 age annual output for several years prior to 1918. It is pointed out that the Florida lime 

 industry affects but little the green lime trade of Dominica, absorbing, as a matter of fact, 

 only 2 per cent of the Dominica lime crop. — It has hitherto been very difficult to obtain relia- 

 ble figures as to the cacao production, owing to smuggling to the neighboring French islands. 

 Market conditions having changed, however, the last cacao crop was shipped in the proper way. 

 Thus the figures of export for 1919, 700,387 pounds, valued at $150,000, more closely represents 

 the actual crop figures. On page 19 is given a complete list of the agricultural exports for the 

 years 1917-18-19. — Discussing the present agricultural situation at length, the author urges 

 greater attention to cultural methods, the increased use of green and artificial manures, the 

 regular employment of labor for the benefit of both the laborer and the plantation, the estab- 

 lishment of land settlement schemes for laborers, etc. On page 20 is given a r^sum^ of the 

 plant legislation now in force in Dominica. On p. 21-30 an account is given of the condition 

 of the lime experiment station, with valuable notes as to methods employed; manurial experi- 

 ments; the comparison between spineless limes budded on sour orange stocks and grown with 

 Canavalia for green dressing, common limes similarly budded and grown with Tephrosia, com- 

 mon limes similarly budded and grown without green dressings, and common seedling limes 

 clean-weeded; new lines of experimentation, etc. Cacao manurial experiments are presented 

 in tabular form and fully discussed on p. 37-44. It is observed from these that 20 years of 

 trials show that a complete manure is absolutely essential to successful cacao cultivation, 

 and it now remains to determine the efi"ects of various forms of nitrogen, phosphate and 

 potash. — /. S. Dash. 



1423. Jones, J. Root pruning of cacao trees for improvement of production. Agric. News 

 [Barbados] 19: 404. 1920. — It has been noted that poor-bearing cacao trees often present a 

 large and very healthj- appearance whereas neighboring heavy-bearing trees appear compara- 

 tively undeveloped or less healthy. The question having arisen whether the low yield was 

 not often due to unusual vegetative vigor, 1 of 2 low-yielding trees, growing in a plot of trees 

 yielding 100 pods per tree per annum, w-as carefully root-pruned. The original average yield 

 of these 2 trees was 25-30 pods per annum. After the pruning the treated tree bore a crop of 

 78 fully grown pods while the unpruned one beside it bore 14. While the result is not conclu- 

 sive in itself, it points to a new field for extensive trials, since root pruning would be infinitely 

 easier and possibly more successful than cutting back and budding developed trees. — J. S. 

 Dash. 



1424. Knowlton, H. E. Methods in apple pollination experiments. Proc. Amer. Soc. 

 Hort. Sci. 17: 44^7. 1920 [1921]. — Attention is drawn to the fact that great care and accuracy 

 should be used in carrying on apple pollination work in the field. A refinement of methods 

 and the elimination of as many sources of error as possible are suggested. — The use of the 

 ' 'bagging" method is questioned as compared wnth the practice of covering the entire tree with 

 a muslin frame. It is suggested that temperature and light conditions are more abnormal 

 under bags. At least 500 blossoms should be worked in each case, whether cross- or self- 

 pollinations are made. Since weather conditions at blossoming time materially affect the 

 percentage of set, the author states that the results secured on different days or in different 

 years should not be summarized and averaged. As much work as possible should be done in 

 1 day under the same conditions, and a careful record of the weather conditions should be 

 tabulated and reported as part of the data. — E. C. Auchter. 



