26 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



riety of savory dishes which can be ex- 

 peditiously prepared from eggs so 

 treated enhance its value materially. 



Caravonica Cotton in Baracoa. 



Baracoa,, Oct. 14, 1908. 

 To the Editor of the CUBA REVIEW: 



Dear Sir: — In Monte Cristo (Baracoa) 

 in the most easterly part of Cuba, 1,500 

 feet above sea level, v^^ere planted last 

 autumn about 15 acres with Australian 

 Caravonica silk, and about 50 acres with 

 Caravonica wool cotton. Although the 

 planting could not be done till the first 

 part of December, as the seed, ordered 

 from Australia, did not arrive before 

 that time, the result is most satisfac- 

 tory for both varieties. The trees have 

 borne and are still bearing very richly. 

 Samples of the cotton have been sent 

 to several experts in America and Eu- 

 rope, and the cotton has been praised 

 for strength, gloss and length of 

 staple. Before the end of the first 

 year most of the trees have grown to 

 the height of 11 to 12 feet; some of them 

 are still higher. When crop is in, the 

 trees have to be pruned. 



The enterprise seems to be a very 

 profitable business, and native inhab- 

 itants of iMonte Cristo are setting out 

 Caravonica plantations of their own. 



Jose R. Ramos. 



Among the Americans in this section 

 Messrs. W. H. Bemis and E. G. Jones 

 have planted about two caballerias 

 (66 2/3 acres). 



Experiments in the cultivation of Car- 

 avonica cotton are being carried on in 

 the Sudan at Khartoum, Kamlin, and 

 Kassala, but the director of asrriculture 

 and lands of the Sudan Government in 

 a recent report states that neither the 

 growth of the plants, nor 'the ' quality 

 of the cotton produced has come up to 

 the expectations that were at one time 

 entertained in regard to this crop. — Ag- 

 ricultural News, Barbadoes, W. I. 



Propagation of the Avocado by Budding. 



The avocado is a recent introduction 

 into Florida, but experiments in the prop- 

 agation of this fruit by budding methods 

 have been undertaken at the Experiment 

 Station of the State for some years past. 

 Success has attended these efforts, since, 

 a report dealing with the work done 

 states that frequently as many as 75 per 

 cent, of the buds have developed into 

 trees. The method of budding is the 

 same as that practised in the case of 

 citrus fruits. It is recommended, how- 

 ever, that the buds used should be rath- 

 er larg-er than ordinary citrus buds. They 

 should preferably be 1 inch in length, 

 since small buds are frequently grown 



over by vigorous stocks. For wrapping 

 the buds, waxed cloth is mentioned as 

 giving better results than string. By 

 adoptmg this method of budding, large, 

 unproductive avocado trees can be made 

 to give good returns. The trees should 

 be cut down within 3 or 4 feet from the 

 ground, and buds from a good stock 

 inserted on the shoots which soon make 

 an appearance. 



Sweet Potatoes from Vine Cuttings. 



In the West Indies sweet potatoes are 

 regularly propagated by vine cuttings. 

 The crop is raised also from "seed" pota- 

 toes, which are in some cases cut in sev- 

 eral pieces, and planted in the row where 

 the plants are to mature, or more fre- 

 quently, allowed to sprout and grow for 

 some time in the soil, and the vines so 

 produced, taken and divided into cut- 

 tings from which the next crop is ob- 

 tained. Propagation by vine cuttings 

 is, of course, as a general rule, cheaper 

 and more convenient, but the results of 

 experiments have shown that it is advis- 

 able occasionally to have recourse to 

 planting "seed" potatoes, since the crop 

 certainly tends to fall off in yield when 

 reproduced from vine cuttings only, year 

 after year in succession. Small potatoes 

 only need be used for planting purposes, 

 or for the production of vine cuttings. 

 They should, however, be uniform in 

 size, and of the shape desired in the fol- 

 lowing crop. — U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, Farmers' Bulletin No. 24. 



Common Names of Plants Confusing. 



The common names given plants by 

 the people of Cuba are largely use- 

 less, since a name in common use 

 in one province or country may 

 be unknown or applied to a to- 

 tally different thing in another. For ex- 

 ample,' the" "Mamey Colorado" of Cuba is 

 the "Sapote" of Nicaragua, while the "Nis- 

 pero" of Nicaragua is the "Sapote" of cer- 

 tain parts of Cuba, although it is known 

 as "Kispero" in others. Usage in such 

 cases may vary even in adjoining towns. 

 Also, the names used by the people are 

 very commonly generic and not specific; 

 that is, the name may cover a number of 

 very distinct things which bear a super- 

 ficial resemblance to each other, but differ 

 widely in character and properties. — Circu- 

 lar i6, July, 1905. 



The Cuban Agricultural Experiment 

 Station is preparing a circular on "The 

 Use of Insecticides and Fungicides." 

 This subject has recently increased in 

 importance and interest, due to the fact 

 that the vegetable and fruit industries 

 are both interesting, and also that the 

 insects and plant diseases are likewise 

 increasing-. 



