THE TROflCAL AGRICULTURIST. [July 1, 1903 
EXPERTMENT GACAO PLOTS. 
Prom Greonda Mr. M MoNeill. the Agricultural In- 
Btrnotor> in his monthly report for January last, supplies 
interesting information with regard to the results of, 
the manurial expeviments now being conducted by 
the Imperial Department of Agriculture with carao 
trees in that island : — 
At the Vendome plot, Mr. McNeill states, the section 
which received r.n application of lims, followiad by sul- 
phate of potash, has up to the present, given most 
satisfactory results. 
At Nianganfoix the largest yield is again recorded 
from the section treated with basic slag, followed by 
Bulphate of potash. These plots aie situated some 
miles apart and the soil in each case is typical of the 
lands in their respective localities. It is interesting 
to note that Professor Harrison, in his pamphlet 
on the Ilocks and Soils of Grenada, referring to samples 
of soils taken near to the looalitiea above mentioned, 
expresses the opinion that soils in the neighbour- 
hood of Vendome plot 'would be improved by a 
dressing of say 10 cwt. of air s^laked lime per acre 
with an after dressing of 1 cwt. of sulphate of 
potash per acre applied in proximity to the trees.' 
With regard to the locality around Nianganfoix he 
states; - 
' These soils are deficient in phosphates and low in 
Eotash. I am of opinion that these soils require 
eavy manuring with phosphates, say with basic slag 
at the rate of from 5 owfc. to 6 owt. per acre, and 
with potash at the rate 1 cwt. per acre of the sulphate. 
—AgHculturalNeios. ■ , '. 
ourmycsliaof mould with which they may have become 
infected. (Principles of Plant Culture, Goff, p. 30) 
—Ihid 
TESTING SEEDS. 
The following directions for testing seeds, especially 
those received from abroad, are published for the 
guidance of the officers of the Department and others 
interested in the subject : — 
Seeds inay fail to germinate from a variety of 
causes, even when exposed to the proper degree of 
warmth, moisture and oxygen. They may be too old, 
they may not have been sufficiently mature when 
gathered, they may have become too dry, they may 
have been subjected to freezing before sufficiently 
dry, they may have been stored when damp and thus 
subjected to undue heating, or they may have been 
damaged by iuKeots or fungi either before or after 
maturity. Defects of these kinds are not always 
visible, heuoe seeds should be tested before planting to 
learn if tliey will germinate. It is unnecessary to 
plant seeds in soil to test them, since the seed tester 
Btiown in fig 11 is much more convenient. This 
useful device consists of two circular pieces of clean, 
moderately thick cloth of rather loose texture, a 
table plate that is not warped, and a pane of glass 
large enough to cover the plate. The cloths are 
dipped in water and squeezed a few times while under 
the water to press out the air. They are then wrung 
out until moderately wet, spread over the bottom of 
•the plate as shown, and the seeds to be tested are 
placed between them. It is well to use a hundred or 
more seeds of each sample, as a larger number will 
show the per cent, of vitality more accurately than 
a amaller one, and the lot should always be well mixed 
before taking the sample. The plate should be kept 
covered with the glass to prevent evaporation from 
the cloths, and it may be placed in any room of oom- 
fartable living temperature. The seeds should be 
frequently examined and may be removed a3 they 
sprout, when by substracting the number that fail to 
Bprout from the number put in, the percentage o£ 
vitality may be readily computed. Tiie cloths should 
be placed in boiling water a few minutes before 
nsing thorn for a second test, to destroy any spocea 
TREATMENT OF MANURES. 
The following hints are taken horn the Farnier and 
Stoclcbreeder of April 5 last : — 
'i'he farmer is oftea at a loss to know what ferti- 
lizers to mix with safety without deleterious chemical 
combination caking place. The following should not 
be mixed : — 
£'arm yard manure, or dung with lime, or basic slug. 
Nitrate with pho?phatic slag. 
Nitrate with superphosphate. 
Sulphate of ammonia with phosphatio slag. 
Superphosphate with slag. 
Those that can bs mixed with safety are as follows : — 
Siilphate of ammonia with superphosphate. 
Nitrate with bones. 
Sulphate with bones. 
Bones with slag. 
Nitrate with phosphatic guauo. 
Sulphate with phosphatic guauo. 
At times some of tbe chemicals have a tendency to 
'set,' ». e., nitrate of soda and kainit, and thus have to 
be powdered again to enable them to be sown. Rub 
and, as soon as mixed, apply to laud. Keap as dry 
as possible until ih&u.—Ihid. 
GINGER AT MONTSERRAT. 
Mr. A. J. Jordan, the Agricultural lustruotor in 
Montserrat, has supplied the following information 
with regard to an experiment in ginger cultivation in 
that island : — 
The plot at the Grove Experiment Station, which 
had an area of one-fifth of an acre, was reaped on 
March 3, and gave a yield of rhizomes, ('roots'^ at the 
rate of 14,307 lb. per acre. The liad wa; spaded and 
the sets planted in April 1902. After planting, a 
mulch of three tons of pen manure was applied. 
Six weedings were given: two in May, oue ia June 
two in July, two in August and one in September. 
The total cost was as follows ; — 
». d. 
Spading land 
Planting 
Spreading manure 
3 ions of pen manure 
Weeding 
Digging, weighing, storing 
Total' .. 
6 7 
2 IJ 
10 
10 0 
8 10 
14 4 
2 8i 
or £10 13s. 6d. per acre 
The^ weight of ginger used aa sets was 248j lb. 
—Ibid. 
Kola Nuts. — The demand for kola nuts from the 
West Indies is declining owing to the fact that France 
(formerly a large buyer) now imports its nuts direct 
from Africa, and that the so-called ' kola ' drinks are 
not so popular aa they used to be. The kaojvledge 
that an unlimited supply of nuts is always available 
in West Africa tends to cheapen the article and, 
according to Messrs. Gillespie Bros. & Oo , there ia 
no likelihood of a return to the rates ruling four or five 
years ago. We recommend that Cola vera, described 
as producing nuta with two large cotj ledous, should 
be introduced to the West Indies, These nuts will, it 
is stated, always command a good price if they are 
carefully cured beforehand and reach their desti- 
nation in good condition. The species now generally 
cultivated in the West Indies ia O. cmlifiora. lu this 
the cotyledons are sinall and muoh divided.— 4(/rj- 
cuUwal News. 
