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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

ITH C.O. 885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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ference to be held in Trinidad, for the purpose of discussing the proposals which had been made with regard to the extension of the work of the Committee to the West Indian Colonies.

I was requested to act as the Committee's representative, and accordingly left England on the 3rd January.

Qn arriving at Barbados on the 15th January the British delegates to the Conference were met by Dr. Watts, the Imperial Commissioner, and we were shown over Bridgetown by Sir Frederick Clarke, the Speaker, and Mr. Bovell, the local Superintendent of Agriculture. The same evening we proceeded to Trinidad, arriving there early next morning. Here I only spent the day, as I had arranged to start at once with Mr. A. W. Hill, the Assistant Director at Kew, on a visit to the Windward and Leeward Islands. Dr. Watts personally made all the necessary arrangements for us, and it is difficult to speak too highly of his kindness, for he spared himself no pains in attending to even the most trifling of our requirements. He obtained free passages for us from the Royal Mail Company, and also tele- graphed to all the islands at which we were to touch, asking that officials of the various Departments of Agriculture should meet us and give us any information or assistance we might require. During this journey, which occupied a week, I landed at Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Kitts. The time available at each island was very short, except at St. Kitts, where I was hospitably entertained for a night by the Administrator, Mr. Roxburgh.

It was not possible to see much of the islands in these circumstances, but never- theless a good deal of useful information was collected with regard to insect pests, and some insight was obtained into the general conditions under which entomological work has to be carried on. Moreover, the opportunity of discussing various points with the local officials on the spot was undoubtedly of much practical value.

As a result of these conversations it was ascertained that, with the exception of Trinidad, none of the various Administrations had realised that any contributions to the Committee's funds were needed in connection with the proposals for co-opera- tion. It was thought that the Committee merely desired that large collections of insects should be sent to them. Every opportunity was therefore taken to explain that the securing of collections was a secondary matter-the means to an end-and that the real function of the Committee was to stimulate a local interest in entomo- logy, with special reference to its hearing upon agriculture and public health; and further, to supply to the local entomologists such useful information which could only be obtained by those having access to well-stocked museums and libraries. By this means the local entomologist would be relieved of much unnecessary labour, and could devote more time to the practical work of coping with injurious insects.

We arrived back in Trinidad on the 23rd January, and the succeeding week was taken up with the work of the Conference. Dr. Watts asked me to preside over two Committees. One of these, which was composed of the various Directors of Agri- culture and official entomologists, was to discuss the whole matter of co-operation with the Research Committee; while the other, which also included mycologists and other botanists, was appointed to devise some scheme for securing a uniform nomen- clature for West Indian plant-pests and plant-diseases.

As regards the Committee on nomenclature, in addition to various points of merely local interest, it was arranged that a complete collection of all the more important insect pests should be sent home to the Research Committee for their own reference and also for the purpose of obtaining authoritative opinions as to the correct scientific names to be used in each case. The following report was drawn up by this Committee for submission to the Conference:-

REPORT OF THE NOMENCLATURE COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the Nomenclature Committee of the West Indian Agricultural Conference was held at the Queen's Park Hotel on Wednesday, January 24, and on board the R.M.S. Balantia on January 26, 1912.

After a preliminary discussion it was decided that in order to obtain some degree of uniformity in the scientific and popular names of pests of the principal crops occurring in the several Colonies of the West Indies, the following recom- mendation should be put forward, namely:

That the Committee proposes that each Colony should form a collection of the principal pests to be sent in the first instance to the Imperial Department of Agriculture, with the scientific name and the popular name or names

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by which each may be known in the particular Colony. The collection thus formed should subsequently be circulated among all the contributing Colonies in order that the specialists on the respective staffs may have an opportunity of forming an opinion on the various indentifications. After this collection has been circulated, it should be returned finally to the Imperial Department, in order that cach Agricultural Department may receive specimens of every species contained in the collection, together with the scientific and popular names decided upon. Should any disagreement arise in this respect, it is suggested that in the case of zoological specimens, the matter should be referred to the Entomological Research Committee of the Colonial Office, who would be requested to obtain an authoritative opinion; and in the case of botanical specimens, they should be referred to the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with a similar request. Standard collections in quantity should be sent to the two institutions mentioned, with a request that some of the material should be retained, in case any of the local entomologists may later require further authenticated specimens.

This recommendation dealt with the establishment of a definite standard of nomenclature in the case of the material already available, and was agreed to by the members present, representing the Colonies of British Guiana, Trinidad and Bar- bados and the Imperial Department of Agriculture. In order to deal with any subsequent difficulties that might arise, it was suggested that the system proposed by Mr. Ballou should be adopted; namely, that once in each year a letter should be sent from the Imperial Department of Agriculture to each of the agricultural bodies concerned, asking for any changes in names or other alterations which those insti- tutions desire to make. On the receipt of the replies, a circular letter embodying all the suggestions should be sent to each of the bodies asking for an expression of opinion as to the advisability of the changes put forward.

The proposer of any striking radical change should express clearly his reasons for it. The changes which meet with the approval of a majority of the bodies should be adopted, and the results of the voting should be communicated by letter to each as soon as possible, so that the necessary changes can be made in their respective - publications.

The various units represented by the members present at this meeting were:- The Department of Science and Agriculture. British Guiana, with which it was hoped that, the British Guiana Agricultural and Commercial Society and the Museum would co-operate; the Department of Agriculture and the Board of Agri- culture, Trinidad; the local Department of Agriculture, Barbados; and the Imperial Department of Agriculture. It was proposed that the Department of Agriculture in Jamaica and Surinam should be informed of the arrangement suggested, and should be invited to co-operate with the bodies referred to above, and that the Entomological Research Committee of the Colonial Office, and the Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, should be afforded definite detailed infor- mation of the system proposed if it were finally adopted.

Further, that recognising the great advantage which accrues from the personal interchange of opinion between those engaged in the scientific investigation of insect and fungoid pests, it was unanimously agreed that opportunity should be afforded for the officers concerned to meet annually in each Colony in rotation for the dis- cussion of matters arising out of their investigations.

In the case of the other Committee it was unanimously agreed that a central organisation in London, somewhat on the lines of the Bureau of Entomology at Washington, which would undertake to secure the identification of insect pests and also to supply information with regard to entomological literature and such other matters, would be of very material benefit to West Indian economic entomologists. It was also agreed that if the Research Committee would undertake work of this character it ought to be supported by financial contributions from the various local Governments. I therefore suggested that a sum of about £250 a year should be contributed to our Committee, to he mainly utilised in securing the services of a scientific assistant, whose duty it would be to attend to all the entomological work which might be needed by the participating West Indian Colonies.

This was unanimously approved, and it was tentatively suggested that the contributions might be apportioned as follows: Trinidad and British Guiana, £75 each; Barbados, £25; Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, £15 each: Dominica, Antigua and St. Kitts-

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