28 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January IG, 1904. 





GLEANINGS. 



Tlie Maltese Jenny lately iinpoited into Antigua has 

 given birth to a fine young Jack which is in thriving 

 condition. 



The death of the i)ure-bred Short-hoin J!ull at the 

 Skenett's Farm, Antigua, wa.s reported in the Agiii-tdlurul 

 News (Vol. II, |). 108). We learn that a fine bull calf, 

 ol)tained from this animal, is now a month old and weighs 

 115 R). A second bull calf from the same animal is being 

 reared on a private plantation. 



The Transvaal Aijricidtiual Journal suggests the 

 following for destroying fowl lice : — ' Put a little plug 

 tobacco in .some hot water. Let the .solution stand over- 

 night in a covered vessel, and then spray all over the body. 

 Repeat in a week if necessary.' 



The India-ruhlnr Jdnrnal of December i\, 1903, has 

 the following note on West Indian rubber: — 'Trinidad 

 exported 3.5,412 lb. of balata, worth £2,888, in 1902. In 

 the same year, Briti.sh Hondui'as exported rubber to the 

 value of 814,163, while (Julja imported rubber goods to the 

 value of 8134,995, as against 8148,398, in 1901'. 



About the middle of iJecember last the Diamond 

 jilantation in British Guiana completed a record crop of 

 12,525 tons of sugar. Among the seedling canes under 

 cultivation are 600 acres of Barbados cane, 208. Over the 

 whole of the crop it is stated that ' the seedling canes have 

 averaged considerably more sugar per acre than the BouHmiu 

 cane.' 



The following notice, signed by the Hon'ble C. A. 

 Shaiid, of Nevis, ajipeared in the .S7. Christopher A(/"frti$er 

 of December 22, 1903:— 



'Cotton growers are warned against se|)arating the 

 cotton seeds from the lint by hand, as hand-picked cotton is 

 very inferior to that ginned by machinery owing to the 

 uneven staple resulting from the fi>rmer process.' 



In the Colonial Rejiorl on the Jiritish Solomon Ixl(tnil< 

 for 1902-3, it is stated that the area under cultivation of 

 cocoa-nuts at the Tulagi Station has been increased from 105 

 to 135 acres. Many young cocoa-nut trees, of from three 

 and a half to four years old, are showing signs of blossom 

 and nuts, and young trees ujiwards fif four years old are 

 producing a return. The trees are planted 33 feet 

 afiart, giving forty to the acre. The growth has Ijeen so 

 vigorous that in the older [)art of the plantation the leaves 

 of adjoining trees overlap. 



A correspondent, writing in the Octoljer issue of the 

 A;/ricultiirnl Journal of thf Cape of Good J/ojh; describes a 

 simple preventive for ticks. A large herd of goats had 

 suffered considerably fmni an attack of ticks, when the writer 

 conceived the idea of trying the effect of the wild garlic 

 plant. The remaining goats each received two of these 

 bulbs, with the result that the ticks fell from the animals, 

 which were not again attacked. It apj>ears that oil of gai-lic 

 is a strong germicide, permeating the whole sy.stem when 

 eaten in tjuantity. 



According to the Hoard of Tradr Journal attention is 

 drawn in the report for 1902 of the Rotterdam Chamber of 

 Commerce to the use of cocoa-nut oil in the margarine 

 industry. Since the attemjits to neutralize this oil — rendering 

 it all but .scentless and flavourless — proved successful, its 

 consumiition greatly increased. It is stated that the use of 

 this fat is open to no objection as a constituent of margarine 

 on account of its fairly high juitritive value. It is imported 

 into Rotterdam from JIarseilles, London and elsewhere under 

 a varietj' of names, sucli as cocosine, vegetaline, etc. 



The Annuid Colonial Jieport ou JJarl/odox for 1902 has 

 the following reference to the establishment of a cotton 

 industry in the island: — 'A large supply of seed has been 

 imi>orted and distriljuted free of cost to planters, and it is 

 estimated that some 1,200 acre.s, callable of yielding about 

 300,000 Iti. of clean cotton, will shortly be under culti- 

 vation. The advantage of the industry to the colony 

 lies in the fact that the cotton can be grown on land that is 

 unsuitalile for the sugar-cane, and its introduction will not, 

 therefore, displace sugar cultivation to any great extent.' 



Referring to the ' canker ' which has made its appear- 

 ance on rul)ljer trees in Ceylon, the India-ruhber World 

 says : ' It would be strange if the acclimatization of the 

 lleuea in Asia should be unaccompanied by some malady to 

 which it has not been known to be subject in America. The 

 transference of some other economic plants from their native 

 habitat has developed in them unfavourable conditions, 

 which in time have been remedied by .science, and this very 

 fact should prevent the complete discouragement of the- 

 Ceylon rubl>er planters at the first indication of any trouble.s- 

 with their trees.' 



The Gardrnrra' Chronicle of December 19, 190.3, has- 

 the following reference to the cultivation of ginger in the 

 Central African I'rotectorate: — 



'This product is giving great promise of being worthy 

 of extensive cultivation. The climate is eminently suitable. 

 As 40.«. may be reckoned on as about the average London 

 jiriee per cwt., it ought to be largely grown. Propagation is 

 an ea.sy matter, and it has been proved that from one crown 

 it is jio.ssible to obtain over twenty good strong .shoots in 

 a year ; and it is estimated that it is [lossible to get a half 

 pound of ginger from each plant in the same period.' 



The Colonial lii-port on Cio/lon for 1902 states: — 'Para 

 rubber is rajiidly taking its place as one of the most impor- 

 tant of the cultivations of the i.sland, and has been planted 

 up in various climates at different elevation.s, but will be- 

 found no doubt most profitable at the lower elevations. 

 During the year .some 25,000 seeds liave been distributed 

 from the trees in the Henaratgoda Garden, flood yield-s 

 have been obtained, and the best methods of getting rid 

 of the water and [irepariiig the "biscuits" for the market are 

 beginning to be understood and practised. Prices have 

 been kept ui) to a high figure, over 4.*. having been obtained 

 for a large quantity.' 



