TH]-; AGRICULTURAL XKW8. 



April 25, 1902. 



hi.'sitrtliiFii in cutting nW tin- I'ggs on tlii' leaves. 

 Ha\ing got the eggs they sliould be spread out in the 

 Sim near the young eanes so that the parasites (those 

 friends of the sugar planter) may esca]>e anil find their 

 \va\ back to the canes. At this time of the year there 

 ai-e tew jjarasites in the eggs. In a batch of five 

 bundled vgg clusters recently collected on an estate in 

 liarbadiis, only one percent, showetl parasite attacks: 

 but as the season advances and the parasites have less 

 difiiculty in finding an abundance <if eggs on the young 

 canes, this projiortioii will grow nuieh larger. 



The jilanter can do much to encourage the 

 iu<Tease of the parasites, so that by the time thi' canes 

 ■iire getting t(jo tall to be searched for eggs the jjara- 

 sites become numerous enough to do very effective 

 woi'k in checking such moth boi'ci's as may still be 

 found in the canes. The time foi- this work is neces- 

 ..sarilv shoit but the ojiportnnity should not be alloweil 

 to ]iass this year. 



PREPARATION OF COMMERCIAL PAPAIN. 



It is well known that the milk obtainable, especial- 

 ly from the fruit, of the pij)aw ti'ee (Carlfd. Papitt/d ). 

 ])o.sses,ses the jn'operty of rendei'ing meat tender and in 

 fact of partially digesting it. In recent years this 

 ])roperty has been utilized l)y evajxirating the milk 

 into ,-1 dry )]owder known as ' ])apain.' There is a. 

 moderate demand for this substance and where the 

 papaw tree is abundant it might be advantageous 

 to jii-epare it. The following account of jn-ejiaring crude 

 (■!■ coiiim<-rcial pajiain has been contributed by the 

 Mon'ble Fi-aucis ^^■atts, F.I.C., F.C.S. :— 



'I'he jireparation of crude ]>apain is a comparati\e- 

 Iv easv matter, provirK'd that att'-ntion is jiaid to 

 <-cit;iiii matters of detail. 



(•!)l,l,i;( i-ixi: TIIK MILK. 



Tlic juice. (.]• milk, which jbi'ms t'ae starting-point 

 is prcjcuri'il by making a sci'atch or shallow incision in 

 the skin ol I lie ti'uit of the jiajiaw while in a green 

 <-on(litioii. It is desirable to employ a bone or wooden 

 knife, like a |)aper-knife, foi' the jmijiose. 'ilie milky 

 tlnid lapidU e.xudes and may be caiighl in a (ai]i helfl 

 beneath the fruit. After a time tlu' flow diminishes 

 .■uid the li(iuid coagulates in the neighbourhood ol' the 

 incision ; this is caiefiilU remoxed by means ot the 

 bone or wiioih'ii knife iiiid placed in t,he cup with the 

 milk ali<'ady collecicil. The fruit is not iemo\fd lidin 



I 111' tree and it may be subjected to the operation of 

 tapping several times at intervals of two or three days. 



It inessential th.atiio iron knife, or iron utensils, 

 should be brought inlci contact with the milk. Wood 

 or bone should be em))loyed, and the milk should be 

 ■collected ill e;iit henware basins or cujis, or in glass 

 vi.'ssels, and not in tins, which a.re sure to blacken it. 



.\ller lollecting, the juice soon becomes coagulateil 

 ■and ihiii shoiilil be in the form of a snow-white curd, 

 ])0ssessing ,a somew h.it ))ungent, but not putiid, smell. 



II s]iee(lil\ i|ecom|ioses if not ra|iidly dried, and. wlu'ii 



deconi]iosiiig, emits a most unpleii-sant odour. It i.s 

 necessary then that drying should be eff'ecteil as sjiee.d- 

 ily as jiossible. When consideiable quantities are being 

 jirepared, the collection of the juice or milk should be 

 undertaken in the early morning and the drying should 

 begin before midday. This ensures that by evening the 

 material is in a sufficiently dry condition to keej) with- 

 out deteiioration until the following morning when the 

 (Irving can be completed. 



IliniNC THE MIl-K. 



The drying may be effected in several ways, lu 

 dry. hot weather the coagulated milk may be placed 

 in thin layers on sheets of glass and e.xjiosed to the 

 sun. This, h<twever, is rarely satisfactory on a large 

 .scale, and it is best to adopt scjme form of drying a])))ar- 

 atiis. I)r\ing is wi'll effected by sjireading the 

 coagulated milk on <lrying frames made by stretching 

 brown linen on light wo(xlen frames, .somewhat like 

 tho.se used for framing school slates : these may be of 

 any siiit.ible sizi' (o fit the drying apjiaratiis employeil. 



f'lo. L l'.lc\:ltIoii. 



A small American tiiiit drier will answer very well, or 

 a drving-.stove (Fig. I ) m.iy be con.structed by build- 

 ing, in bri(;k, a chaiul)er about 'Mt. high, .Sft. wide 

 and (iff. long, (these dim Misions cm be i-hanged 

 in accordance with I lie .iniount of material to be ili'.dt. 



x-i 



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HOT A/fl CHA\IE€R 



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^^^//y//^£W/y^'y/y^f^.,, \ 



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Fio. 2. S.'ctioii aloM.; the line x. x. of Fif?. 1- 

 FIGS. 1 AND 2. DRYING STOVE, FOR THE PREPARATION OF PAPAIN. 

 (.\). Opening, across which the drying trays jivo sa].|ii)ituJ. 

 Iron pliilc. (I'). Firo (irato. (D). ("himnoy. 



(U). Iron ],' 



