186 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



Seitembee 27, 1902. 



sea.son, until most of the watei-y iiortions Iiuve citliei- evajpo- 

 rated or sunk into tlie ^vootl. After l>eiiig kiiea<le(l and 

 pressed together the ruM.er thus obtained ha"s a dark brown- 

 ish colour, with the inner jiortions of a sliglitly iigliter 

 colour. Such ruM)er is known locally as "silk rubber." The 

 local iirice is from 10-/. to l.s. ■>,!. per poimd. The heat process 

 is the one generally adopted by the natives of Lagos. 

 This is much simpler in working, as it dispo.ses of all the 

 milk collected at the close of each day. After being 

 .strained the milk is placed in a ves.sel and boiled. The 

 rubber begins to coagulate almost directly the heat is 

 ai(i)lied, and after the boiling is over is removed in a 

 somewhat sticky condition, owing to being burnt, and of a 

 blackish colour. The local ]irice of this rubber is from 9</. 

 to Is. per pound. It is pointed out that the heat process, 

 though simpler, impairs the quality of the rubber and is 

 calculated to injure the industry. It is prol>al)le that if the 

 lieat process were somewhat modified the results would not 

 be .so injurious. An e.xperiment was tried at the iiotanic 

 Station to_ coagulate the milk by heat, but not aj)plied 

 directly to it. The result was much more satisfactory. The 

 rubber came ofi' a milky-white colour, and after being 

 pressed it was clean and firm without being sticky. 



The history of this new rubber industry in Lagos is full 

 of interest, and illustrates the wonderfully" rich resources of 

 the vast forests of West Africa. It shows also \c\y clearly 

 bow largely these resources can be developed by judicious 

 and intelligent action on the part of the riovernment. 



Should the new rubber Kickxia contiime of commercial 

 value, there is no doubt that it will eventually be possible to 

 establish regular plantations, ami thus make the industry a 

 liermanent one. It has always been seen that owing to the 

 cHmbing habit of the species of the Landolphia, which have 

 hitherto yielded African rubber, it was not practicable to 

 cultivate them in regular jilantations as they rei|uired the 

 support of other plaut.s, and when once tapped many years 

 V'ould have to elapse before they would be tit to yield 

 another crop. With the Kickxia the.se practical diHicuities 

 disappear. 



According to M. Clmlot Kirk.ria ,i/rinin,i has l,een 

 found lately in Gaboon. Specimens have liecn measured 

 1 metre in circumference an<l ll' to 1') metres high. Ivich 

 tree is estimated to yield annually, without unv iiijiirw at 

 least n lb. of rubber." 



It is hdjicil to supplcinoiit the inroiniat i(j|i hero 

 gi\rii by ;i sunuuaiy of the result.s of the cultivation 

 of^ the Lagos nibboi tree in various parts of the 

 West Indie.s. 



The God-Ochro fCerevn triaiirmlarU). 



The scaly flowering linds of this eiii]iliytal cactus are 

 known among the jieasantry of Jamaica as (Jod-ochro and 

 u.sed as an ingredient in .soups, as formerly they were in the 

 celebrated 'jiepiier pots ' of the West Indies. 



As a culinary vegt'table this (iod-ochro is eipial if not 

 superior to the Ocliro (Hlhl^nix esciili-ntitx), and it is a 

 matter of .surprise it is iu)t nu)re generally met with in the 

 markets. 



The flower of the Coil odiro is one of those known as the 

 Nighttl<iwering Cereus, rcTuarkable for their large white and 

 partially straw-coloured Hower.s, about 8 inches in diameter. 

 The fruit, known as 'strawberry pear,' contains a pleasant 

 sweet pulp enclosing minierous black seeds. The plant itself, 

 which is a long triangidar creeper is often used for withes 

 (lianes) or tying n:aterial for fences. 



POULTRY. 



The following is the fifth in Mr. .lohn Barclav'.s- 

 .serie.s of articles written especially fiir the Ai/rirlil- 

 til nil A'l'wx. The importance of the .suLject has- 

 rendered it noce.s.sary to occupy two iiunibers in the 

 disciissiun of 'Feeding': — 



FEEIPIXC. 



The best single food-stutf for fowls would be oats or 

 wheat, with th.' products of wlieit cdled variously, midillings, 

 .shirds and sharps. These are almost typically complete food* 

 for .Jamaica, but they have to \>j imported and my deter- 

 mination has been to find food produced in the West Indie* 

 for our hens, fools that jieople may be able to grow 

 themselves, or be able to buy from small settlers. Besides, 

 the imported foods are only to be purchased in the large 

 cities like Kingst m, .Jamaica; IJridgetown, Barbados ; Port- 

 of-Spain, Triniihid ; or Georgetown, British Guiana, and near 

 these cities there is no jiarticular difficulty in fanciers keep- 

 ing any breeds they please and making them successful : but 

 at \cry cimsiderable outlay for foodstutis. It never pays, 

 to run poultry so far as strict .£ s. </. is concerned, when 

 all the food used has to be purchased, but people often 

 like to keep their own fowls, even if they hive to buy 

 food for them, so that they may be assured the eggs they 

 use are fresh, and that they may have nice, clean-fed fowks. 

 for table, always at hand. 1 am here dealing with the 

 (piestion strictly from a utility point of view, for country 

 l>arts where planters and .settlers keep fowls and wi.sh to 

 make them pay in e\ery direction. To feed cheaply, combining 

 sufficient nutrition and a well balanced diet, is wlmt 

 [luzzles most people. TIi- coaunonest foods and the handiest 

 and cheaiiest, are nearly all very starchy foods which alone 

 do not give best results as foods for poultry. 

 Local i-'oods. 



We grow and use in tlie ^\■est Indies, rice and its- 

 by-product rice-bran, corn (maize), guinea corn, peas of variou.s- 

 kinds, roots like tainnas (called Gocos in Jansaica), sweet 

 potato.s, yams, cocoa-jiuts a]id liananas. All, excei>t the cocoa- 

 nut are starchy foods, oidy the peas and cocoa-init being rich 

 iti flesh-formers, while oil or fat is largely ]>re,sent in com 

 and cocoa-imts. We also find tlie tle.sh-formers in animal food 

 and thus meat scraps from the table are very gooil food 

 for fowls. However, as most jieople have dogs to feed, 

 there is little meat stuff available for fowl.s, and as our 

 aim is to make the fowls as easily fed and as jirotita- 

 ble as po.-sible, there is no use in buying even the 

 cheaiicst forms of meat scraps for them except they 

 are closely confined, when animal food must be given in 

 some form, fowls in nature pick up at least half their food 

 in the form of insjcts, grubs and worms : thus a purely 

 grain diet would not give best results. 



conx. 



The most common food u.scd in the West Indies is of 

 course corn (niai/e), because it is perhajis the easiest 

 available, the fowls being exceedingly fond of it and taking 

 it before any other form of vegetable food. -As a single 



