Vol. I. No. 16. 



THE AGUICULTUEAL NEWS. 



245 



SEED SUCKEH-S. 



She. Suckers are selected for planting .six to eight 

 months old : they would then be about 10 feet high, with 

 large swollen bulbs 8 to 10 inches acro.ss. They should always 

 be .suckers which have not been pruned, and these are indi- 

 cated l)y the first leaves being narrow in proiiortion to their 

 length, hence culled 'sword' suckers. 



Preparation. They are cut down to within 6 inches of 

 the !)ulb, and the old roots cleared otf. Some jilanters put 

 them in the ground at once, others leave them to dry three 

 or four days, and then plant. Others again find that they get 

 better results by piling them in lieaps eight to ten deep, then 

 trash is thrown over them to keep off the sun, and they are 

 left a month. The best way to pile them is to erect fences 

 3 feet 6 inches high to enclose a convenient spot G feet 

 wide and of any length necessarj-. 



Position. They are idaced in the ground with the eyes 

 3 inches below the surface. On hill-sides they are put 

 in slanting, and an eye at the side develops into the plant. 

 On tlie flat they are set upright ; if the centre sucker hap])ens 

 to shoot it is left, if not, the best of those growing all round 

 is selected. Some planter.?, even on level ground, plant their 

 suckers slanting, as few eyes develop into suckers, and the 

 strength is thrown into the formation of the bunch which is 

 conseijuently finer ; but the plant has not such a good hold 

 of the ground, the bulb decays and leaves a hole, and the 

 l>lant is liable to be blown over. The soil should be well 

 drawn uji over the bulb when planted. 



TRINIDAD CROPS. 



The Trinidad Mirror tor Xovembcr 7, makes the 

 following eonunent.s on the crops of the previous 

 fortnight : — 



c.ic.vo. 



There is plenty of cacao coming forward just now and 

 the weather though rather dry is not unfavouiable. Local 

 prices are : Ordinary 812.75 to $12.80, estates .^13.25, but 

 some lots have been sold at .$13.-10, and it is reported that 

 one lot of 120 bags realized as much as $13.60. There is 

 very little Venezuelan coming forward at present. The last 

 lot in the market found a purchaser at §13.80 



SLKi.VK. 



The weather is the chief topic. During the first half 

 of the t\)rtniglit there was rain Imt the last week has been 

 dry, which is unsuitable for planting because the earth 

 becomes hard. Among the larger jdantations considerable 

 areas are being planted and a big crop is expected from 

 them. In many fields the canes are arrowing and look very 

 incturesijue in consequence, but the canes are not so fine as 

 they .should be. This is more partieidarly the case with the 

 canes of the farmers, many of whom are now turning their 

 attention to ground provisions and fruit, the result of their 

 disastrous e.x()erience with the last year's cane croji. 

 The Savana Grande Produce Company is now in full work 

 and is disposing of the [>rovisions thus grown. In the sugar 

 factories, notal)]y the Usine St. Madeleine which is ever 

 up-to-date, new machinery is being erected. Every year 

 sees improvements in this gigantic sugar-making establish- 

 ment which does the grinding and manufacture for the 

 majority of the estates in the Naparimas and Savana Orande. 

 The struggle against the beet is being still as gallantly 

 fought as it ever has been. Some changes are being made 

 in the personnel of the various factories, and it is said that 

 Palmiste is going to give the Louisianian sugar boilers 



another trial. At Reform and La Fortune, Mr. Fernandez 

 and Mr. Hannays are to exchange posts. As is usual at this 

 time of the year the 'pays' are small and trade in the 

 vicinity of the estates is therefore rather depres.sed. 



CROPS IN GRENADA. 



The cacao eruii has, says the Grenada C/ironic/i', 

 commenced in real earnest and extensive pickings liave 

 already been made in all parts of the island. A record crop 

 is expected if nothing intervenes to prevent it. The weather 

 is all that the jilanters desire for their present operations, — 

 alternate sunshine and showers ; just enough of the former to 

 dry their [iroduce, and of the latter to bring the young pods 

 on to maturity. 



The crop of Indian corn has not been a very 

 profitable one this year, the continuous heavy rains of 

 the ]iast month having, it is sujiposed, retarded the proper 

 develo}iment of the cobs. Ground provisions are, however, 

 fairly al>undant, and the appearance of the fields of jiigeon- 

 peas promises a satisfactory yield when the reaping sea.son 

 comes round. 



COTTON SEED OIL INDUSTRY. 



The following interesting extract in reference to 

 the cotton seed oil industry of the United States of 

 America, is taken from the Sugar Planters' Journal 

 for August, 1902 :— 



In connexion with the fertilizer industry it will be well 

 for us to consider the cotton seed oil industry. An api)roxi- 

 inate estimate of the last cotton crop is 11,000,000 bales. 

 Assuming that it requires 1,40011). of .seed per bale, the total 

 value of the crude seed, based on the value of §8.00 for 

 900 lb., is .588,000,000. This amount was i)aid to the 

 farmer for a by-product that formerly had little or no value. 

 There are now more than 400 cotton seed oil mills engaged 

 in extracting and refining the oil of the seed. The value of 

 the product (oil, meal, hulls and lint) turned out by these 

 mills, based on the above crop estimate, is §142,560,000. 

 The products with their values, from one ton of cotton seed, 

 or 2,000 Bj. are as follows : — 



Lint, 20 It), at .3c. peril) $ .60 



HulLs, 891 It), at 50c. per lOOItj $ 4.45 



Meats, 1,089 tl). which on being pressed 

 yield (crude oil) 289 'h. or about 35 gallons 



at 30c. per gallon $10.-50 



Oil cake, 800 lb. at $1.00 per 100 lb $ 8.50 



Total $23-55 



The above quantities and prices are only approximate, but 

 represent a fair average. Cotton seed meal at this writing 

 is worth $25.00 per ton. The 35 gallons oil on being 

 chemically treated in its refinement increases about $5.25 in 

 value. It is necessary to add this to get the total value of 

 the seed oil products in the estimate given above. This is a 

 sj)lendid illustration of the importance and value of the 

 ai)plication of chemistry in the utilization of by-iiroducts. 

 It is well to mention here, that out of the cotton seed oil 

 industry have grown up the cottolene industry, the oleo- 

 margarine industry, the compound lard indu.stry, a branch of 

 the soap industry, and all the out-growth of applied 

 chemistry. 



