Vol. XMll. ^o. 439. 



THii AUKKJULTUKAL NKV\,b 



5T^ 



Very large quantities of niarzfe are usfed in the 

 United Scat' .=! for the manufiieturc of starch, and the 

 importiince of utilizing the oil from the embryo or germ 

 of the .oT.iin, which cont.-iins from 4 to 5 pt-r cent, of oil, 

 IS realized by the miinufiictiirers of starch, as some of 

 ^hese use as much as 20,000 w 40,000 bushels of corn • 

 per d:iy. In order to reeov-.-r the oil, the embryo must 

 be separated, ;tnd then hydraulic pressure is employ- 

 ed. After the ciude oil i« recovered, a process of 

 refinement follows, producing an article which from the 

 food point of view is remarkably fi-ae. Tne importance 

 of this industry isshown by the fdcn th it in 1916 it is 

 stated that 82,090 000 lb. of crude corn oil were 

 produced in the United States, at least one-half of 

 which was refined. The crude oil is largely used by 

 soapm-ikers. 



Of the rt-fined oil a small amount is used for 

 making camphorated oil, which is a solution of cam- 

 phor in a fixed oil. Ic is also used in some of the largest 

 biscuit fictories in the United States, and also by 

 bakers of bread throughout the country. Bikers 

 prefer to use corn oil rather than cotton-seed oil, 

 because of its better k-^rping qualities, and because of 

 its being more economic il. Corn oil is also used for 

 the manufacture of aitificial rubber. 



The food value of corn oil as compared to butter is 

 stated to be that the formsrhas anenergy value of about 

 4,000 calories per pound, while the latter, containing a 

 considerable percentage of water and salt, has an energy 

 of about 8, 400 calories per pound. 



The United States Depirtm^nt of Agriculture 

 recoofnizes maize oil as an edible oil obtained from the 

 germ of Indian corn, and it i-« reported on favourably as 

 an oil especially suitable tor sal^id dressing 



Stable Manure as a Phosphatic Pertilizsi'. 



The Ex-peri7nent Station /i'''':o<-rf, October 1918, has 

 an interesting note on extensive experiments with 

 stable manure as a source of phosphorus for sugar-cane 

 on soils of different phosphorus content. These experi- 

 ments were undertaken in Java by J. M. Geerts, and 

 described by him in the publications of the Sugar 

 Experiment Station. Java. Tht- results of these tests 

 are held to indicate that stable manure is an excellent 

 phosphorus carrier for sugar-cane, and also confirm. 

 results obtained with superphosphate on similar soils. 



On phosphorus-poor soil.s the addition of stable 

 manure resulted in average increases of 806 per cent, 

 in yield of cane, and 7-63 per cent, in yield of sitgar, 

 while in soils well supplied with phosphorus increases 

 of only 1 7G per cent, and loT per cent, were obtained. 

 Applications of the manure to soils with a low phosph- 

 of'us content resulted in average increases amounting to 

 ^■57 per cent, of cane, and 5'71 percent, of sugar. Soils 

 with an intermediate phosphorus content showed aver- 

 age increases in production after treitment with the 

 manure of G'66 per cent, of i-.ine, and 679 per cent, of 

 sugar. ■ 



Stable manure applied to light soil was not so 

 effective in results, as phosphates, but was effective on 

 tieavy soils. In a comparisor. of stable manure and 



superphosphate on phusphorus-poorsoil, decided increa- 

 ses in production were noted in favour of the manure,. 

 amounting to 61-3 percent, for cane, and 5 73 percent.. 

 for sugar. Similar tes's on soils of low phosphorus con- 

 tent showed increases of only 1 37 per cent, of cane 

 and 1-76 percent, for sugar; while on soils of unknown 

 phosphorus content the increases amounted to 1-17 

 per conn, for cane and 1-5 per cent, for sugar, ail in 

 favour of the manure. 



Cause of thB. Acridity in Tannias and Eddoes 

 Cilcium oxalate eaters into the composition of a 

 great variety of plants. It is an insoluble silt, and 

 therefore when f.rmel in the plant tissues ic separates- 

 as a solid from the plant juices. The solid crystals may 

 easily be detected under the microscope in various 

 forms in the tissues of plants. Theys are often found 

 in bundles of fine, needle-like crystals, packed in cells, 

 and surrounded by a mucilaginous liq aid. Crystals of 

 this character are called 'raphides,' and the cells 

 containing them, when brought into contact with 

 water, eject the individual needles which float out slowly 

 into the surrounding medium. Piants which produce 

 calcium oxalate in this form, when eaten raw, cause a 

 painful burning sensation in the mouth, the obvious 

 explanation of which is that when the cells full of 

 needles meet the sali>ra of the mouth the needles are 

 ejected and penetnte the mucous membrane, thus 

 causing the painful sensation mentioned. 



Among the plants which form crystals of calcium 

 oxalate in this interesting form are the various species 

 of Oolocasia and Xanthosoim which are known us 

 tannias, eddoes, and dasheens. One of these species, 

 sometimes called white eddoe, is also known as ' 

 'scratchy eddoe ' in Birbados, on account of its special 

 acridity unless properly cooked. Most of these species 

 possess raphide- filled cells both in leaves and tubers, and 

 this h IS been assumed to be the cause of their acridity. 

 It has been suspected, however, that this was not entirely 

 the case, because the family of the Aroideae, to which 

 they belong, is known to produce in several instances 

 alKaloids, glucosides, and bitter substances, any of which., 

 if present in the p'a-it, might be wholly or partiallv 

 responsible for the acrid flavou.. Mr. O. F. Black, of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Deparraent, 

 of Agriculture, undertook careful experiments on both 

 the tubers and leaves of the dasheen, to settle the 

 point as to whether the raphide content was the sole 

 factor in causing the acridity of the plant. He 

 recorded the results of these experiments in 

 Americoin Journal of Botany November 1918. 

 came to the following conclusions: — 



(1) All experimental evidence goes to show thai 

 calcium oxalate crystals are the sole cause of the acrid- 

 taste of dasheen bv the mechanical irritation of th • 

 mucous membrane oi the mouth. 



(2) As the acriii llavqur can readily l>e removwt 

 by proper methods of cooking, there is no reason wfiy 

 the presence of raphides should interfere with rhe ii e 

 of these talkers as vegrtidbles. 



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