ToL. IV'AI, No. i45. 



THE AQRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



159 



oi Oomiiiica would be bi'.sl s.jrvcd uy metliods whicL 

 would ijuickly increase the relums per acre ou established 

 eitate>, rather than by new plantings which would take 

 a number of years to mature. Important as is dcvi^lop- 

 meut work on all estates, this lino of artivity might 

 very well be put ,iside ou old estates iu Dominica for a tew 

 ji-ars, ill favour of intensire metliods of cultivation. 



While lliia lack of systematic manuring of liine trees 

 after so nuiiiy jears is remarkable, the candid critic would 

 Jilso point out that the startin^L? of an Experiment .Sialioii 

 only five years ago, and then only in u siuail way, is e(iuilly 

 remarkable in the hi.story of the lime industry of JJomiuica, 

 when so many problems affecting this cultivation have so 

 long required iuvestigalion. These matters show the general 

 Jack of interest iu all measures appertainin.i^ t^) :\n iutensive 

 system of agriculture. 



The distances of planting at the Experiment Station 

 ran^e I rem 1.") feet rn bteep slopes to "20 feet, 25 feet, and 

 .30 leel in more favourable situations. In due time records 

 •of the results in yields ff fiuit iu these spacing experiments 

 should lii^ forthcoming. 



NATURE TEACHING, Rased upon the G.^neral 

 Principles of A^rricuUure for the use of Schools. By Sir 

 Franci.s Watts, K.C.M.G.. D.Sc. F.I. (J., F.C.S., Imperial 

 iL'ominissioiiec of Agriculture for the West Indies. Fourth 

 and Ke-enlarged I'^.dition. Pp. VII -) 2li. Price 'la. t5(/. net. 

 Tn/'lh/Mi hij Hlf .^/tijesft/'a iStatioiiiiy Ofllcc 



The issue of a fourth and considerably enlarged edition of 

 this valuable book affords an opportunity of reviewing not 

 only its contents, but al.so the purposes for which it is intended. 



From the establishment of the Imperial Department 

 ■of Agriculture for the VV"est Itulies it has consistently idvo- 

 cati'd the importance of instruction in the principles of 

 agriculture both in the elementary and secondary schools of 

 the.^e colonies. In 19(.»1 Sir Francis Watts, who was then 

 Government Chemist and Superintendent of Agriculture for 

 the Leeward Islands, issued the fir.st edition of this book 

 ■which was intended to qualify elementary school teachers 

 to give the right kind of instruction including practical 

 demonstration work. That the book fulfilled its purpose is 

 shown by the tact that a second edition, enlarged and im- 

 proved, wa.s issued in 19C'8, and a third edition, also enlarged 

 And revised, in 1911. That edition having been exhausted, 

 and the demand for the book continuing, the printing of 

 a fourth edition is especially welcome. 



To those familiar with previous editions it need not be 

 said that the book is written in a very clear and interesting 

 style. The information given is well selected, and its arrange- 

 ment is thoroughly adapted to the assistance of teachers of 

 the subject. 



The first chapter deals with tlje seed and the 

 conditions for germination. TUis is folio V:'eQ by chapters on 



the lO'jt and its parts; the stem and its structure, witSi 

 illustrated descriptions of the method.s of grafting and bud* 

 ding: the leaf, its strpicture and uses, with thf relation of 

 plants to the atmosphere and water, and the food of plants j 

 the soil and its composilion; manures, their composition ancl 

 their use; flowers and fruit, with a note on variations im 

 seedlings; weeds; and finally, the two last chapters deal witlj. 

 insects aud fungi, with notes on general luethods of combating 

 pest.s and diseases of plants. 



The importance of practical work in agricultural 

 education is kept always in view, and a,t the close of each 

 chapter a series of exercises and experiments is given to 

 illustrate the principles discussed. At the end of the book 

 there is a useful glc-sary of .scientific terms employed, 

 together with seven appendices dealing with the local habitats 

 of plants, the classification of .simple leaves, description of 

 certain flowers of curious shape, the classification of fruits, a 

 table showing the number of plants to the acre at various 

 distance.?, a list of u.seful books, and a list of appropriate tools 

 aud appliances : all of which are calculated to be of use to the 

 teacher. 



In this edition some additions have been made, among 

 which may be mentioned a note on Meudelisra, on page 125, 

 and ^orae additional remarks concerning leaves and theic 

 function in Chapter IV. Some extension of the experimental 

 work on the soil has also been made. Tlie chapters on insects 

 and fungi, the author says in the preface, have been rewritten 

 to bring the information into line with recent ideas ind 

 developments. To the list of plants in the appendice* 

 the names of some interesting species formerly omitted have 

 been added, and the information dealing with plant habitats 

 has been revised. 



It may be pointed out that Nature Teaching is not 

 intended as a class reading book, but for the guidance and 

 information of school teachers. In this connexion attentioa 

 may be directed to Pamphlet No. 82 of this Department, 

 entitled Indoor Gardening for Schools. This pamphlet, if 

 used in couj unction with Nature Teaching, will be found % 

 u.seful help in arranging practical indoor gardening work, 

 for the instruction more especially of the junior classes ia 

 schools. 



In conclusion, the continuous demand for new oditionu 

 of this book is a gratifying sign that the teaching of 

 agricultural science is gaining in popularity among school 

 mauBgers and teachers in the.-ie islands. Although written 

 originally with a view to the needs o? teachers in the West 

 Indies, Nature Teaching might with advantage be employed 

 in a similar way by teachers throughout the tropics. This 

 wider use is facilitated by the book being now published by 

 His Majesty's Stationery Office, and thus easily obtainable 

 everywhere. C.H.B. 



All article on the preservation of perishable pro- 

 ducts with burnt lime, in the Queensland Agricultural 

 Journal, February 1919, states tliat fiilly matured 

 sweet potatoes have been kept for six months simply 

 packed in au--slaked ^ lime. Last season a test waa 

 made of using less lime, and substituting sand iu tha 

 proportion of 1 of limo to 4 of sand. The potatoes 

 were first rolled in liiue, and then packed in a wooden 

 case (not air-tight) with the above mixture. Five 

 months afterwai-ds potatoes so treated were iiuite as 

 fi-esh as when first packed. The cost of the lime used 

 fur such a purpose would be almost nil. as it cau 

 afterwards be applied to the land with considerable 

 advantage. ) 



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