Vol. XVIII No. 453. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



281 



Is Soil Classification Pi-acticable ? 



Mr. R. L. Pendleton, of the [^liversity of Califor- 

 nia, has investigated the <juestion as to whether the 

 soils mapped under a given type-name by the United 

 States Bureau of Soils method are close!}' similar to one 

 another. He comes to the conclusion that they are 

 not, and this conclusion is shared by D. C. B. Lip- 

 man, the well-known soil bacteriologist of the same 

 University. 



These opinions are important. It would appear 

 that in this soil classification we have still ant)ther 

 instance of the dangers of generalizing in agriculture. 



The methods and results adopted in the .studies 

 of the classification system are described in detail in 

 the University of California Publications in Agricul- 

 tural Science, Vol. Ill, No. 12, pp. .■!t)9-498. Presumably 

 typical samples of four soil types were collected for 

 laboratory and green house study from widely dis- 

 tributed localities in the State of California. The 

 field appearance of each sample was usually sufficient 

 to warrant the classification that exists. Physical, 

 chemical and bacteriological studies, however, showed 

 that soils of one type are not similar, nor were 

 different representatives of a given type the same in 

 their ability to produce crops. 



Java Sugar Industry Unsettled. 



The total production of sugar in Java during the 

 last three years was: 191G, 1 (J 20,000 tors; 1917, 

 1,889.:300 tons : 1918, 1,799,-500 tons. 



A very considerable reduction in the quantity of 

 cane produced was compensated by a much higher 

 percentage of sugar obtained, so that the net result of 

 the 1918 crop has been only slightly less than ohe 

 record crop of the previous year. 



As regards prices the year 1918 was one of 

 great fluctuations. In conseijuence a Sugar Associa- 

 tion was formed with the object of selling at the best 

 possible prices all the sugars controlled. 



According to a report in Tlie Board of Trade 

 Journal (London) for July 24, the prospects for the 

 1919 crop were p'ior. The existing difhcuhies and 

 unceriainty in sugar circles led most producers to 

 reduce their area under cultivation by some 15 per 

 cent., and the e.xcepiional drought frora May to 

 November 1918 had a very serious effect on the 

 growth of the cane, so that total production this year 

 is not e-xpected to have exceeded 1,200,000 tons. 



The uncertainty in sugar circles and the reduction 

 in area under cultivation are somewhat remarkable. 



The figures showing the destination of Java 

 sugar are interesting, i specially in regard to the 

 United Kingdom and .Japan. In 1910, the United 

 Kingdom imported .!.o7,8l9 tons and .lapan 49,905 

 tons ; in 1918, the United Kingdmn imported (37,307 

 tons, ana Japan 328,745 tons. 



This was largely due to the enterprise of the 

 Japanese shipping trade at the time when Dutch 

 shipping was requisitioned. 



Board of Agriculture, Trinidad. 



At a meeting of the Trinidad Board of Agricul- 

 ture on August 21, the proceedings of which are 

 published in the Port -of -Spain Gazette, Mr. W. G. 

 Freeman, B.Sc, Acting Director of Agriculture, made 

 some interesting statements concerning the work of 

 the Department of Agriculture,and the general posiiiou 

 as regards the .cultivated crops in the Colony. The 

 experimental plots of the Department arc on River 

 Estate, and it has been d 'clardd in the Trin dad press 

 that the results are of very little value to die small 

 cultivator. The nature of the work done ihere, as 

 described by Mr Freeman, shows that this is not the 

 case. The principal lines of work at River Esta.e at 

 present, in regard to cacao, consist of (1) planting 

 distance experiments, (2) cultivation experiment^. (3) 

 shade and no shade experiments, (4) manurial experi- 

 ments, (o) individual yield of tree'', (6) value of seed 

 selection, (7) budded cacao experiments, (8) replace- 

 ment of poor bearers. All this work is of equal interest) 

 and importance to the small and large cultivator. lu 

 addition to the above, the prize competitions for cacao 

 and tobacco growing are conducted entirely for the 

 benefit of the small grower. 



Concerning the general position as regards the 

 Colony's crops, Mr. Freeman pointed out that cacao 

 was comparatively free from disease compared with the 

 state of that crop in many other countries, especially 

 Ecn.ador. Moreover, the production ofcici), co30-nuts 

 Hid sugar had increased rapidly during recent years, 

 and the general outlook for the future was in m )st 

 respects very satisfactory. 



Wastage of Green Limes 



With reference to an article on the wasfage of 

 green lime=, published in the Agricultural JVeius for 

 May 3, 1919, Mr. J. Jones, Agricultural Superintendent, 

 Dominica, writes to say, says the Dominica Chronicle, 

 that the question of whether the fruit should or should 

 not be cured or 'quailed' in the West Indies is one 

 which requires special local investigation. Although 

 such curing is condemned by the United States author- 

 ities, it is possible that citrus fruit in the United States 

 is cured to some extent on the trees during hot 

 autumns before they are harvested. The fruit is 

 gathered and packed in the fields, placed in railway 

 cars in chilled air compartments, and at once sent, to 

 market. This, however, does not help the West Indian 

 grower of citrus fruit, who has his special difficulties 

 to face. For instance, in Dominica, preparations for 

 shipping limes have to be made ten or twelve day.s 

 before the steamer arrives. Packing is usually done 

 two or three days before shipping, and therefore some 

 of the fruit is bound to be somewhat cured, while the 

 portion received in the last couple of days is packed 

 tresh 



It is hoped, continues the Chronicle that investi- 

 gations into what happens with regard to the different 

 grades of fruit when received in New York may be 

 undertaken by the Agricultural Department, in the 

 interests of the trade in green limes from Dominica. 



