300 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Septkmbek 20, 1919. 



mm. 



^mm—4Sml»i 



GLEANINGS. 



It if stated in the Si Croix Avis that a singularly large 

 turtle was caught ai estate Cane Bay a few weeks ago, 

 which weighed 307 lb. 



Aec.ordiDH to the St. Croix Ajns, Porto llico will 

 shortly have one f'f the most powerful wireless stations in 

 the world. Th-i plant consists of three .steel towers, S6n feet 

 in hsight. situated <it an altitude of 1,100 feet above sea- 

 level, operated by two Deissel engines of 200 Watts each. 



It is slated in the Experiment Station Raord, Vol. 40, 

 No. 6. that a veterinary writer di.'ius.sing the distribution 

 and functions of vitaminet, points out that they constitute 

 .■a, factor which must be considered in animal as well as in 

 huu an nutrition. This fact has, up to the present, not been 

 surtjciently erapha«ized 



The mgar beet acreage for the season of 1919 20 in 

 the I'nited 8taies is the largest on rec jrd, accordii>g to 

 Focts about Sugar for .Tun-; 2S. 1919. The area planted is 

 approximately 879..500 acies. This is an increase over last 

 year of 23C per cent. Present conditoo.'i promise a fair 

 average production which will result in ^■t/.5.000 tons of 

 sugar. 



.K ne« decolorising: carbon is referred to in the 

 lilxpertment Station Record, Vol 40. No fi. Tliis carbon 

 which has been patented in most sugar t(juntrifc8, is made 

 by treating a mixture of molasses and kie.selguhr with 

 sulphuric acid, baking in .suitable containers until the 

 .reaction is complete, and then washing the resulting carbon 

 free from acid 



According to an important report on the trade of Fiji, 

 reproduced in The Ho'ird n/ Trade Jnurnnl for June 26, 

 1919, the whole futuni of Fiji depends on the solution of 

 the labour question. fn this respect the position of Fiji is 

 • similar to that of Britith Oiiiau*. and other colonies. Direct 

 abipping fucilities between Fiji and the I'nited Kingdom are 

 Htrorjgly advocated- 



The report of the Acting Protector of Immigrants, 

 (TrinidMd) for 19i.S, slates there were no arrivals and no 

 departures during the year. As a result of the high 

 cost of living there was a large decrease in the 

 amount I'f r-imittances t(j India, and of deposits in the 

 Savings Bank, In 1917 the remittances to India amounted 

 to appr' x:tT.a'.ely .£ 1,-500, and .he bank deposits to approxi- 

 mately .£G7, 600. In l!il8 the iiuin of £1,494 was remitted 

 to India, and £57.777 deposited in the .Savings Bank. 



The value of velvet bean aud palm kernel meal ivs 

 food for dairy cows is dealt with in the Expcriimni Station 

 RiiOrd. Vol. 40, No. 6. It is stated that although the palm 

 kernel meal did not prove very palatable, a mixture of 

 either velvet bean or palm kernel meal with corn meal 

 proved satisfactory for milk production. 



A quarterly report of the Trinidad Aukyloatoiniasis 

 Comtnissiim for the period ended June .30, 1919. has been 

 received. This deals with work achieved in the Cunupia 

 area. Out of the 94 8 per cent, of people treated 766 per 

 cent, were cured. The improvement in the habits of the 

 people is noticeable, and it is hoped that this improvement 

 will not be allowed to die out. 



The collapse, recently, of a mate in the hold of a schooner 

 at Barbados containing molasses, indicates that some atten- 

 tion should be given to the present method of clarifying 

 this product From the fact that the white paint of this 

 vessel was discoloured, aud silver coins turned black, it would 

 seem that considerable quantities of sulphurous if not 

 sulphuric acid had been added to the molasses before it 

 was shipped ■ 



A note appears in the Experiment Station Record for 

 Marth 1919, on the importance of mold action in the soil. 

 Cultivated soils contain a much smaller number of molds 

 than they do bacteria and actinomycetes. Molds live and 

 produce mycelium in the soil, and therefore take an active 

 part in the transformation of many organic and inorganic 

 substances Molds present in the soil, at least most of theio, 

 do not 6x any atmospheric nitrogen. 



The digger pine referred to in \he Journal of the Ntw 

 York Botanical Garden for June 1919, is a native 

 Western California, on dry foot-hills from 500 to 400 feet 

 elevation ; it is most abundant, however, and attains its 

 greatest size on the sun bak -d slopes in the middle of the 

 State. The Indians of California found in its sweet seed 

 a valuable article of focd. The plant's botanical name is 

 Pinus Sabiniana. 



Thfl exports of agricultural produce during January to 

 August 1919 from D.iminica were much greater than during 

 the same period for 1918. For instance, during the 191S 

 period only 34,062 coco nuts were s'lipped, whereas this year 

 237,0:? f nut:s were exported. Similarly during the 191S 

 period (),075 barrels of fresh limes were .shipped, whereas for 

 the halfyearly period of li)19, 18,143 barrels were 

 exported. 



The results of the 1917-19 (English) course at the 

 Peradeniya School of Tropical Agriculture, Ceylon, appear 

 to have been satisfactory, according to a report in the 

 Tropical At^ricultiirist ioT .^wna 1919. Of the twentysix 

 students who i:ompIpted the course, twenty-two were awarded 

 full certificates, two certificates excluding estate accounts, 

 and one a partial certificate. Two gold mediila and ten 

 prizes of books were offered for compciitinn by leading 

 Ceylonese agriculturists. 



