Vol. XVI] I No 457. 



THE AQRICDLTUIIAL NEWS, 



351 



qmpossib'.fc to lUH.incaiD pure atrains. With presenc conditions, 

 tbc only way td mainum a f.«ir type of cotton is by the 

 annual iiiiporlatiou of good seed.' 



In view of the abiive given conditions, it would seem 

 that t>p advice to cotton planters in those islands is, at least 

 for i-iie pieseut, sound. 



Another agricultural interest which has become of' 

 cors'iderabii! impjrtance in the year reported i u is the pro- 

 duction and export of fruit and vegetables, the export value 

 of tbe.-se coinniodilies having- risen from -£lo4- in 1917 to 

 £1,3;W in 191s The easily acce.^sible market for these 

 cutoiiucts which the neighbouring American island of St- 

 'Thomas affords, especially it would seem for s«eet potatoe.5, 

 holds out cnnsiderable promise for the future prosperity of 

 this branch of agriculture. About this, Mr. Fishloek writes 



• This is probably destined to be one of the most 

 .important crops grown in the Virgin Islands during the 

 next few years. The establishment of a Naval Station at St. 

 Th- miis, with the presence of a considerable number of men, 

 -has created quite an unprecedented deiuand for ground 

 provisions of ikll kinds, and especially sweet potatoes. This . 

 tuber has been commanding prices unheard of a few years 

 -ago and production has been stimulated to a I'onsiderable 



degree. 



■ The e.xiperinieiits conducted at the .Station during the 

 last nine years should accordingly have increased value, as 



■it is of importance to know which varieties are best suited to 



.local conditions. It is also important to have some know- 

 ledge of the cooking qualities of the potatoes. Infor- 



■uiation of this nature will be found in tliis report 

 which embraces results covering, in .several instance.s, nine 

 years' work along the lines indicated. 



It is to be regretted that the (-oco uut industry, which 

 appeared capable of considerable extension in the British 

 Vir'jin Islands a few years ago, has evidently lost its interest 

 for \he cultivators in those islands, many spots of which 



-are well suited to coconut culture. 



HOW TO PRESERVE EGGS. 



While in the West indies the increased produc- 

 tion of eggs by means of improved strains of l.iyino- hens 

 is the urgent reijuiremeat in the potdfciy industry, the 

 matter of preservation <lealt with below, is not lacking 

 in importance. The statements given an> taken from 

 the Fliilippine AgrteuUurifit : — 



Lime-waler as an egg preservative i.s to be preferred to 

 the other substances employed in the present experiments, 

 for the following reasons: (1) it is inexpensive ; Ci) readily 

 ^,btainable, and is (3; capable of prt.serving eggs lor as long 

 a period as eight months. The eggs preserved for four or 

 five months in lime-water could hardly be di-tingui.shed m 

 <iuality and quantity of contents, either when raw or after 

 cooking, from fairly fresh eggs. However, the egg contents 

 may acquire a slightly chalky taste. 



Water-glass to the strength varymg from •) per cent, 

 to 10 per cent, may prove effectiv.-. A -'j-per cent, water- 

 olass solution is to be preferred, iuasmrtch as it gives almo.st 

 ^, eood results as the 10 per cent, solution, and is prepared 

 much more cheaply. A lit-e of this solution costs approxi- 

 Jnatelv 13 centavos. l':ggs preae.ved for six months 

 -n the 10 per cent, solution had uo acid taste while those 

 io the 5 per cent, solution were no-i-ed to be and after 



live months. , .i . • 



Vaseline as a preservative tor e^gs proved as eti.clive 

 ^s both lime-water and water-glass. It « not very practical 



for the folio wing rea.sons: {^) it is rather expensive; (2) varn* 

 ishing each egg with vatL-line with the tirigers rakes 

 time ; (3) it is oily and readily cnllecta din. making thtt 

 .shell appear old ; (4 ) even at the tirst month it imparts to 

 the eggs an oi'y r^ste, vrbi^h is r"*' a;ff"''xb'e. Otherwise, 

 it preserves eggs for a period of eight months. 



For two or three ii.iouths' preservation fresh cara. 

 molasses, dry coarse coiumoc salt, rice bran and dry lime 

 may be recommended. 



Soaking the eggs in .'j and 10 per cent. coir.iiioD 

 salt solution, and packing tlie eggs in the salt and 

 sand mixture for one or two months will prove satisfactory 

 for making salty pggs. l-j^gs preserved in salt and sand 

 mixture should be soaked in fresh water for about twenty- 

 four hours before cooking , otherwise the egg contents will 

 be extremely silty. In all :ases the preserved eggs tested 

 .were boiled for tfn minutes. 



The following observations appear in the same 

 •Journal on the behaviour of chickens in pens witb 

 and without males, witb regard to feeding, egg pro- 

 duction, etc. :- - 



One hen in a pen may be a stronger feeder thaa 

 another, yet the number "f e^gs she produces may be Icjmi 

 than that produced by a hen which is a moderate feeder. 



Moulting occurred in three pens during the period 

 between the beginniug of July and the latter part of 

 December. In all probability hens did not moult at the sama 

 time. 



It was observed that hens were fatter when ihey were 

 laying, and became thinner toward the period of broo-iiuesa. 



An average hen produced from ;U-!J2 to 3!) 02 eggs, and 

 consumed from 18'OGl to 20338 kilograms of grain and 

 from 314 to +-22 kilograms of dry mash rations, excluding 

 the animal, mineral and succulent feeds during a year. 



From the results obtamed, it is safe to conclu>le, that 

 the presence of roosters in the pen doe.s not influence the 

 production of eggs, for a pen which was not provided with a 

 rooster yielded practically as many eggs as the others. 



INCREASED SIZE OF PAPAW FRUIT. 



In the pamphlet, friaf Cuttun- in M ilaya, which was 

 noticed in the last number of the Agricul/i/ra/ .Vtu's, there ia 

 given information with regard to a method of increasing the 

 sizeof papaw fruits. This is reproduced below ; and perhaps 

 some of our reader.s may care to make the experiment, and 

 report results: — 



' An interesting, but rather curious, lucthod of 

 cultivation for the production of large fruits, is some- 

 times practiseil. ^Vhen the plant is 3 inches in diameter 

 at the base, a hole is bored into the trunk about t» 

 inches from the ground. The hole is made about I inch 

 deep and sufficiently large for a piece of rubber tubing 

 to be inserted. A (juart bottle ia half-tilled with 

 .sugar, and water .-iddi'd. V/hen the sugir is thoroughly 

 dissolved, the bottle is connecti d to the hole by a piece of 

 rubber tubing. In twen'jfour hours the tree will have 

 absorbed the contents of the bottle. A gunny-sank is wrap- 

 ped over the lower fruit and trunk to hasten the ripening 

 of the fruit. It is stat-^d that if these directions are 

 carried out, fruits averagiug 10 to 12 inches In diameter 

 will be produced. 



■ During the fruiting stage, several of the smaller 

 fruit should be i< moved to allow the re'iiaindcr pr.i^ec 

 devclopiueni.' 



