Vol. iVIII. No. 460. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



',9^ 



"War Materials as Fertiliaers. 



The Surplus Uovernmpnt Property Board has 

 written from London to say that they are holding very 

 large stocks of ammonium nitrate and cordite (which 

 can be cheaply converted into calcium nitrate) if it 

 were possible to use these substances as fertilizers. The 

 enquiry is made as to whether they would be likely to 

 prove suitable for sugar-cane, eacao, limes, cotton, etc., 

 and it is stated that it could probably be arranged for 

 these substances to be purchased by West Indian planters 

 at a much lower figure than that which they are now 

 paying per unit for ammonium sulphate and nitrate 



of soda. 



Experiments have been made at Rothamsted in 

 England, to ascertain the properties of ammonium 

 nitrate as a fertilizer. According to Dr. Russell in the 

 Journal of the Board of Agruulture (England) August 

 1919, p. 504, the material available before the war was 

 too deliquescent for ordinary use. A much less deliques- 

 cent material is now available ; it has been stored for 

 months in the Rothamsted manure shed without giving 

 trouble. Further, it can be drilled, like seed, with the 

 utmost ease, either alone or mixed with superphos- 

 phate (though the mixture should not be stored). It 

 gave good results on mangolds and potatoes, and as a 

 top dressing to cereals. It is highly concentrated, 

 containing o.5 per cent, of nitrogen. 



The second substance, calcium nitrate, has very 

 similar manorial properties to sodium nitrate, though 

 it cannot be so easily stored, owing to its deliquescent 

 properties. It keeps well, however, in barrels that are 

 more or le.ss air-tight. 



It is therefore easily seen that both of these sub- 

 stances could be profitably useil as fertilizers in the 

 West Indies, particularly for sugar-cane. 



Root Nodules and Casuarina. 



According to a note in Botanical Abstracts for 

 February 1919, Casuarina has been successfully culti- 

 vated in Southern India on many ofthe wild waste lands. 

 It thrives well on poor sandy soils, in many places 

 growing luxuriously, and aiding greatly in preventing 

 the spreading of dunes. So successful has this bi>en 

 that sandalwood trees can now be grown and culti- 

 vated on these dunes. Root nodules were found on 

 ■Casuarina glauca, G. striata and G. quadrivalvis, 

 many of them large and branchy; though soft at first, 

 they later become rather woody. Free cultures of 

 bacteria from these nodules were made, and they were 

 found to fix atmospheric nitrogen. An estimation of 

 the liquid media, thirty-five days after the culture was 

 made, showed an increase of2'7 mg. of nitrogen per 

 100 c.c. of the liquid. It appears that, apart from the 

 usefulness of (Jasnarina trees in binding loose, sandy 

 soils, the trees exert a very beneficial influence by 

 improving the soil to auch an extent that facilities 

 are afforded for the succession of the island flora. 



The.specie* of Casuarina occurring in the West 

 Indies ia C. equiaetifolMi- sLad in view of the above 

 discovery, it would be interesting and important for 

 the roots-of the West Indian occTimng species to b« 

 Investigated. 



Report ofthe Imperial Departnaent for Scientific 

 and Industural Research. 



The 1918-19 Report of the above Department is to 

 hand, and it may be regarded as one of the most impor- 

 tant official publications of the British Government. It 

 describes the steps that have been taken in legard to 

 the investigation of all kinds of industrial problems in 

 Great Britain, and deals also with the Departments 

 efiforts to encourage and support scientific research in 

 the Dominions and self-governing Colonies. With this 

 part of it the West Indies is closely concerned. The De- 

 partment furnishes the funds for Mr.Harland's work on 

 Sea Island Cotton in St. Vincent, and it has recently 

 been decided to send a marine zoologist to the Baham- 

 as to study the locally occurring sponges, with a view 

 to developing the sponge industry there and in <jther 

 parts of the West Indies. It is intended by the 

 Department to place this worker in touch with the 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. 



An important feature of the Department's 

 activities has been the organization of Research 

 Associations in different industries, including those 

 which are dependent on the tropics for their raw 

 material. 



Agricultural Re-organization in Trinidad. 



At a recent meeting of the Board of Agi'iculture, 

 Trinidad, Sir John Chancellor, K C.M.G., Governor of 

 the Colony, spoke on matters of re-organization in 

 regard to the Department of Agriculture. The 

 principal change will be the transfer of the functions of 

 the Board to the new Department, to which Mr. W. G. 

 Freeman has been permanently appointed as Director. 

 The tax on produce, which at present finances the 

 Board, will be gradually stopped. The result will be 

 better centralization, and improvement in the p<«icion 

 of the Board's present scientific officers, who will be 

 placed on the permanent establishment. 



The (iovernor also referred to the prospects of the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture transferring to 

 Trinidad, and its amalgamation with the proposed 

 agricultural college. On this subject no definite 

 action has yet been decided upon, but the report of 

 the Agricultural College (Committee which has been 

 sitting in London, has recently been laid before the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies, who nominated the 

 committee, and the action to be taken as a result of 

 the committee's recommendations should be made 

 known at an early date. 



Momordica cochinchinensis. 



Reference to this attractive cucurbitaceous plant 

 was made in the Agricultural News for February 2'2,' 

 1919, and for November 1, 1919. The plant is a very 

 handsome one, both as regards its dowers and fruit, 

 and is well worth growing as an ornamental. A» 

 regards its economic value, it is believed that the seeds 

 contain an oil which is valuable on accoimt of it« 

 drying properties. Mr. J. Jone*, Curator of the Botanic 

 Qardeni, DominicA, has recently written to say that he 

 has diBsecled a fruit weighing ^Jtb;; containing forty'.' 

 two seeds, weighing tj oz. 



