396 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Decembei; 1.1, 191S. 



An interestiag note on the chemical composition of 

 Agave americana appears in the Experimott Station Record 

 for June 1919. Amongst other matters referred to, the 

 possibility is sujtgested of extracting the juice of the leaves 

 and evaporating it in vacuo, the resulting product being a 

 sweet, slightly acid marmalade suitable for_ human con- 

 sumption. 



GLEANINGS. 



According to the September report of the^ Department 

 of Land Records, the estimated area under cotton in Assam 

 (1919-20 crop) is 33,000 acres. The prospects of the crop 

 continae lo be fair. 



A note on Aleurites oil appears in L'At^roriomie 

 Coiimiale for July-August 1919. This oil, which is obtained 

 from the nut, has a purgative action, which, however, is 

 not as violent as that of the residual oil cake, showing that 

 the purgative principle tends to remain behind during the 

 crushing of the nuts. 



According to Nature for October 1'3, 1919, the follow- 

 ing research associations have been formed by the British 

 Department of Scientific and Industrial Research : British 

 Rubber and Tyre Manufacturers Kesearch Association, ard, 

 the Linen Industry Kesearch Association. 



The Annual Report for 1918 on the Forest Administra- 

 tiori iif Nigeria shows the number rf forest reserves to be 

 gradually increasing. Their total area now amounts approxi- 

 mately to 1,462 square miles in the Southern Provinces, ;ind 

 f' H.965 .square miles in the \orth ern Provinces. 



According to a note in the Expi-rinunl Station Rean-d, 

 Vol. XL, No. 9, a tea can be made from avocado leaves 

 thoroughly dried in the shade, the test reported being made 

 with leaves of the Northrup avocado. The infusion was made 

 in the usual way, using 2.5 grains of the dried leaves 

 to a ijuart of water, and allowing it to stand for five minutes. 



There is no change in the aiea under sugar-cane (32,500 

 acres) reported in the previous forecast to the September one 

 is.sued by the Department of Land Records and Agriculture, 

 Assam. The shortakC of rain in August retarded to some 

 extent the growth of this (19r.t-20) crop, but the rainfall in 

 September wa« seasonable, and a fair outtuin was estimated. 



The possibility of producing orange vinegar insteail of 

 the apple product in citrus regions is mentioned in the 

 ExfierimenI Station Record frr June 1919. Reference is 

 made to a process for the manufacture of orange vinegar 

 barrel (juantities which is said to produce vinegars equal 

 the best grades of cider vinegar. 



In discussing building up the cotton industry in So'ith 

 Africa, the South African Sugar fournal calls growers' 

 attention to the importance of community production. la 

 doing this, reference is made to the recognition of this 

 principle in the West Indies and in the United States of 

 America. It appears that cotton production is making good 

 progress in certain -parts of South Africa. 



A striking instance of the value of adding potash to » 

 soil deficient in this ingredient appears in the Report of the 

 Woburn Experimental Station of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England for 1918. Clover, a leguminous crop, 

 which would scarcely grow on the soil, was, by the application 

 of potash manure, caustd to thrive, whether sown alone or 

 in conjunction with rye grass. 



According to a communication from the British Empire 

 Sugar Research Association, it appears that this body is a 

 strong one, and that the members elected to the Council 

 represent most branches of the sugar industry throughout 

 the Empire. The ['resident of the Association is Sir George 

 Beilby, who is a member of the Advisory Council of the 

 Government Department of Industrial and Scientific Re 

 search. 



The value 'ji the Searby Shredder in caue crushing is 

 referred to in the International Sugar Journal for October' 

 1919. The shredder is a drum with beaters fixed, revolving 

 in a casing at a speed of about 300 revolutions per minute. 

 It is placed between the crusher and the first mill. On a 

 sugar estate in Hawaii, the system is in use in front of a 

 train of four 3 roller mills, and with about 57 per cent, 

 maceration, the installation is making an extraction of 99"2r> 

 per cent, of the juice in the cane. 



in 

 to 



As the result of the strike of pressmen in New York, the 

 issue of the India RiMer IVorki ol November 1, 1919, has 

 been delayed. In its place, an emergency bulletin containing 

 market reviews and quotations has been issued to preserve 

 continuity. This bulletin is in the nature of a supplement 

 to be inserted in the usual publication, which 'will appear as 

 soon as the controversy has been settled. It may be pointed 

 out that nearly 200 leading New York publications have 

 been similarly affected by this strike. 



In the /'7«a/«V(T (London ) for November 3, 1919, there 

 is an instructive report of an interview with the Imperial 

 Coinraiasioner of Agriculture, on the subject of the present out- 

 look in the West Indies. Sir Krancis Watts said it was 

 pleasant to be able to report a state of prosperity in nearly 

 every colony, where formerly (me heard a tale of misery and 

 of general decadence. Details are given as to the present 

 position of the sugar-cane, cacao, cotton, and lime industries, 

 and the report generally gives a true account of the presettt 

 position in regard to West Indian agriculture. 



