Vol. XVIII. No. 461. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



409 



of the capture of very large tish,. weighing several hun- 

 dred pounds, on lines breaking at a dead weight pull 

 -of not more than 48lb. It is therefcire quite credible 

 than an Echeneis, which resisted a backward pull of 

 about 50ft., could easily be used to draw in fish and 

 turtles of the size which it is reported to have done. 



Fish-Skin Leather. 



The Bureau of Fisheries of the United Statf-s 

 reports that excellent progress in the tanning of fish 

 leather has been recorded, and that a number of the 

 difficulties that had retarded the development of the 

 industry had been overcome by the tanners. 



Science, October 24., 1919, states that one com- 

 pany which is tanning fish skins has established a 

 station in North Carolina and anqther in Florida for 

 the purpose of capturing sharks and porpoises, and is 

 meeting with success in its fishery for sharks. It is 

 understood that the number of stations will be increas- 

 ed as rapidly as possi-ble. Another company, which 

 has recently acquired a site for a tannery in Washing- 

 ton, also plans to tsn the hiilesol sharks, beluga etc 



Samples of such leather recently submitted show 

 the leather to be soft and pliable, and it appears to 

 have ample stiength for many uses. 



The nets which the Bureau of Fisheries developed 

 for the capture of sharks are proving successful, and 

 are being adopted for the shark fishery. At the fish- 

 ery st;itions the oil is extracted from the shark livers, 

 _and the Heshis converted into fertilizer, so that 



nothing is wasted. 



"^ 



The Polarization Test of Sugars. 



The International Sugar Journal, September 

 19, 1919, draws attention to an article by 

 Dr. W. D. Home, contributed to a recent number of 

 Facts About Sugar. In this article two types of raw 

 sugar made in the West Indies are compared. Their 

 polarizations were, respectively, 96'7 and 9o'9, and if 

 the polarization alone were the criterion from the 

 refiners' point of view, preference should be given to 

 the first. As a matter of fact it was decidedly inferior 

 to the second for the refiners' purposes. It owed its 

 high polarization largely to its unusually low water con- 

 tent (069 as compared with r.35 per cent, in the 

 second): it contained about five times as much gummy 

 matter as the other; its grain was irregular: it washed 

 with difficulty in the centrifugal, and the liipiors spun 

 off abounded in insoluble matter, troublesome in defeca- 

 tion: it'had a decided caramel colour (which is reluct- 

 antly given up to animal charcoal). Therefore it ia 

 clear that this sugar had been made without due care, 

 and ha<l been overlimed, so that during heating there 

 had been a partial destruction of the reducing sugar in 

 the alkaline medium, with the formation of dark decom- 

 position products. Moreover, it was apparently made by 

 working back low products into the first sugar, having 

 no regard to the fact that this mingling of impurities 

 had to be undone in the refinery. Refiners in their 

 own interest should show preference for sugars of the 

 second tvpe, which wash readily in the machines, have 

 a good colour, are regular in grain, and give very 

 little insoluble matter. 



Filtered "Water. 



In districts where there is an impossibility of 

 obtaining pure and wholesome water for drinking 

 purposes, the most usual resource is a filter of some 

 kind or other. The Colonial Journal, October 1919, 

 states in^ this connexion that the Senior Sanitary 

 Officer, Northern Provinces. Nigeria, reports that the 

 ordinary travelling filter is a delusion and a snare ; 

 when it is most needed, the water calline for filtering 

 is so thick that, particidarly if the filter is of the 

 pump variety, it cracks the can<lles, and is pra.Mi'K- 

 of no further use. 



A much better device than the travelling nilcr 

 takes the form of a large tin funnel and a pack.-t of 

 large sized, chemical laboratory, filter papers. If the 

 water be dirty it is passed through a filter paper : the 

 paper is then thrown away, and the water is boiled : 

 the filtration thus effected renders the water, if not 

 quite inviting to the sight and taste, at least tolerable, 

 while the boiling makes it safe. 



It is sometimes necessary to begin by heating 

 the water, if it be too thick when cold to pass through 

 the filter paper rea<lily. It is stated in the article 

 referred to above that numerous Europeans have 

 adopted this method of water purification, and th.it 

 very few who have given it a trial are likely to return 

 to the use of the travellinor filter. 



In connexion with water purification, it is stated 

 that, since the New ^ oik I)jpai;nient of Water S;ipply 

 added a small amount of chlorine to the water, not a 

 single case of typhoid fever has occurred which could 

 be traced to the city water. It is further noted in the 

 same article that the equipment devised by a British 

 chemist for the use of the army in France w;i.s so 

 perfect, that on a barge it could pump foul water from 

 a canal, and deliver it in large 'piantities purified for 

 drinking purposes. 



Rubber Cultivation in Hainan. 



The manner in which the cultivation of rubber is 

 spreading throughout the East is shown in the develop- 

 ment of this product in the Chinese island of Hainan. 

 The cultivation ischiefiy undertaken, according to the 

 Journal of I he Ilni/nl Societ;/ of Art", October -il, 

 1919, by returned emigrants from the .Malay States, 

 and it is likely to develop into an important industry. 

 One company has jilaiited ii,(iO() rubber trees in one 

 district, and another company 4."), ()(){» trees in another 

 district. Tapping w.as begun on the former plantation, 

 in 1916. The product w;is shipped to Singapiue, and 

 reported on as of first (]uality. 



About the middle of 1SII7, a Chinese luerchan; lu 

 Singapore obtained a grant in H.iinan of IdO.OOO acres 

 of land on which to grow ."),()()( tOiMi rubber trees. When 

 they are in a Hourishing condition he has guaranteird 

 to pay a royalty of -^1 per tree to the tJovernment. 



Heretofore this tropical island has been chiefly 

 devoted to the production of live stock, especially 

 swine and small beef cattle; sugar, rice, ginger and 

 other crops are grown. The area .said to be suitable 

 for rubber growins inclinles a very large pirt of *he 

 island. 



