THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 11, 1908. 



PRICKLY PEAR AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



The United States Department of Agrieulture has 

 given considerable attention to the matter of utilizinjj 

 various species of Opantla and other cacti as food for 

 ^jtocic. Although in most countries where these plants 

 grow they are regarded as intruders, and vvorse than 

 useless, yet it is evident that thej' may be of much 

 value to stock owners in times of drought, when little 

 other succulent stock food is available. Much may be 

 done by selection, too, to propagate the more spineless 

 varieties, which can be utilized as stock food, without 

 the preparation that is needed with the ordinary kinds, 

 in order to render the sijines inocuous. Since prickly 

 peRrs occur in such abundance in the West Indies, the 

 following note from the ivpoit (1907) of the Secretary 

 of the United .States Department <if Agriculture may 

 be of interest : — 



As a .special investigation the Office et Farm Maiuige- 

 iiient has made a studj' of the prickly pear as a fanii crop 

 during the year. Conservative estimates hased upon actual 

 feeding tests and upon yields obtained fi-oin cultivated fields 

 show that 1 acre of cultivated [lear will furnish rough fodder 

 for one cow the year iv)und. Aii avei'age production of 

 nearly 23 tons of green food per acre |)er annum has been 

 grown upon the experimental grounds near San Antonio, Texas, 

 during the past three years. The native growth has been 

 used as stock feed for many years, but its cultivation was 

 never attempted until three years ago. The re.si>onse to cul- 

 tivation has been remarkable, eight times as much forage 

 having been produced upon cultivated ground as U[>on uncul- 

 tivated ground. Wlien it is considered that the crop econo- 

 mizes labour, that a plantation is goixl indetinitely when once 

 established, that it can be fed in a succulent conditif)n every 

 day of the year, that it is'Velished by nearly all farm stock, 

 and that it is extremely resistant to drought, it is clear that 

 this crop nuist become an important adjunct to the live-stock 

 industry of tin' sontli-wcst. 



SEA-WEED AS A MANURE. 



At the Conference of cotton growers which was 

 lield at Barbados in May last, reference was made to the 

 <piestion of utilizing sea-weed as a manure. This 

 material is in most countries used for mamirial purposes 

 by agriculturists whose land is near the sea-coast, 

 although the large content of w.ater ((i5 to 80 per cent. 

 in the fresh stale) makes transport an expensive item 

 for those living any distance inland. Sea-weed is usetl 

 on a very large scale by farmers in luany of the 

 roast States of America, and a bullet in of the United 

 JStates Department of ; Agriculture mentions that in 

 Rhode Island, the annual value of the manure from 

 this source has been estimated to be as high as ^?(J5, ()()(). 



Sea-weeds of ditterent kinds natnially ditfci- in their 

 content of fertilizing constituents. Some of them contain 

 a relatively high projiortiort of nitrogen, and otliers of jiotash. 

 Imt as a gencrid rule they are deficient in |iliospiiorii' acid. 



In 11 ]>ul>liciition issued by the hepartnient iif Agri- 

 culture of the I >ominion of Cunad.i, an analysis i,s given of 

 sea-weed from the Canadian coast. This contained "JTil-i 

 jH-r cent, of organic 'matter (including 0'46f* nitrogen), (•"IdS 

 phosphoric acid, and L'Ol'.') |)otash. In other words the amount 

 of fertilizing constituents [vre.scnt was at the rate of 9-3G 11). 

 <>f nitrogen, "-'IS U). of phosplioric acid, and \Q''y lb. of 



potash per ton. This must be con.sidered a valuable manure 

 on account of the large amount of potash and nitrogen con- 

 tained, more (larticularly the former. For general agricultural 

 ])urpose.s, howeTOr, and in order to make it a complete 

 fertilizer it miglit, with profit, be supplemented by bone 

 meal, which wiluld supply pliosphoric acid. As a green 

 maimre, the ai)j(lication uf sea-weed would add largely to the 

 humus in the soil, and undoubtedly improve the tilth or 

 mechaincal condition of the latter, more especially on very 

 heavy f)r very light lands. It may be applied at the rate of 

 I'd or .'50 tons ]]er acre. 



If the sea-Weed is spread in thin layers on the shore, 

 and allowed to di^y for a day or two, it may with economy 

 l)e carted nuicli Umger distances than when in the perfectly 

 fresh state. 



When sea-weed is burnt, the nitrogen is lost, but the 

 jiotash and phos[)horic acid remain behind in the ash. 

 Analysis of the ahh of the Canadian sea-weeil showed tliat it 

 contained 127 per cent, of pho.sphoric acid, and "J.'VRl per 

 cent, of potash, together with 7'(!9 per cent, of lime. The 

 proportion of potash is considerably higher than that in 

 ordinary wood ashes, u.sually valued on account of their 

 content of this fertilizing constituent. 



Ill the case' of land at some distance from the shore, 

 tlicrel'orc, wh'ch it is thought, would especially benefit by the 

 application of potash, it woulil probably be found economical 

 to forego the orgsinic matter, and reduce the sea-weed to asli, 

 a ton of which, on the basis of the above analysis, would 

 contain over 500 Iti. of potash, and about 28tt.>.ofphosphoricacid. 



In reference to the use of sea-weed by estate owners in 

 the West Indies, Professor d"Albu(]Uer(iue mentioned, at the 

 Cotton (irowers' I 'onference above referred to, that a .sample 

 of West Indian sea-weed, partially dried in the .sun, analysed 

 by him contained 490 |)er cent, organic matter, 0"78 per 

 cent, nitrogen, 0';t7 per cent, phosphoric acid, and O'.'iG per 

 cent. |)0ta.sh. The' ma'iuirial value of this material, according 

 to the .scale of :the Barliados Agricultural Society, would 

 work out at about ."^^H per ton. 



BRAZILIAN COFFEE. 



The Hra/.ilian cofi'ee industry is in an unsatisfactory 

 condition as a result of the enortnous over-production 

 which took place last year. The cultivation is carried 

 on chiefly in the- State of Sao Paulo, and the Govern- 

 ment of that Staite has lately organized a board of four 

 members, known as the ' A<lministrative Board of thc^ 

 f'otfee Propaganda Department,' to assist growers, as far 

 as possible, to meet the present situation in the coffee 

 industrv. The following are the prinei]ial functions 

 assigued to this board :— 



To .study the conditions of the cotiVe markets. ;oid to 

 lay before the Secretary of .Agriculture such proposals as the 

 board may consider ailvisable for the stimulation of consumii- 

 tion, either by develo|iing existing market.s, or creating new 

 ones. To be constantly studying every possible measure that 

 may have an inffuence in incrcasin,i; the consumjition of coffee, 

 and to devise means whercliy the advantages of using cotfw 

 may become more widi-ly known. 



To ocganizc tnivclling exhibitions which shall visit the 

 principal coffee mai:kefs under the direction of a member of the 

 iioaiil, to show the various products of the State of Sao I'aulo, 

 and to exhibit cinematograph views illustrative of the develo|>- 

 ment and civilization, the agriculture and the industries o£ 

 the State. 



