Vol. VII. No. 166. 



THE AGKICULTUKAL XEWS. 



281 



Cotton Cultivation in Cuba. 



Since li)O.S, cotton cultivation has been trieil in 

 ^n e.xpeiiniental way by several planters in Cuba, and 

 the soil and climatic conditions which exist in many 

 parts of the island have been found to be eminently 

 suited to the crop. Sea Island cotton is reported to 

 have done excellently well, and one or two Ui)land 

 varieties (Excelsior, King, Sunflower, and Russell) have 

 also given good results. 



The cotton crop in Cuba is, however, subject to the 

 ravages of the cotton boll weevil (Anthonomas gnindls) 

 which is responsible for such enormous destruction 

 every year in the United States, and this has been 

 a chief cause in preventing the possible development of 

 the industry. Fortunately the boll weevil has not been 

 known to occur in the British West Indies. 



Coffee in Porto Rico. 



Coffee production in past years formed the 

 premier industr}' of Porto Rico, but owing to the rapid 

 advances that have of late been made in the output of 

 sugar and tobacco, and also on account of the fact that 

 coffee is not accorded that preference on the United 

 States market which is given to the other two products, 

 the coffee industry of the island has diminished in 

 importance. 



It is estimated that there are now some 16,000 

 coffee plantations, of vaiious sizes, in existence in Porto 

 Rico. These are all situated in the mountainous 

 districts and comprise a total area of about 19,000 

 acres. 



During the year 1907 over 38,000,000 It). of coffee, of 

 a total value of £93-l',29.5, were exported from the 

 island, of which only 18.5,959 lb. went to the United 

 States. 



Rubber Planting in Samoa. 



Rubber planting has of late begun to receive 

 attention in the German colony of Samoa, of which 

 copra has been the chief agricultural product in the 

 past, while cicao production is also a developing 

 industry. 



According to the British Consul at Samoa there 

 are three large rubber plantations now in existence in 

 the islands, the largest of which extends to several 

 thousand acres. The remaining two estates are each 

 about 4.50 acres in extent, and are partly planted in 

 mixed cultivations of rubber and cacao and partly in 

 rubber alone. Para rubber {Hert-u hrasllienxin) is by 

 far the chief variety planted. 



Para rubber plants have been imported from 

 ■Ceylon, and one importation of 100,000 })lants was 

 a complete success as regards the subsequent growth 

 of the plants. The Para rubber trees are planted 

 jibout 15 feet apart each way, and since this tree is 

 liable to destruction by storms on account of its super- 

 ficial rooting system, it is proposed to protect the 

 plantations with wind-breaks of Ficus ehistku trees, 

 which, owing to their thick and spreading crown of 

 foliage and strong root system, are well adapted for this 

 purpose. 



Pine-apple Industry in Queensland. 



Reports from (.^)ueenslan(l state that pine-applo 

 cultivation and the subsequent canning of the fruit form 

 a very profitable industry in the colony. The pine- 

 apple acreage is increasing annually, and many trials 

 were made in the hope of establishing an export trade 

 in the fresh fruit to London and other markets. 

 Various modes of treatment were adopted, but in spite 

 of every precaution, the results were unsatisfactory-, 

 since it was found on arrival in London that the 

 flavour of the pines had been lost, and on exposure to 

 the air the fruit became flaccid and rotten. 



Last year it was estimated that the number of 

 pine-apples produced in Queensland amounted to 

 650,000 <lozen, and since this greatly exceeds the 

 demand — not only of Queensland, but also of the other 

 Australian states as well — for the fresh fruit, canning 

 factories have lately been started to deal with the sur- 

 plus, and these proniise to become very profitable to 

 the proprietors. The canneries are hoping in the first 

 case to secure the whole of the Australian markets, and 

 they have also begun an export trade to the United 

 Kingdom. 



The Candle-nut Tree. 



The candle-nut tree (Alenrites triloba) forms the 

 subject of a paper in the Agrladtwral Ledger uf India, 

 No. 4, 1907. This tree, which belongs to the natural 

 order Eiiphorbiaceae, is not uncommon in the West 

 Indies, and in Jamaica is known as the 'country 

 walnut.' The countries in which it is found growing in 

 largest quantity, however, are Java, Sumatra, the 

 Moluccas, and South Pacific Islands. It has also been 

 naturalized in many parts of India, and in Madagascar. 



The fruit of the candle-nut tree is about the size 

 of a small or.ange, and usually contains two heart- 

 shaped seeds enclosed within hard shells. The seeds 

 are interesting on account of the fact that they contain 

 about 60 to 66 per cent, of a useful oil, which has 

 a considerable market value. The candle-nut has 

 received its name from the fact that the kernel burns 

 like a candle when a light is applied to it, and in the 

 South Pacific Islands the kernels are threaded on reeds 

 and used as torches. 



Of the 60 per cent, of oil contained in the .seeds, 

 about 55 percent, is capable of being readily extracted 

 on a commercial scale. This proportion is very high 

 when compared with other oil-bearing seeds and nuts. 

 Castor oil beans yield no more than 40 to 45 per cent, 

 of oil. The oil expressed from the nuts is known as 

 Bankul oil or artists' oil. It is a drying oil and is used 

 in the arts for the same purpose as linseed oil, viz., in 

 the manufacture of oil-colours, lacquers, and varnishes, 

 and also for soap making. The cake from which the 

 oil has been expresseil may be used as a cattle food or 

 a manure. 



Samples of candle-nuts have been submitted to 

 brokers in London, who stated that the kernelx should 

 meet with a ready sale at £12 to .£13 per ton. 



