Vol. VII. No. 171. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



36-3 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



The series of notes and questions \vhi(;h were 

 started in the last issue of the AijHcuUimil Neir.'^, 

 with the object of affording assistance 'and guidance to 

 voung men employed oti estates eiftering upon the 

 Reading Courses in Agricidture. are ijontinued below. 

 As alreml)- explained, there was Some unavoidable delay 

 in starting, and the notes now published relate to 

 October wcjrk on esrates. Afcer this issue, however, the 

 notes will be brought up to date, and will be regularly 

 €ontinue(l in future tiunibers. 



Seasonal Notes. 

 ( )fi'(ii;EK. 



1st FoKTNKiHT. 



Orowiugoaue.s may now be expected to arrow ;observe the 

 manner in which the arrow originates ; pndeavour to make 

 out the .structure of the tiowei-, noting' the stamens and 

 stigma. Stuily the i|Ue.sti'..in of [iroducing seedling canes. 



Note wliat weeds make their ajipearaiice on land prepared 

 for crops. See if any relationship can be traced between the 

 kind of soil and the type of weed that ajipears upon it. 



Caterpillars may be troublesome in cotton fields ; collect 

 some and feed them on cotton leaves ; note the growtli, the 

 changes of skin, and the transformation into pupa (chrysalis), 

 and moth, recording the time the various stages occupy. Make 

 drawings. Note the presence of other pests : observe their 

 habits, and ascertain the steps taken to cBntml them. 



Early cotton may be iu liearing during the first fortnight 



of October. Note how long it takes a cotton tlowerdntd to 



foiin and to open, how long the tlowe;' remains open, and how 



long it takes a boll to form and liipen. 



OcroUKK. 



2mi Fdkt.nioht. 



Limes and cacao will be in fruit in the latter half of 

 ■October ; observe the development of the fruit from the 

 tiower. Ob.serve what insects visit the flowers of these trees, 

 and, if you can, ascertain how pollination is effected. 



Green dressings will have been grown and pli)Ughed in ; 

 note how long it takes for these to decay ; see whether any 

 physical effect can be observed in the .soil. 



During or after rain note how the water is absorbed l)y 

 the soil, and that later some of it diijiins of! the surface. 

 Observe where it flows, and what effect this has on the sur- 

 face of the field and on the tilth. 



QcESTioxs For Caxdip.xtes. 

 preli:min.\ry Qr'ESTioNs, 



(1) Sulphate of ammonia is dissolved in water : Ikjw 

 could you recover the .stdphate of ammonia in solid form '. 



(2) Give a brief account of some of the principal func- 

 tions of water in connexion with jjlant life '! 



(3) Give an account of the maimer in which you think 

 the soil ill ihe neighbonrhocul in which yciu live has been 

 formed ( 



iNTF,R>n':iUATt; c,ii;t;sTi()Ns. 



(1) Wiiat elements of plant food are supplied b}' pen 

 manure ;' What change does pen manure undergo in a soil, 

 and how does it influence the texture of, a soil ? 



(2) What advantages are claimed for Hat cultivation, 

 and for the plan of throwing the land into banks respectively .' 

 Discuss the merits of both methods ? 



(3) What do yoti understand by mulching ( Describe 

 several methods of nmlching ! What advantages are derived 

 from the operation ? 



RUBBER IN THE WEST INDIES. 



.Some notes dealing witji the introduction unci 

 distribution of rubber trees in 'the West Indies, and the 

 developments that have so far been made in the rubber- 

 producing industry in these colonies, as exemplified by 

 the exhibits from the West Indies and British (Juiana 

 on view at the late London Rubber Exhibition, appeared 

 in recent numbers of the llV.sf /;/'//(/ Conniiittei: 

 Ctrculiir. The notes were contributed by Mr. W. G. 

 Freeman, B.Sc., formerly Scientific Assistant on the 

 staff of the Imperial Department nf Agricidtiire. 



It is pointed out that the West Indian Islands, although 

 naturally endowed with many products of economic impor- 

 tance, are not rich in native rubber-yielding plants. The 

 rubber vine {F(jxf<'.rimi(i. fori/nindd) and a new rubber plant 

 {Odoiitddcnia sp.) recently brougli't to notice iu Triiddail, are 

 found wild, liut these are of lit^tle commercial iin|iortance. 

 The Central American ruiihev ti-ee (C'dMiUoa e/risfiai), wliicli 

 grows wild in British Hondura.s, is nowhere found growing 

 iu a state of nature in the islands, and although one or 

 two species of Hevca occur wild in British Guiana, the 

 principal sjiecie.s, J/iioi /,rits/7ii usis, is lacking, ^'arious 

 species of the genus Sapiuni are indigenous to Briti.sli 

 (iuiana. These are of commercial imiiortance as sources of 

 rubber, and are receiving considerable attention. As is well 

 known, too, balata — a kind of gutta-percha — is largely 

 produced in British Guiana, and to a less extent in Trinidad 

 from the native Bulletwood tree ^J/i/iiiixojjs </lo/iosa). It is 

 evident, therefore, that if any considerable output of riiliher 

 is to be exjiected from the West Indies, this will, to a large 

 extent, be the product of introduced trees. Evidence of tht> 

 work that has already been done was seen in the exhibits 

 displayed at the Olympia in September last. 



Trinidad —with its dependency Tobago —Dominica, and 

 to a less degree, St. Lucia, were represented by exhibits of 

 rubber obtained from plants none of which were native to the 

 islands, while British Guiana made a good display of the 

 jn'oducts of native trees. There were also on view two 

 Wardian cases of living rubber plants received in splendid 

 condition from Trinidad and !^t. Lucia respectively. It 

 is mentioned that these, which included the chief South 

 American and African rubber-yielding plants which have lieen 

 introduced into the West Indies, juid the balata plant as well, 

 formed, when o[ienedup, a most attractive feature of the exhiliit. 



Among the samples sent from Trinidad, Central Ameri- 

 can rubber was well rejiresented Ijy specimens in block, sheet, 

 biscuit and scrap from various estates. ,\ large series of 

 samples of Castilloa rubber, prepared from trees of different 

 ages, was also on view from the Botanical Dei)artment. 

 Specimens of l^ara rubber, too, were sent from the De]jart- 

 ment, but none were receivi'd from any estates in the island. 

 (_)ther sami)les from Trinidad were the produce of the Lagos 

 silk rubber tree (Finitiaiim i/(ix/,,irn), West African rubber 

 (Ficiis To'/f;///), African vine ridiber {Liiiiil(,ljilii<i s[i. ), and 

 Assam rubber (Firux I'hixlird). 



Sampiles of Para, Castilloa, : and Ficus rubber were on 

 view from Dominica, and Mr. Freeman gives an account of 

 the progress that has so far been made in the island with this 

 cultivation (in this connexion see last issue iA Aiiriciillnial 

 Xaiva, page 3-13). 



St. Lucia also sent sjiecimens of rubber, together with 

 a ca.se of young plants, to the Exhibition. In 1905 it was 

 estimated that there were from 300 to 400 trees in the island, 

 chiefly iilanted as ,shade trees on cacao estates, and since then 

 the distribution of young rubber plants from the Botanic 

 Station has been actively continued. 



