"Vol. VII. No. 172. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



379 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



Seasonal Notes. 



NOVEMBKK. 



Ist FoRTNKiHT. 



The planting of sugar-cane will be under consideration. 

 'Observe the methods followed in your neighbourhood and 

 -compare them with those followed in other countries. Study 

 .the manner of preparing the ' i)lants '; notice whether care is 

 taken to .select healthy plants : note, the use of Bordeaux mix- 

 ture ; study the growth of the young plants. 



In the reaping of the cacao crop ob.serve the clr.nges 

 taking place during the fermenting of the beans ; give atten- 

 .tion to questions relating to drying the cacao. 



When limes are being reaiied observe the quality of the 

 fruit ; note the propiirtioii of r(jtten or damaged fruit and try 

 to ascertain the causes. Note the density of the juice as 

 shown by a hvdiometer (.see ]Vest Indliin IhiUetiii, Vol. V, 

 p. -236). 



Cotton picking will be in progress. (Jb.serve any pest or 

 diseases which intei-fere with the proper development of the 

 bolls. Look for bushes .•showing desirable qualities for .seed 

 .selection. The use of Paris green for caterpillar.s is sure to be 

 in evidence : study the question of applying this to advantage. 

 2nd FoKrNii4HT. 



Planting of canes will be in progres.s. Note the projior- 

 tion of jjlants which fail to grow and try to ascertain the 

 reasons why they fail. Study the questions bearing on weed- 

 ing, surface tillage, dust nuilching anil kindred matters. 



In cacao fields, consider the manner of the disposal of 

 old shells of cacao [lods and see h<iw this may bear mi cacao 

 diseases. 



When lime juice is jirepared, take notes of the manner 

 ■of concentrating the juice ; study the use ot the hydrometer in 

 this connexion : find how much raw juice it takes to produce 

 A gallon of concentrated. (See A ]! C of Lime riniitiixi, \). 3-1, 

 and Wcxt Iiii/iaii JSidUtin, Vol. V^, p. 236.) 



When cotton picking is in progress, note the quantity 

 of lint given by the first developed bolls and those coming 

 later. Learn to judge the quality of lint by systematically 

 pulling it from the seed : the officers of the Botanic Stations 

 will assist in showing how this is done. Observe any pests 

 occurring on cotton and study their life-history. 

 (Jt'E.S'l'JOXS FOR I AX1>1U.\TE.S. 

 I'REMMINAKY IJIESTIONS. 



(1) By .shaking up with water and washing, .separate 

 the sand from the clay in a ^\eighed sample of soil in your 

 neighbourhood, and state the type of soil you consider it to be. 



(2) Ascertain, by means of an acid, if the soil in your 

 jieighbourhood is calcareous. 



(3) Make a tracing of a map of the district in which you 

 live, and mark upon it the kinds of soil existing there, 

 distinguishing calcareous from non-calcareous, light from 

 heavy, and other similar points of difference. 



INTERMEDIATE tJl'BSTIONS. 



(1) Why is the draining of soil necessary ! Di.scnss the 

 (juestion of draining in relation to the .soil in your neighbour- 

 hood. 



(2) What crops are useful as green dressings ( Compare 

 leguminous and non-leguminous crops in this connexion. 



(3) Describe in detail how you would prepare and 'green 

 /Iress' a field to be ultimately planted with sugar-cane. 



ACCLIMATIZATION OF PLANTS. 



An interesting Circular of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Ceylon (Vol. IV, No. 9) deals with the 

 acclimatization of plants in Ceylon and other countries. 



The term <i(r/iiii<iti:ation, it is pointed out, is frequently 

 confused with the introduction and imtnrali'.ation of plants'. 

 When a species l)ecomes so adapted to a new climate as to be 

 able with ordinary care to thrive and perfectly reproduce its 

 kind, it may be said to be avdiinatiwd. An introduced plant 

 is iintiiiali:<'d when it has become indeiiendcnt of artificial 

 aid of any kind, escapes from cultivation, and thiives in 

 a wild state. An e.xanqile of this in Ceylon is the cashew 

 nut (Aiincardiii/Ji orcidciita/i). 



'J'he principal factors concerned in acclimatization are 

 climate and the physiological variability of the plant. 

 Cultivation, however, exerts a very great influence, and it is 

 by this means that nearly all our industrial or economic 

 plants have been so nioditied and improved to suit our 

 requirements. The tendency of the jilant constitution is to 

 readjust itself to environments, as upon the harmony between 

 these and its own organi.sm de])end its periodicity and 

 reproduction, wliicli are the essential functions of plant life. 



The time required to effect naturalization varies with the 

 constitution of the plant and the extent of the change experi- 

 enced. In some ca.ses a certain number of generations ot the 

 plant may be required to effect perfect adaptation lo a new 

 climate, while in others a .species w-ill at once establish itself 

 and even show a great increase in fertility. The reproduitive 

 or fruiting period is another important factor in acclimatiza- 

 tion. Species in which this is prolonged are most readily 

 acclimatized, their reproductive fertility often enabling them 

 to increase at a very rapid rate. 



Ceylon owes a great deal to [ilants MJiich have been 

 introduced and naturalized, as few of the leading products are 

 from plants native to the island. The chief estate produ('ts 

 of Ceylon as tea, coffee, cocoa-nuts, rubber, etc.; the choicest 

 fruits ; the best .shade trees and timbers, as ebony and satin- 

 f'ood ; the finest flowering trees ; the chief vegetaldes and the 

 best fodders, have all been obtained from other countries. 

 Camphor, it is mentio}ied, has not yet become acclimatized in 

 Ceylon, although trees have been grown at Hak:;al;i 

 undermost favourable conditions for thirteen years. I'ara 

 rubber, on the other hand, rajiidly adapted itself to the clima- 

 tic conditions of the island after the importation of the fir.st 

 supply of plants in 1876, and now seed of J/i'iv<t /i/-'(.<///V».t/.<, 

 grown in Ceylon, is being suiiplied in (juantity Ui planters 

 in Brazil, the native home of the tree. 



The benefits of acclimatization, it is pointed out, arc nol, 

 entirely confined to the old world. America is indebti'd to 

 the Easteiu Tropics for many of her leading products, as for 

 example, coffee from Abyssinia, .sugar-cane from China, 

 ginger (now practically a monopoly of .Jamaica), and rice 

 (a staple food ijroduct of the Southern States), both from 

 India, not to speak of mangos, oranges, grajies, and other 

 useful products of the V/.itit. 



The acclimatization of weeds is referred to, and it, is 

 mentioned as a curious fact that the most worthless plants 

 are generally the most readily acclimatized. The worst weed.-^ 

 of Ceylon as the ' goat weed ' (Ai/i'mtui/i conj/toidcn), whieli 

 in the past is said to have co.st coffee planters in the islan;!. 

 £250,000 a year to keep in check ; the Lantana weed, and 

 the so-called .sensitive plant (Mimom piidira), as well a.* 

 several others were all introduced fiom foreign lands. Other 

 i)lants mentioMcd which have proved expensive pests on 

 acclimatization in ditfcrcnf connti'ies are the Prickly I'car irt 

 Queensland, and theWatcr Hyacinth in Florida. 



