YoL. VII. Xo. 173. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



391 



AGRICULTURE IlSf NYASSA.LAND. 



Agriculture is undergoing steady development in 

 Xvass.iland or' British Central Africa, and the agri- 

 cultural products are annually increasing in value. 

 These products consist chiefly of coffee, cotton, tobacco, 

 Strophanthus (a j)lant from which the drug strophan- 

 thine is prepared), rubber, ground liuts, chillies, and 

 bees'-wa.v. 



The ino^t iKitaljIe feature in the agricultural returns 

 relating to the year 1907-8 is the remarkable increase in the 

 production of coffee. The exports in 1900-7 were 454,111 lb., 

 valued at£9,4Gl. In 1907-S they had increased to 780,1331b., 

 valued at £16,253. Climatic conditions were very favourable 

 to the crop during the year and prices have shown improve- 

 ment. The area under cultivation with coffee is about 

 6,200 acres. 



Cotton is grown over consi<lerable areas in Nyassaland, 

 both under Euroi)ean management and afso on plots of land 

 belonging to the natives. The total area under cultivation 

 by Europeans in 1907-8 was 8,659 acres. On the land at 

 higher levels, American Upland cotton is grown, while at 

 lower levels the Egyptian variety is the kind cultivated. The 

 year was not favourable to cotton growing, owing to drought 

 in some cases, and excessive rain in otlieis. The exports of 

 -cotton from the afore-mentioned area were 403,486 lb., 

 valued at £13,999. The shipments wore less than in the 

 two previous years, but this is explained by the unfavourable 

 climatic conditions. 



In.sect pests are not so much in evidence with the cotton 

 crop as bacterial blight or 'Angular Leaf Spot,' which 

 especially attacks the Egy|itian cotton grown on the lower 

 levels of the countr}'. The return of lint obtained per 

 .acre at present is decidedly low, averaging about 125 It), with 

 the American variety grown on the higher levels, and no 

 more than 70 tt). (ler acre with the Egyjitiau variety. Ccm- 

 .siderable attention, Imw^ever, is being given to increasing the 

 yield and raising the ijuality of the product by careful seed 

 selection, manuring, and good cultivation. 



The cotton-growing industry of the Protectoi-ate, it is 

 .said, is now undoubtedly established on a sound basis and 

 the prospects of the cultivation are good. The natives are 

 giving increased attention to the growing of cotton and 17 

 tons of seed were distributed free for the planting of the 

 [irescnt season. 



Tea is another promising industry in the Xyassaland 

 Protectorate, where it can be produced very cheaply. Over 

 -500 acres are under this crop, and the area is being increased 

 yearly. The yield for the present .season is e.stimated at about 

 9-1 tons. In tea planting a peiind uf from five to six years 

 has to elapse before any return is <jbtaliied on the capital 

 expended. The Nyassaland product is' reported to have 

 improved very much in quality during the last two or three 

 years. 



A large anrl increasing area (at least 2,400 acres at present ) 

 is being brought under rubber cultivation, the chief variety 

 planted being the Ceara (Muni hot (rlnxloitii). Several 

 plantations exist from three to four years old, and tapping 

 usnallj- commences in the fifth year. During i907-S, 1,1 19 lb. 

 of plantation rubber were cxpnited, as against 972 lb. shipped 

 in 1906-7, and 523 lb in 1905-6. Wild rubber was exported 

 in 1907-8 to the extent of 15,533 ft., valued at £3,301. 



A good deal of attention is also being given to a number 

 of fibres, i e., ramie {Iloeluiifnit nirni), tisii hemp (A(/ai'e 

 ri<//i/(i, var. xisa/'tna), and Jlauritius hvni\i (Fatciaea </i(/aii.- 

 f<nii). The experimental cultivation .so far made with sisal 

 hemi) has yielded very proiuising results, and Mauritius heiup 

 also seems a suitable crop for many iilanters. In German 

 East Africa, where the cost of labour is unich gr.-ater than in 

 Nyassaland, sisal hemp cultuie is .said to yield a profit uf 

 at letist 40 per cent., and therefore with the establishment of 

 suitable macliinery for treating the leaves of sisal and 

 JIauritius hemp, it would seem that an importaiit anil profitable 

 industry can be established in Nyassaland. The cultivation 

 of raujie has not given such good results. 



Ginger is another crop which it is thought will prove 

 Jirofitable in. the I'rotectoi-ate, and plants are being extensive- 

 ly propagated for distribution. The first suj)ply of ginger 

 plants was received from Kew in 1901, and propagation has 

 been effected so far as possible from these every year since. 

 About 1,000 plants will Ijc sent out in the coming season. 



PHOSPHATES IN THE SOIL 



An exhaustive account of some of the changes that 

 phosphates in the soil undergo as the result «( the 

 action of water and aqueous solutions ii|)on them is 

 given in BiMetin .'/ / of the Bureau of Soils, TJnitcrl- 

 States Department of Agriculture. 



As the result of a consideration of .-d! the wcuk 

 done on the subject, the following are among the chief 

 conclusions arrived at: — 



( 1 ) Phosphates in the soil are decomposed or hjdr'ilysed 

 fiy water, with the formation of other phospliales, containing 

 relatively more of the base (calciun , alnmiruum, magne- 

 sium, etc.) in combination with the |i]ios[ihoric acid. 



(2) Neutral salts (i.e., those which are neither acid nor 

 alkaline) in .solution usually inciea.se the amounts both of lime 

 and of phosphoric acid passing into solution from a calcium 

 pho.sphate, as compared with the amounts (Hssolved by the 

 action of water alone. 



(•")) Solutions of lime .salts and all .ilkaline solution.-i 

 tend to decrea.se the quantity of lime and phosphoric acid 

 dissolved from a calciunr phosiihate, while acid solutions 

 increase the amounts dissolved. 



(4) Phosphates of iron and .ilumina in the soil are acted 

 on but slightly by .solutions of .salts which aie neutr.'d in 

 reaction. Salts which hydrolyse, however, giving solutions 

 either acid or alkaline in reaction (e.g., as magnesium 

 sulphate or sodium phosphate res[iectively), increase the 

 amount of |)hosphoiic acid yiehf'il t(j the solntiou from 

 phosphates of i[on and alumina. 



(5) Since all soils contain fa<- more basic matter than 

 is sufficient to combine with the phosphoric acid jiresent, the* 

 salts ultimately formed in jjractically all ca.ses will naturally 

 be basic in character (i.e., containing an excess of base), which 

 are the least soluble. The concentration of the soil moisture, 

 as regards the amount of phosphoric acid in solution, is coii- 

 tiolled by these basic pho.sphates. 



(6) 'Ihe concentration of the iihosphoric acid .solution 

 formed with the soil moisture will not be materially att'ected 

 by the addition of |)hosphatic fertilizers to the soil, and will 

 vary but little foi- dilh rent .soils, and with the total amounts 

 ol phos]ihoric acid in soils. 



The changes in both solnlion and soliil which take place 

 during the progress of leaching supeipliosphates are also 

 described. 



