Vol. XVII. No. 412. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



41 



thick layers of cotton seed, the reason being that the 

 gas is absorbed to a considerable e.xtent by the seed 

 itself, whereby its deep penetration is checked. 



In machines operating by means of heat it is 

 found that marked irregularities often exist as to the 

 temperatures to which the seed is heated in different 

 parts of the machine: some of the seed may be insuffi- 

 ciently heated, while some of it may be over heated. 



Where it can be certain that the temperature is 

 actually applied, it would seem that an exposure to 

 a temperature of .52°C. for five minutes is sufficient 

 to kill the pink boll worm; while the seed will bear 

 heating to about 60°C. without loss of germinating 

 power. 



Five types of machines for the use of poisonous 

 gases are discussed, and fifteen machines making use 

 of heat. 



Tomatoes and Asparagus in Guadeloupe. 



According to notes on kitchen gardens in the 

 Bulletin des Chambres d' Agriculture de la Guade- 

 loupe el Dependances, October 1917, the same tendency 

 to degenerate is found in tomatoes there, when con- 

 tinuously planted from seed, as is experienced in 

 most of these islands. It is however possible, the 

 writer says, to graft tomatoes on what is known in 

 Guadeloupe as 'bellangere batarde' iSolanivm to? vmn) 

 which is called in some of the English islands turkey 

 berry. This grafting is productive of good results, 

 inasmuch as the grafted plants continue for a long 

 time to bear fruit of the original large varieties. The 

 idea is worth being put into practice elsewhere. 



It is interesting to rote ihat asparagus is success- 

 fully grown in Guadeloupe. The bulletin quoted above 

 states that in tive months the shoots are as large in 

 Guadeloupe as they are in France after a year's growth. 



An asparagus bed well cared for bears all the year 

 round in Guadeloupe. The great point is to choose 

 light soil, well drained, and to till it well to the depth 

 of from 70 to 80 centimetres. The method of cultiva- 

 tion advised is to make a trench 1 metre in breadth, 

 digging out the earth to a depth of (iO cm. At the 

 bottom is to be placed a layer of sticks cut from any 

 easily obtainable wood. On them a layer of well rotted 

 manure is spread and pressed down. In three lines, 

 at a distance of 2-5 cm. from one another, also at 

 distances of 2.5 cm. apart, basketfuls of good mould 

 are turned over, and on each such heap is placed an 

 asparagus plant, its roots being carefully spread out in 

 order that they may take good hold of the soil. The 

 plants are then covered with mould to a height of 10 cm., 

 and the trench is then filled with the earth taken 

 from it. Three or four a times a year a layer of well 

 rotted manure should be applied to the bed. The 

 asparagus bed should be completely cleaned in July or 

 August by cutting down all old shoots and covering 

 it with a layer of mould from .5 to (icm. in depth, with 

 the addition of a little chemical fertilizer. 



If this most delicious vegetable is successfully 

 grown in Guadeloupe, it is well worth trying in other 

 islands. Seeds or roots are obtainable from any reliable 

 seedsman in Europe or the United States 



Queensland Sponges, 



The natural resources of Queensland exist in the sea 

 as well as upon the land. The great reef which skirts 

 the northern sea-board of Queensland is the home of 

 the commercial sponge, the trochus shell fish, the beche- 

 de-mer, and other things which a more systematic or 

 scientific search might reveal. So far, the growth of 

 sponge has not been exploited, but trochus shell to the 

 value of 30,000 has been exported to Japan from North 

 Queensland. The luggers fish consistently and effectu- 

 ally. What is required is (l)a greater first-hand know- 

 ledge of the resources of the barrier and its environs; 

 (2) a, more stringent enforcement of the licensing laws; 

 (3)the necessity for a closeseason in various sectors of the 

 waters; and lastly, the introduction of scientific methods 

 for development and control. It is interesting to note 

 in connexion with this last proposal, that in Florida, 

 U.S.A., a sponge farm has been successfully inaugurated, 

 and sponges to the value of £40,000 are about to be 

 put on the market. The way was made clear for this 

 achievement by the American Bureau of Fisheries, an 

 institution which is doing, in conjunction with the 

 American Bureau of Standards, monumental research 

 for American industry. The sponges are separated into 

 tenths, and secured by platinum wire to small slabs 

 of cement, which are 'planted' in a water vat .selected 

 for the complete absence of fresh water, protection 

 from marauders, and freedom from sand. The marine 

 produce of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of 

 North Queensland furnishes raw material for many 

 industries. (The CJunaher of Commerce Journal, 

 December 1917.) 



^^ 



A Mud-Binding Grass. 



There are many aquatic and waterside plants, whose 

 roots, stems, and leaves arrest the removal of soil, etc., 

 by water, and, by the accumulation of solid matter 

 brought liown by streams, build upas it were a founda- 

 tion on which other plants obtain a footing, so that in 

 time what was once swamp may be changed into 

 forest. 



According to The Field for November 17, 1917, 

 a plant of this nature has become established about the 

 shores of Southampton water. The grass has been 

 identified at Kew as a species of Spartina, and is now 

 known botanically as .S'. Townsendii. It is a vigorous, 

 stout, stiff grass, about a yard high, forming close tufts 

 inoie or less circular in outline, the tufts measuring 

 anything between o feet and 15 feet across. It 

 is supposed to be of hybrid origin, but is just as 

 likely to be a sport or variation from iS'. stricta. 

 The copious system of roots and stolons of this 

 grass must contribute lo the stabilization and solidi- 

 fication of the mud. In addition to this binding 

 action, the stems and leaves act as a very effective 

 strainer on the water, which is charged with solid 

 particles brought down by the streams, catching and 

 precipitating them. The result is an accelerated and 

 increased deposition of mud over the area tenanted by 

 the grass. The level of the mud bank becomes raised, 

 the mud itself firmer. If the process continues, the 

 muddy foreshore will gradually be replaced by terr.a 

 firma 



