}-2l 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ai-Rii, 20. 1918. 



The noted American inventor, Edison, claims that he 

 can produce thin sheets of metal, especially of nickel, which 

 would SLTve every purpose for which paper is now employed, 

 as far as bnoks are concerned, and that these will be cheaper, 

 thinner, tougher, and more tlcvible than ordinary paper. 

 (The \l\a//h ,>/ l!i,/in, December 1917.) 



GLEANINGS. 



The number of live stock on the farms of the United 

 States OD January 1, 1918, wiis estimated by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture as 187,104,000, valued at 

 -*8,26.3,.3"24,OOl\ an increase of (5,39.3,000 in number compared 

 to a year ago, and in value, of -SI, •527,91 2,000. (The 

 A^riatltiinil Guzettc of Canada, March 1918.) 



Tlu ]'i>n>' iij St. Lucia, March 16, 1918, calls attention 

 to the fact that the manager of the Maple Leaf Hotel in 

 Castries has begun curing fish and meat by pickling. The 

 sample examined was as good as the best of its kind imported. 

 Fish, p'>rk, and beef were in perfect condition, and, when 

 cooked, in no way fell behind similar articles imported. 



Health experts in the United States condemn the glass 

 inilk bottle as a pernicious germ carrier. Some dairies have 

 bef;un to employ destructible bottles made of light card- 

 board coated with paratin. As these bottles are impervious 

 both to air and light, milk can be kept fresh in them many 

 hours longer than in glass bottles. (The Scit'iitific .[inerican. 

 Vol. XCVI, No. 11.) 



.Seeing that after the war there will be a serious falling 

 ort in the cotton crops of .Vmerica owing, it is stated to the 

 imperious demand for foodstutis, it is ])Ossibie that cotton 

 growing! may become as important and paying an industry 

 in »^)u(•(•nsla^d as in the I nited States of .\merica. In 

 (Queensland the cotton grower liaj)pily has not t(j contend 

 with destructive pests like the boll-weevil and cotton 

 stainer. (The Qiieeimlaiiil . ii^rioiltttra/ foiinial, February 

 1918.) 



Among experiments carried out last year by Messrs. 

 Sutton .V Sons a'. Heading, .some as to the effect of the 

 removal of blossoms on the yield of potatoes are of special 

 interest. I'rom the results it appears that, in five out of seven 

 plots experimented upon, picking of the blossoms resulted in 

 an increased yield of tubers, and that the average increase 

 was by no means negligible, amountinK to •'> per cent. (The 

 liiliriuiliiiiial A'^rinc of lliv Science and Practice of .li^ri- 

 ciiltiiir, l)ecember 111 17.) 



In a note on the development of the l^mpire's fishing 

 areas, in Tropical /.i/c Un February l'.)18, it is remarked 

 that attention might be given to developing the splendid fish 

 sup|)lie8 in tropical and semi tropical areas, where the fi.sh 

 obtainable are very nourishing, even if not eiiual to the fish 

 obtainable from cold ocean.", and extremely pleasant as food. 

 Another point to remember is that if the fisheries of the 

 tropic." are develojjed, the inhabitants of those regions will 

 need smaller supplies ot iiieit and of foodstuffs from . Vmerica 

 and Europe. 



The conclusions reached on the results of experiments 

 lor a period of six years on crop rotations at the University 

 of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment .Station, as recorded 

 in Bii/ktin r~o, for October 1917, is that the net income 

 per acre from grains and corn grown in rotation with clover 

 or similar legumes may be constantly expected to be higher 

 than from the same orops grown continuously, or in rotations 

 not including clover. 



Considerable progress has been made in Cermany an J 

 Austria in the manufacture of paper yarn. Samples of 

 German fabrics containing these yarns have been received in 

 England. Some of these samples have been found to consist 

 of 40 per cent, twisted paper, 40 per cent, of cotton, and 20 

 per cent, of wool waste. Passable-looking suits have beea 

 made of woollen and paper yarn, alternating two by two. 

 The fabric is certainly not improved by exposure to rain. 

 {The Board af Trade Joiir/ia/,V ahn^vy 14, 1918.) 



In answer to an enquiry made by the Ceylon Agricul- 

 tural Society to the Imperial Institute as to whether there 

 was any likelihood of a demand for turmeric dye, the reply 

 was that there is a regular demand for turmeric, partly for use 

 as a dye, but chiefly as a spice for curries, etc. There seems 

 no reason to anticipate any great increase in the demand. The 

 colouring matter is not extracted by the grower, but the 

 turmeric /hizomes themselves constitute the marketable 

 product. {The Tro/ica/ .Ixri'"/^"' 'it, December 1917.) 



The following recipe for making corn bread is taken 

 from the Jamaica Gicancr, February 8, 1918; 'firing 

 1 pint of milk to the boiling point, add three quarters vi 

 a cup of corn meal mixed with a little cold water, and cook 

 a few minutes, then add one tablespoouful of salt, one roundel 

 tablespoonful of lard or butter, one quarter teaspoonful c ;' 

 soda, and, if liked, one half cup of molasses. Let cool. Whe i 

 blood-warm add three-quarters of a yeast cake di.ssolvel 

 in one cup of warm water. Let this batter rise until light, 

 then mix very stiti' with white Hour, and knead well. Le; 

 rise until double its bulk. Then form into loaves, and let; 

 rise to top of pan. ISake one hour. 



Experiments recently published in the Br.lktin de 

 Sociitc de.< /'/,i;;cn/c//r.'! Ci<.'//s de J-'ra/icc describe how iro;i 

 plates, well cleaned and polished, were coated, some witli 

 one and others with two, three, or more coats of paint, an I 

 then expo.sed to the ^tion of steam for a whole day, after 

 which the paint was removed, and the surface of the plat-'S 

 examined. Tho.se plates with one loat only were founl 

 to be as bright as before; those with twr) showed a few rust 

 spots, while those with three and four were attacked 

 to a greater extent. It. is explained that the deeper layers 

 dry badly, and tend to dissolve the up[)ermost coatiiii;, 

 increasing its porosity to moisture. Plates should therefor.' 

 be covered with only one coat of paint, and any old pain'., 

 removed before doing so., (The /ntcn/.tfiona/ S/o/iir finir')i,'' 

 February 191 8-) 



