156 



THE AGKICDLTUKAL NEWS 



May 18. 1918. 



Since the commencement of the war up to the present 

 time it is stated in A'a/it/f, Marcli 28, 918, that tens of 

 thousands of acres of woods and forests have been destroyed 

 in the I'.ritish Isles. What the effect of this will be upou 

 the wild bird life it is difficult to foretell, b'lt it seems very 

 likely that it will mean a large decrease in the number of 

 insectivorous birds, and that c()Dsei]uenily for some years to 

 come there will be trouble with plagues of various insects. 



GLEANINGS. 



The area under rice in British Guiana in 1917 was 

 •6.000 acres with a yield of 45,000 tons valued at £500,000. 

 The average yields of the colony per acre were only exceeded 

 by those in Egypt and .Japan, the abandoned sugar lands 

 being especially suited for rice cultivation. (The Dtrntz-arii 

 Daily Argusv, April 27, 1918.) 



From the Ciibu Review, March 1918, we gather that 

 although the sugar planters of Cuba have don« exceedingly 

 well with their crop, the tobacco planters are experiencing 

 rather hard times on account of war dinditions, the expor- 

 tation of cigars from Havana for instance during 1917 being 

 ^ome 10,000,000 less than the previous year. 



United Empire, April 1918, states that according to 

 a report issued by the Colonial Office it is estimated that the 

 natives in the British sphere of occupation in Togoland have 

 33 per cent, more land under cultivation now than they ever 

 had under German rule. The freedom from forced labour 

 .gives them time to develop their own interests and resources. 



The Parliament of South Australia has decided that all 

 towns in the State bearing names of German origin are to 

 be renamed . A first list of twenty-two such town.s with the 

 new names has been published, among which may be noticed 

 the following changes: Kaiserstubl to Mount Kitchener 

 Itosenthal to Kosedale, Grunthal to Verdun, and so forth. 

 -(The Colotiiser, k.'^iW 1918.) 



Pig keepers who have icceas to grazing should give the 

 fullest trial to outdoor methods of feeding. Green food alone 

 will not as a rule fatten pigs, but it will keep them in healthy 

 condition, and .save a great deal of meal. 15arren .sows have 

 actually fattened on good pasture without any supplementary 

 foods, and palatable pork can be produceil under the same 

 ■condition.^, {foumal o/ the Board of Agricutliirc, December 

 1917.) 



The name 'Jerusalem artichoke' is most inai.propriate to 

 that tuber. It is not an artichoke, and it i.- not \ native of 

 Jerusalem. De Candolle, in On'gf/i of Cultivated Plants, 

 says: 'the Enjilish name Jerusalem anichoki- is a corruption 

 of the Italian girasole, sunflower, combined with an allusion 

 to the artichoke flavour of the root'. If we ure to have a name 

 that fits the plant it might be suggested that 'sunflower 

 potato' would meet the case. (The Field, April 16, 1918.) 



In order to make clean lii|uid manure for application 

 to vegetables, a bag of well- rotted stable manure is placed 

 in a barrel filled with water. The bag should be well .shaken 

 in the water, and after about twelve hours the li(juid may 

 be used freely on the plants The barrel may be lilled with 

 water several times before it becomes nece>sary to empty 

 and refill the bag (The foil mat of the famaica ADriailliiral 

 ^ciety, March 1918.) 



The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society for 

 March 1918 draws attention to the fact that cane planters 

 could grow large crops of corn through their young canes, 

 and though corn takes something out of the soil which ought 

 to go to the cane, still in these times there will be a margin 

 in favour of the corn. This is an old-time practice which 

 should be commenced again. It is stated that on the highly 

 cultivated soils of sugar estates 30 bushels of corn should be 

 the return per acre. 



According to the Port-ofSpain Gazette April 28, 1918, 

 there has been an outbreak of swine fever or h'lg cholera in 

 certain districts of the island, including Belmont and Diego 

 Martin. The Government Veterinary Surgeon is busy in 

 combating the disease. It is thought that the local outbreak 

 is due to infection from Barbados, where the disease has been 

 recently making ravages. It is to be hoped that the Trinidad 

 authorities will be able soon to control and eradicate this 

 disease by the only method known viz-, serum inoculation. 



Arrangements liave been completed by the Ministry of 

 Munitions for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen on a large 

 scale in the Uniti:d Kingdom, as a source of supply for the 

 production of explosives. It is probable thai in order to 

 save tonnage, and owing to the length of the voyage from 

 Chile, it will be found neces.sary to develop this productioa 

 still further. This source of supply is also expected to be 

 of great value after the war for the production of fertilizers. 

 {The Times, February 15, 1918.) 



A party of American scientists, chiefly from the 

 State University of Iowa, under the guidance of 

 Profes.sor C C Nutting, Professor of Zoology of that 

 I'niversity, has arrived in liarbados for the purpose 

 of studying the marine biology of ilie.se waters. The 

 (Jovernment of the island has placed at their disposal the 

 quarantine station ol Pelican Island during their visit. They 

 hope, after concluding their work in Barbados, to pay a visit 

 to Antigua. 



The term upland rice is apiilied to those varieties of rice 

 which grow in ordinary well drained fields during the rainy 

 .-icason. An article in the Philipjiiuv Agriculturist and 

 Forester, January- February, 19 PS, recommends upland 

 rice as suitable for extensive rice culture wherever corn and 

 sugar-cane are grown, or on newly opened lands in sugar-cane 

 districts The article states ihst the putting of upland rice 

 in rotation with sugar is rccomincnded by the Bureau of 

 Agriculture, and further, that there are varieties of uplamL 

 rice which yield much more that any lowland varieties. 



