:it? 



T5I AGKICULTURAL NEWS 



N'0\ : 



191S. 



'L'ht' Hoiud iij Trade Jminial. August 1"), 1918, states- 

 that the J'.oard are in receipt of informution, through the 

 Koreign Office, from His Majesty's Hijjh Commissoner in 

 Kgjpt, that the area sown with the various descriptions of 

 cotton in Kgjpt in the present season is l,3iri,572 feddans. 

 Of this total, 952.480 feddans are under the Sakellarides 

 variety, chiefly grown in Lower Kgypt, and 273,9.'!6 feddanf« 

 under Ashinuni. which is almost all grown in [.'pper Eepyt. 

 (A teddan is practically the same as an acre in square- 

 measiirement'- 



GLEANfNGS. 



Iceland, too far north to riise wheat, is prepari^.g to 

 make herself independent of grain ships by convertinj; part 

 of her potato c-np irti floi.ir. (Th? Soitf/nni Piant-r, 

 August 1918.) 



Experiments have been made in JuLiand in the utilization 

 of grass for the manufacture of sewing thread. The experi- 

 ments are said to have given very promising results, It is 

 also reported that an inventor in Sweden has succeeded in 

 producing from Hr an artificial silk of excellent quality, soft, 

 glossv- and strong. (The Board of Trade loiiriia^. August 15, 

 1918.) 



The United States Consul at Kosario, Argentina, 

 reports, according to the Lmiisiaiia P/atiter, August 24, 

 1918. that there is the promise now of more than double the 

 crop of sugar in the State of Tncuman, as compared with 

 •.hat of 1917. The estimated crop for this season is about 

 200.000 metric tons, as against the complete yield for 1917 

 of 88,075 tons 



The Cii/'ii Rcvie'u-, August 191e, states that Spain is 

 again permitting the exportation of olive oil. and consid- 

 erable (]uantities are now being imported into Cuba, the price 

 however being several times more than normal Cargoe.~ of 

 rice also continue to come direct from the Orient to Cuba 

 by .sailing ves.'-els, and also considerable quantities of Ameri- 

 can rice are brought over through the Gulf. 



According to KXm Jviirnal nf the Board of Auriiitltiirc, 

 July 1918, investigation was made in France last year on 

 the use as fodder of the .seaweed common on the Berton 

 coast. Kxperiments showed that as a feeding stuff 3 BE), of the 

 dried seaweed inalerial were equivalent to 4 tb. of oats. 

 Horses suffering from lymphangitis improved under this diet 

 and the dieeace disappeared. This action has been attributed 

 to the trace of iodine present in the materi;il. h'J tl; 

 ment needs further evidence. 



state 



Profitable utilization of the husk of the cacao bean which 

 18 detached, and not included in the manufacture of high grade 

 cacao, had occupied tin- attention of numerous chemists and 

 agriculturists. Among the uses to which the husks have 

 been put is their einploymeni in cattle foods. Feeding experi- 

 ment" have shown that cacao shells are fattening fodder for 

 cattle, and tliiit the daily yield of milk from cows is con- 

 aiderably increased ss the result of the use i>f tfati? ntaterinl. 

 (VV^ Analyst, .lune l^K** - 



In rose pruning, the rule is that strong growing plants 

 require lest severe pruning than weak-growing ones. As roses- 

 always flower on new wood, it is essential that the bushes be 

 pruned regularly, if good blooms are desired. All weak 

 growths, exhausted and worn out wood, must be removed, 

 retaining only vigorous growths. It is generally advisable tc» 

 prune to four or five eyes or buds, so as to have subsequent 

 strong growth. Spindly growth, especially in the centres of the 

 bushes, should be removed. (The foiinial oj the Ih/iarfwenf. 

 of As:rieii/ture, W'Ai.nA, Australia, .'une 1918.) 



The grand total of allotments in I'lngland and Wales at 

 present covers an area of about 200,OoO acres. s»ys the- 

 Journal of the Board -of A:;ncultiirc, .Tuly 1918. Taking 

 this figure and e>tiniating that 50 per cent, of each allot- 

 ment is planted with potatoes — a conservative estimate — 

 we have 100,000 acres of potatoes on our allotments. If 

 these produce an average of 7 tons per acre (a moderate- 

 assumption for garden and allotment potato crops) this 

 means that the allotment holders of Kngland and Wales will 

 grow this year "iiO.OOO tons of this most essential war-tims"- 

 crop practically on the spot where it is to be consumed. 



Since Septeiiibe.'- 1, 1917, approximately 2i.'0,000,OOOBi. 

 of sugar have been used by the Tnited States Armv, and 

 this amount is exclusive of depots and camps on ihe western 

 coast which have been using raw sugar from Manilii, having 

 it refined in the West. A conservative stAteraent of the 

 amount of sugar procured on the I'acifir coast is about 

 25,000,000BE)., making the total purcha.se for the Arm\ 

 225,C00,0001b. By calculation it is found that about 237 Bv 

 of sugar are consumed per thousand men nt their meal? in one 

 day— a little under 4- Gz- per soldier per day. (Thv T.oui\- 

 iaiia Planter. A.«cust. 31. 1918.^ 



Amongst suggestions for the (.rcfjaration of locally grown 

 foodstuffs in a circular issued b\ the Acting I'irector of 

 Agriculture. Trinidad, the following i> worth drawicg atten- 

 tion to: 'To prepare corn to get best results tor several 

 kinds of bread or pudding it is best to take oti' the skin. This 

 is done a- follow.- To 2 %. corn allnw '.' lb sifted ashe$ 

 and about 1 gallon water, and boil for one houi. It i.s suffi. 

 ciently boiled when u grain squeezed between the fingers 

 pulps out of the shin. Place the pot from the fire under x 

 .stream of cold water, and rttb the cfirn with the hands, wJien 

 the skin will easily -eparate, and the overriow ot water will 

 carry away all the ashes and the skin When clean, drain off 

 the water, add ibout \\ gallons clean water, and reboil for 

 about fifteen minute.- 'The grains Miu<-t then Iv cnislied into 

 a fine paste, either :a a mill or a meat uiimier 



