40 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Fkbruaey 1, 1913. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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gigricuttunit Jlciuj) 



Vol. XII. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1913. No. 281. 



"notes AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The leading article in this number commences the 

 consideration of the functions of water in relation to the 

 life of animals and green plants. It is intended to 

 develop the subject in an illustrative wa}^, in the next 

 number of the Agricultural News. 



An interesting suniniar\' of the sugar-cane experi- 

 ments conducted in Antigua during 1911-12 is given 

 on iJage 35, 



Pages 36 and 37 contain an illustrated article 

 dealing with the propagation of cacao by patch budding, 

 in Dominica. 



The last report on the Dominica Agricultural 

 Department is reviewed on page 39. 



The Insect Notes, on page 42, complete the sum- 

 mary of entomological information given in this journal 

 in 1912, and present a note on insect pests in the 

 Vii'gin Islands. 



On page 43, there appears an account of experi- 

 ments that have been carried out in Ceylon for the 

 purpose of ascertaining the effects of different kinds of 

 tapping en the composition of the rubber obtained. 



The Fungus Notes, which will be found on page 46, 

 describe recent work that has been done in the course 

 of a very thorough investigation of a plant disease, in 

 India. 



Boards of Industrial Training. 



In the Report of the Board of Industrial Training 

 (1911-12), of British Guiana, is given the syllabus 

 of instruction for the evening technical classes arranged 

 for the benefit of apprentices. Besides practical 

 iii:ithematics, economic geography and mechanical 

 drawing, t,he syllabus includes a scheme of instructiiin 

 iu bo it-building, pattern-making and motor engineer- 

 ing. Ir, is stated that the attendance, compared with 

 that in 1910-11, has been disappointing as regards 

 number, but that it has been fairly regular; the 

 majority of the students were of the apprentice class. 

 During the past year the Board has addressed itself 

 to additional (juestions arising in the course of 

 its work, an important outcome of which has 

 been the conclusion of arrangements by the Govern- 

 ment whereb}- students from British Guiana are 

 admitted to the Teachers' Training College in Jamaica. 

 Efforts to introduce, in British Guiana, legislation for 

 protecting registered masters and artisans against the 

 unregistered class have not yet proved successful. 



A similar board, having similar aims to those 

 described above, exists in Trinidad, and its lines 

 of activity are described in a recent issue of the Trini- 

 dad Royal Gazette (January 9, 1913). Information is 

 given concerning office records, committees and the 

 registration of artisans, and the various forms are 

 appended for certificate, licence, and contract, of appren- 

 ticeship. Some of the best work of the Board can 

 be done thi'ough its power to enter into agreements 

 for procuring the training of boys by Licensed 

 Masters. The periods of apprenticeship required for 

 different trades are also given. A useful feature is that 

 bursaries are offered for competition among the 

 elementary schools. 



Chlorosis in Plants. 



An abstract of a paper by P. Maze, Rust and 

 Lemoigne, on chlorosis in plants induced by carbonate 

 of lime, is contained in the Bulletin of the Bureau 

 of Agricultural Intelligence and of Plant Diseases 

 for October 1912. 



In a previous number of this Bulletin (January 

 1912), reference was made to experimental work by 

 Maze on the chlorosis of maize, when it was pointed 

 out that this yellowing of the leaves does not indicate 

 a pathological condition but is physiological, resulting 

 from very varietl influences. The author was, however, 

 able to certify that the absence of sulphur or iron, 

 per se, is able to cause chlorosis in maize. Chlorosis 

 has been generally attributed to the want of iron, and 

 this has usually been remedied by the addition of 

 sulphate of iron. The response to this treatment sug- 

 gested the quesijion as to whether the cause is not the 

 lack of sulphur rather than the lack of iron. 



It is well known that calcareous soils play an 

 important part in producing chlorosis in certain plants, 

 and Maze show(;d that the desulphuration of the soil 

 through the formation of insoluble calcium sulphate is 

 one of the causes of chlorosis. 



Consequent- on this, the three investigators referred 



