Vol. XII. No. 283. 



THE AGRICULTL'UAL NEWS. 



67 



dormant condition, the animal disposes itself so that 

 ovaporation is reduced as much as possible; but the 

 I'hief savinj^ of metabolic wati'r is effected from the 

 circumstance that the animal exists on a nit rojjen -free 

 food-snpply — its own fat — so that the amount of nrea 

 to be excreted, and therefore the amount of water to 

 be lost in this way, is made very small. Thus the 

 animal is able to exist without water for a long time. 

 In the same way, the camel is able to utilize the fat in 

 its hum]), during long journeys in the desert. 



The significance, again, of the matter in relation 

 to insects, birds and reptiles, is ovident chiefly in the 

 case of many of the first kind — insects that feed on 

 air-dried food and never require supplies of free water. 

 Among such insects are the clothes moth (Tinea 

 pellionella), the Mediterranean Hour moth {Ephestia 

 kvhniella) and the bee moth {Gallerid mellonella). 

 possessing larvae which contain from five to ten times 

 the amount of water in the food they eat. Their 

 nitrogen waste is excreted as uric acid, which is 

 insoluble and therefore only slightly poisonous; and 

 little loss of water accompaijies the excretion. They 

 are thus able to utilize metabolic water for the 

 needs of the tissues to a far greater extent than is the 

 case with the higher animals. 



What has lioen said assists the realization of the 

 imijortant part played by the water that is formed in 

 living beings; and suggests that such metabolic water 

 would be sufficient for the needs of all animals, if it 

 was not required to aid in the eliininacion of poisonous 

 substances formed by the breaking-down of nitrogenous 

 food materials. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



WEST INDIAN SUGAR-CANES IN 

 QUEENSLAND. 



A continuation of the trials, in (^)ueens]aiid, of certain 

 varieties of West Indian sugar-canes is described in tin- 

 Annual Eeport of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment 

 Stations (1912). 



Near the commencement of the report, analytical and 

 crop results are given in regard to certain (Queensland canes, 

 tf> ]!.147 and Mauritius Malagache. It may be remembered 

 that the suitability of B.U7 in (^lueensland, in 1911, has 

 already been referred to in the Airiculturat Xeics, in 

 \ ol. XI, p. 371, and the trials during r.tl2 have confirmed the 

 previous year's results. In the first place the extreme 

 dryness of the season caused the ratoon crop, with the excep- 

 tion of B.147 and Mauritius Malagache, to liecome so back- 

 ward and stunted that the greater part of the crop had to be 

 ploughed out. In the crop results of the plant canes, B 147 



headed the list with 100 tons of sugar per acre, Mauritius 

 .Malagache came second with 159 and Q.ll'l third with 

 14'.5. One Queen.>-land cune gave only 24 tons of sugar 

 per aoro. 



In the experiint-nts witli miscellaneous canes (final 

 analysis) the followins; figures, showing the percentage of 

 sncrn»e in the juice, should be of intere.st in the West Indies: 

 D.ll.-J.j gave 14 54: (J 1900, 17.06; B.208, 17-72; Couve 

 (Mauritius), 11-99. 



In regard to crop results, IX 1 13.5 gave 333 tons per acre, 

 yielding 4-3 tons of sugar; n.208 gave 29 9 tons per acre, 

 yielding 4 7 tons of sugar; Q.1900 gave 274 tons, yielding 

 4 3 tons of sugar. 



Of the Demerara seedlings, 113-5 is the favourite. It 

 is grown very largely in the Bundaberg district where it has 

 .secured general approval as suitable both for farmers and 

 for the mills. 



SUGAR-CANE EXPERIMENTS IN 

 ASSAM. 



It is stated in the Keport of the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, Assam, for 1912, that the chief feature of the year's 

 work has been the remarkably good results obtained from the 

 trials of three Barbados varieties of sugar-cane, B.376, B.147, 

 and B.20S. These varieties are said to have improved 

 enormously during the last two or three years, and especially 

 since they have been grown on land which has been limed. 

 During 1912, B.37G (ratoon) gave 3'S tons of total sugar per 

 acre and 3-7 tons of cane sugar. 



In the appendix of the report it is stated: 'Some of 

 the exotic varieties introduced from P.arb^dos and elsewhere 

 are now fairly well acclimatized and showing most excellent 

 promise, giving yields up to and just over 30 tons of cane 

 per acre with onlj- moderate manuring, and yielding a juice 

 very rich in cane sugar and remaikably free from otUer solid 

 matter, i e. of exceedingly high purity (over 90 per cent.). 

 Such canes are admirably suited to central factory work; 

 the one point above all others which emerged from the 

 discussion before the recent Board of Agriculture on sugar- 

 cane, was the prime necessity for the introduction of higher- 

 class canes into the cultivation of this country.' 



A beginning has already been made in Assam upon a for- 

 ward policy of expansion with regard to sugar-cane cultivation 

 in general. Investigations concerning such problems as drain- 

 age, time of planting, manuring, methods for combating borer 

 and disease, as well as seedling selection, are now in progress, 

 and efforts are being made to reduce the production charges 

 in cultivation particularly in so far as this can be eifected by 

 substituting machinery in the place of manual labour. 



The Cuban suyar crop is reported on in the Louis- 

 iana Plahttr, for -January 2.5, 1913' as follows: 'The 

 weather has been generally favourable for grinding dur- 

 ing the past Week throughout the island thougha col- 

 der temperature would have been welcome on account of 

 its effect upon the yiald. Although still irregular in different 

 localities the yield is improving .steadily everywhere, and is 

 a good deal better than last year's. Complaints regarding 

 the shortage of labour to cut cane are made in a good many 

 places. In Santa Clara province it is stated that a large 

 number of hands have been drawn away to Orient, and 

 a strike has been declared in Mantanzas Since writing the 

 above we learn that the strike has been settled.' 



