Vol. Xir. No. 28-5 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



109 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



APRIL. 



Fir>;t Pkri'iI). 

 Seasonal Notes. 



On estates where old cotton is still in the field a careful 

 examination should be made for the purpose of finding out 

 what pests are attacking it One of the most easily seen 

 anoug these is the black scale which is often present in 

 a large degree. Careful observation will probably reveal the 

 presence in these of parasites. The matter may be investi- 

 wated by a simple experiment. A freshly- plucked branch on 

 which living scale insects are present is placed in a bottle or 

 jir which has been cleaned and dried carefully; the bottle is 

 then closed by means of a piece of thin calico which js placed 

 over its mouth and tied around its neck by string. After 

 a day or two at least two different kinds of flying insects 

 will be seen on the inner surface of the vessel. Altliough 

 they are very small as compared with the most commonly 

 observed insects they are plainly different in size. The 

 smaller one is the male of the scale insect whilst the larger 

 one is the adult stage (imago) of the parasite. (See Insect 

 Pests of the Lesser Antilles, p. .56.) 



Another instructive experiment of a similar kind is to 

 take a piece of sugar cane which is diseased with red rot and 

 to cut oiit a clean or rather sterile piece of the pith with 

 a knife which has been dipped in spirit and set light to. 

 This portion of tissue should be placed in a boiled glass tube 

 or jar with a few drops of boiled water, and the changes 

 which occur during the following week should be carefully 

 noted. The experiment may be extended by removing 

 i. little mycelium with a sterile knife and inserting this into 

 an apparently healthy piece of cane having previously 

 washed it on the outside with spirit to remove any other fungi 

 or bacteria that may be present on the rind. 



that the disease may have three causes and be on the watch 

 for the symptoms amongst the animals you come in contact 

 with. 



Questions for Candidates. 



. PRELiMiN-utY Questions. 



(1) Point out any differences you have observed be- 

 tween the appearance of the root borer and the stem borer of 

 the sugar-cane. Comiiare the damage inflicted by each pest. 



(2) What precautions have to be taken in the storage 

 of (a) pen manure (b) nitrate of lime (c) Paris green? 



Intermedhtk Questions. 



(1) What are the typical characteristics of high class 

 working cattle? 



(2) Explain some of the effects of partially sterilizing 

 the soil. 



Final Questions. 



(1) How might West Indian ice factories be utilized 

 for testing fruit for export? What particular points in 

 connexion with the fruit would you investigate! 



(2) How would you find the weight of an ox without 

 weighing it? 



The editorial on A West Indian Herd Book, which 

 appeared in the last issue of the Agricultural Neivs should be 

 well thought over by the estate s-tiident, since he is in 

 a position to consider the matter practically chiefly in regard 

 to what points are to be decided as typical of the working 

 animal, the beef animal and the aniina,! of milking strain. 

 The beef animal should show great muscular development at 

 the neck; have a short and massive head. The body should 

 be wide over the chyne and thick in^ the crops; ribs well 

 sprung and deep; massive at the loins and neat at the hooka. 

 The hindquarters must be tieshed at the hocks, inside and 

 out, and deep through the aitches. The hide in beef animals 

 is generally thicker than in the dairy animal but it should be 

 mellow. The tail should be thick but not too long, and well 

 set up 



The dairy bull should show quality all over yet retain its 

 masculine character. The muscles of the neck should be fine 

 and long. The head should be long and dish-shaped. The 

 animal .should be fine at the shoulder blade and over the 

 heart, and wide at the hips. The (quarters should be long 

 and thighs level. The tail should be long and whip like 

 showing a fine tassil. 



The student should make a list of the features of a good 

 working animal remembering however that it is not always 

 the best looking animal which is the best worker. The origin 

 or pedigree of the animal must also be considered. 



In connexion with these notes on live-stock the article 

 on Ophthalmia, on page 103, should be read. Notice 



His Honour the Commissioner, Montserrat, states that 

 opportunity was taken at the recent Agricultural Show in 

 that island, to present ilr. S. W. Howes with the final 

 certificate awarded by the Imperial Department of Agricul- 

 ture in connexion with the Reading Courses Examinations. 



The Use of Calkins.— The name calkin is applied 

 to the extremity of the horse's shoe which is turned down 

 at the heels. Calkins are used chiefly on the hind feet and 

 on the outside heel, the inner heel being raised and narrowed 

 to form what is called a wedge heel. Their chief use is to 

 give a firm foothold, and en soft ground and in hilly districts, 

 there is no doubt that they do as long as the shoes are new, 

 and the calkins are not worn down. When this happens, 

 the horses move with a good deal less confidence and 

 security, and are in a worse position than if they had been 

 shod flat originally. 



A calkin by raising the heel, alters the angle at which 

 the foot meets the ground, and may have some influence in 

 changing a horse's gait. For this reason excessive height 

 of the calkin should bo avoided. It should be borne 

 in mind, however, that a small calkin wears away quickly; 

 to avoid thi."., it is necessary to replace the shoes oftener and 

 therefore risk injuring or weakening the feet. The best plan 

 to adopt in order to reduce wear, is to increase the width 

 and breadth of the calkin, at the same time keeping it low 

 and square. 



The eflect of raising the heels by means of calkins is 

 also to lift the frog out of bearing, which causes it to become 

 wasted from disease, since the horse is deprived of its 

 natural safeguard against slipping. Flat shoes, on the other 

 hand, tend to produce sound and prominent frogs, which are 

 sufficient to afford a firm foothold particularly for light 

 horses. 



In the West Indies generally, more especially in the 

 mountainous islands where the roads make travelling diffi- 

 cult, small calkins on the hind feet are useful adjuncts to 

 progression, but their use on the fore feet is not to be 

 advocated. 



