152 



THE AORICULTURAL XEWS. 



May 10, 1913. 



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^gnrultiiral ^leiiii 



Vol. XII. SATURDAY. M.4Y 10, 1911 No. 288. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



In the editorial article of this number an attempt 

 is made to bring forward some of the advantages that 

 accrue from, and measures that lead to, uniform 

 production in cotton growing. The opinion is expressed 

 that extended organization in this dn-ection should 

 render closer the relationship between producer, 

 manufacturer and consumer. 



A Possible New Breed of Cattle. 



The American' Breeders' Magazine, Vol. IV, Xo. 

 1, contains an article which describes the results 

 obtained by crossing the Zebu and Hereford breeds of 

 cattle. The breeding tests, although of a preliminary 

 nature, have been carried out along Mendeliaii lines 

 anil it has been found that the peculiar horns, dew lap 

 and sheath, drooping ears. Urge hump and colour of the 

 Zebu are probably unit characters. It is believed that 

 some of the size and bulk characters blend permanently 

 anil that a mixed hybrid might be created that would 

 breed very closely true to some new type which would 

 combine the tick, insect and tropical disease-resistant 

 character of Ho-i indicus (Zebu) with some of the 

 desirable beef or miik characters of Bos taurus (Euro- 

 pean breeds). Complete segregation occurred in the 

 second generation. That is, Hereford animals were 

 bred from ero.ssing hybrids of the first generation. 

 An experiment is now in ]irogres3 to see if these 

 apparently pure Herefords have taken up a factor from 

 the Zebu (from which they [lartly originated) that will 

 render them resistant to disease and ticks, without 

 interfering with the excellent beef characters for which 

 the Hereford breed is renowned. 



The subject has been considered sufficiently sug- 

 gestive and important to warrant further reference 

 under Students' Corner, on page 157, where illustra- 

 tions will be found of the types of animals bred from. 



Under the heading Veterinary Notes, on page 149, 

 will be found information on worm diseases in estate 

 animals. 



On page l.")l is ]jresented a review of the report of 

 the Agricultural Department, St. Vincent, for 1911-12. 



A short account of suggestive results in regard to 

 a new breed of cattle for the Tropics iv'ill be found on 

 page 1.52. The subject receives further attention under 

 Students' Corner, on page 1.57. 



Under Insects Notes, on page 1-54, is continued the 

 account of root borers and other grubs in West Indian 

 soils. 



The second and final article on subsoil water is 

 presented on page 1-55. 



Fungus Notes, which will be found on page 158. 

 comprise the third and final article on Red Hot Fungus 

 and the Sugar-cane in the West Indies. 



The Presence of Formaldehyde in the Sap of 



Green Plants. 



The most generally accepted theory as to the way 

 in which sugar is built up in plants is that the whole 

 of the carbon and half of the oxygen in a molecule of 

 assimilated gaseoiiS' carbon dioxide combines with the 

 hyilrogen in a molecule of water absorbed by the roots. 

 The remaining molecule of oxygen is exhaled during 

 the course of the process, and the compound produced 

 by this combination is cocsidered to be formaldehyde 

 — the active constituent of the well-known disinfectant, 

 formalin. Until recently however, formaldehyde has 

 never been demonstrated in the sap of green plants 

 with certainty. In the Journal of the Chemical 

 Society for March 1913, it is stated that a very 

 sensitive and a specific test for the compound has been 

 discovered in the form of atractylin. The leaf 

 sap and its distillate of eleven species of green 

 plants tested iii this way showed the presence 

 of formaldehydi , whilst the same products from 

 six species previously kept for twenty-four hours 

 in the dark gave no reaction. Three non-chlorophyllic 

 j)arasitic j)lants were also tested, and formaldehyde was 

 found to be absent. The results are therefore in 

 complete agreement with the usual theory of photo- 

 synthesis (building up of sugar by means of light). It 

 is unnecessary to add that the final production of sugar 

 from the formaldehyde is a matter of great simplicity 

 compared with the production of formaldehyde in the 

 first instance. 



