Vol. XII. No. 290. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



185 



compound just mentioned being found to be fully as 

 valuable for j)lant nutrition as nitrates. These results, 

 in respect of their application to problems of soil 

 fertility, were criticized by the Kothamsted investiga- 

 tors who stated that their e.xperinients provided no 

 evidence to show that, in the soil itself, these organic 

 compounds e.verted the influence observable under the 

 artihcial conditions of water-culture, e.xcept, in the case 

 of sour soils, lacking in calcium carbonate. The Ameri- 

 can work has been continued, and in Bureau of Soils 

 Bulletin No. 7-i, the results are summarized by Schreiner 

 and the importance of the subject in connexion with 

 soil fertility is maintained: recently, also, Bulletin No. 88 

 has appeared, in which E. (I Shorey claims to have 

 identified fourteen new organic comjjounds, making up 

 the total number to thirty-five. These have been classi- 

 fied as follows: thirteen organic acids, nine organic 

 bases, three sugars, two aldehydes, two alcohols, and 

 one each: hydrocarbon, glyceride, resin ester, sulphur 

 compound, phosphorus compound, and an acid anhy- 

 dride. (JjJtimistic views are expressed that modern 

 methods of research will, in time, lead to the determin- 

 ation of all the organic compoimds of the soil. 



Without an expert acquaintance with the subject, 

 criticism has to be guarded, but it would seem that the 

 more profitable line of work might lie in an investiga- 

 tion of the stability of these compounds in the soil. 

 They are essentially decomposition products of organic 

 matter and their existence must be closely connected 

 ■with biological changes: they may therefore be con- 

 sidered as continually undergoing transformation. 



The latest development of considering these com- 

 pounds in relation to partial sterilization (see Agri- 

 cultural News, Vol. XII, pp. 84, 1-23, 187) will be dealt 

 with in these columns in due course. 



^^^•-♦-^ 



Rubber-vine Cultivatiou in the Babamas. 



It is mentioned in the Journal of the Royal Society 

 of Arts for April I91o, that an extensive cultivation in 

 the Bahamas of the rubber vine Cryptostegia grandi- 

 jlora is in contemplation. It is understood that 

 approximately 5,000 rubber vines will be planted to 

 the acre. After six months' growoh the rubber vine 

 is said to attain a length of 12 to SO feet. The vines 

 ■will be cut in about twelve months, when there will be 

 pi'esumably about 2ft. of shrub to the plant as a mini- 

 mum, yielding about 2 per cent, of rubber, or 200 0). to 

 the acre. According to the American Consul at Nassau, 

 a large number of shoots to be planted in the Bahamas 

 have been ordered from Mexico, and special machinery 

 for extracting the rubber and fibrous by-products by 

 a secret process has been ordered from the United 

 States. 



The rubber juice is contained chiefly in the 

 lactiferous ducts of ths bark, but to some extent also 

 in the wood of the stem — in fact, the entire plant 

 contains a certain amount of rubber. While the 

 process of extraction is secret, jet in the main, it 

 appears that it is analogous to the production of sugar 

 from the sugar-cane. 



The fibrous by-products of the rubber vine are 

 considered as possessing an importance possibly 



greater even that of the rubber itsilf. The bar'; 

 of the vine yields »> per cent, of the weight of 

 the whole stem, and is a pure cellulose fibre, havintic 

 a silky lustre comparable to Japanese ramie fibre 

 and almost equal to cotton. It is thoughD that it 

 can be used as a substitute for Egj^ptian cotton, 

 especially in the manufacture of fine underwear and 

 other articles. The jiods ..f the vine besides containing' 

 a fair percentage of juice, have large quantities of silky 

 cotton such as would be suitable for stuffing pillows: 

 when refined and specially treated, it can be succesa- 

 fully spun with ordinary cotton. The woody substance 

 of the vine, when bleached and worked out, yield; 

 a fibre suitable as paper pulj). The vine can be best) 

 harvested after the fruiting period. 



Further information regarding this plant, which i.'-. 

 commonly known in .Mexico under the names Clavel 

 Aleman and Clavel de Kspafia, may be obtained oi' 

 reference to the Agricultural News, Vol. X, p. 315. 



Agriculture in St. Lucia. 



Information concerning the agricultural industries 

 in St. Lucia during 1911, is presented in Colonial 

 Reports — Annual, No. 752, which has recently been 

 issued. From this tho following details are here 

 abstracted. 



Sugar and cacao remain the principal products of 

 the Colony, but lime cultivation is making satisfactorv 

 progress and promises to become of very considerable, 

 importance. A fairly large area is alread}' planted U(r 

 which should soon reach the bearing stage, and cultiva- 

 tion is being rapidly extended. This industry is also 

 attracting the attention of small growers. 



From a table recording the quantity and value of 

 the export of sugar and cacao during the past five yeafi, 

 it is gathered that ■4.,288 tons of sugar valued at £52,535 

 was exported in 1911, as against 5,199 tons value 

 £(J4,988 in 1910; whilst of cacao the figures for the 

 similar years are 10,3G8 bags (of 2201b.) value £4U,G5fjV 

 and 8,187 bags value £40,935, respectively. 



The Agricultural Superintendent (Mr. J. 0. 

 Moore) reports that the smaller output of sugar in 

 1911 is attributable to the very heavy rainfall of 

 that year, which caused damage by fiood, and ala 

 made it impossible to carry out proper tillage an( 

 weeding operations, besides water-logging the soil anti 

 thus checking the growth of the canes. As regard'. 

 cacao, there has been some small extension of the areu 

 planted, and the methods of cultivation have received 

 attention. 



The planting of coco-nuts is being taken up h 

 St. Lucia, and there is no doubt scope in the island for 

 a very profitable extension of this cultivation. Cjttoi 

 has not proved a success, and only a very negligibit 

 quantity was grown during the year. 



Fifty-one grants for Crown lands were issuer' 

 during 1911, the area disposed of being 421 acre*. 

 The price of such land is at the rate of £1 per acrt 

 payable one-fifth on application and the rest in foui 

 annual instalments. It may be added that sixty-iiint 

 new applicatiors for land v>ere filed. 



