Vol. XII. No. 292. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



221 



STUDENTS' CORNER, 



.U'L\ 



FiE«T Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



In planting budded stock in wet districts a circle -t 

 feet in diameter should be forked and the soil mounded. 

 The plant is placed near the centre, the lateral roots are 

 spread out and the s')il pressed down firmly. If this practice 

 be followed, no water can lie around the collar of the plant 

 during the wettest weather. (Compare these notes with the 

 article on Rubber Planting on Hillsides, in this or the 

 succeeding issue of the Agricultural 2i^eu:i.) 



In a month or two the planting of cacao will be pro- 

 ceeded with. In some places this crop is planted only under 

 shade. Are tannias and bananas of any use in this respect? 



At the present time considerable attention is being 

 given to curing and packing. What temperatures occur 

 during the fermentation of cacao, and what changes accom- 

 pany these increases? (See A'/ricultural News, Vol. XII, 

 p. 91.) 



It has lately been shown that the aromatic principle of 

 cacao is an essential oil and not, as was formerly supposed, 

 a property of cacao red. Is this fact of any commercial 

 significance? 



A watch should be kept for 'canker' of cacao, and it 

 should be borne in mind that at this season, wood ants are 

 liable to cause some harm. How is white arsenic employed 

 as a remedy fgr these attacks? 



The grafting of selected varieties of cacao may be pro- 

 ceeded with during this quarter. 



A note was inserted in this column in the la.st i.ssue 

 of the Agricultural Xeivs on the subject of exhibitions. In 



/ 



AMTIGuA 

 AGRICUL'URAL AK3 



EXHI3I nON !?:5. 



t-iac ana o^i^.af 

 PirJcTci.Ha'>. 



Fig. 9. Fig. 10. 



Exhibition Labels. 



continuation, the accompanying illustrations of label 

 exhibits are given. These labels have been employed 



much satisfaction in Antigua at the local shows, 

 reference to this subject will be found below. 



Questions for Candidates. 



Further 



PRELIMIN.\RY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What reasons are there for the statement that 

 plants grow better in tins than in ordinary eirthcnware pots? 

 How would you allow for drainage in the case of the 

 tin can? 



(2) Explain how a shoot develops from a sugar-cane 

 cutting. 



INTERMEDI.VTE QUESTIONS. 



(1) (iive a short account of half a dozen canes that 

 showed promise in the Leeward Islands Experiments, 

 1911 12. 



(2) Mention six useful trees in the West Indies that 

 are notably resistant to drought. Say how you would 

 identify them, and add notes on their economic value. 



FIN.^L QUESTIONS. 



(1) Calculate from the Market Reports, on page 224 of 

 this issue, the average current market value of 1 lb. of the 

 following commodities; (a) sugar — centrifugals 96°, andmu.s- 

 covados S9', (b) cacao, (c) arrowroot, (d) coffee, (e) rice. How 

 do these figures compare with the relative costs of production! 



(2) Write a short essay on the benefits that would 

 accrue from the establishment of a tropical agricultural 

 university. 



s for 

 with 



Work of Agricultural Pupils in Dominica.— 



The following gives an idea i if the useful nature of the instruc- 

 tion given to pupils at the Botanic Gardens, Dominica: — 



'Practical knowledge of methods of plant propagation, 

 nursery work, planting and care of staple crops such as limes, 

 oranges, cacao, rubber, vanilla, fruit, and the commonly 

 cultivated provision crops. The course includes instruction 

 work in the various forms of tillage, drainage, weeding, 

 sowing, transplanting, use and application of manures and 

 mulches; the treatment of insect and fungoid pests, pruning, 

 grafting, packing, transporting and planting out young plants; 

 picking, preparing and packing crops for market.' 



The notice in the Dominica Chronicle from which the 

 above has been taken, announces that during July there will 

 be three vacancies for pupil-s. As is well known, under the 

 present system a small allowance is granted to pupils whose 

 conduct and progress are satisfactory. 



Labels for Agricultural Shows. — In the 

 opposite column of this page, some diagrammatic represen- 

 tations are given of labels recently used at the Antigua 

 Agricultural Show. The chief feature of the label shown in 

 Fig. 9, is that the exhibitor's name is covered up by gumming 

 the bottom lip or projection underneath the word ' award'. 

 After judging has taken place this can be conveniently torn 

 open along a perforation line provided along the top edge of 

 the lip. The cost of these safety labels is 14s. 'id. per 

 1,000, in England. 



Fig. 10 is supposed to show the nature of a special 

 prize slip block. The layers — first prize down to highly 

 commended— overlie each other and are printed in ditlerent 

 colours 



p.oth Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 are reproduced to .scale, being 

 one third the actual size. 



