~Voi. XII. No. 294. 



THE AGRICULTDEAL NEWS, 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AUGUST. 



Fn:sT Pkriiiu. 



Seasonal Notes. 



Ilatoon canes should receive attention at this period uf 

 the year. Where the banks have lieen ploughed and mulched, 

 the surface of the ploughed bank should be kept constantly 

 stirred with the cultivator, to conserve the moisture in a 



■ similar manner as does the mulch of trash on the other row. 

 Nitrogenous manures, such as sulphate of ammonia, nitrate 

 of soda, nitrate of lime, nitrolim, may now be applied. Useful 

 experiments with these manures caii be arranged where the 

 canes are weighed at a factory. As regards the young cane 

 crop, attention should be paid to any signs of the attacks of 

 moth borer, which can be detected by the occurrence of 'dead 

 liearts'. These, if possible, should be cut out and burnt. If 



■ the young cane crop has received a set back caused by dry 

 weather, as has recently occurred, for instance, in St. Kitts, 

 a careful watch must be kept for the appearance of fungus 



• diseases. 



In connexion with the lime crop, nursery beds should 

 be prepared, and seeds sown as rain permits, in rows 8 inches 

 apart. One bed 100 feet x. 5 feet will give .5,000 to 6,000 

 strong seedlings. The effect of mulching with fine dust can, 

 in dry districts, be seen on these beds. The present time is 

 favourable for combating scales and fungi. Xote the good 



■ and bad effect of spraying. 



In regard to the manufacture ncd distribution of lime 



^products, describe the })rinciple of the new machine recently 

 placed on the market by means of which limes can be 

 i'cuelled. What yields do the makers claim per barrel, and 

 what is the cost of one of these machines? 



The student is advised to notice the present price of 

 ■otto of limes and to compare it with that of last year. Com- 

 parison may also be made between the size of the packages 

 ■usually employed for shipping raw lime juice in contrast 

 •with those utilized in the exportation of the concentrated 

 material. 



An important by-product of the lime cultivation is 

 lime skins. They may be fed to stock, and the surplus may 

 be made into ensilage, thus providing succulent food out of 

 crop time. In Dominica, the skins are never applied as 

 a manure direct: this would certainly injure the trees. 

 They must first pass through the pen. 



In recent issues of the Agricultwal News there has been 

 presented a considerable amount of information dealing with 

 the subject of agricultural engineering. In connexion with 

 the editorial in this issue refer back to the article on an 

 automatic plough (A<jricultuial N'eu-s, Vol. XI, p. 408). 

 This will suggest considerations in regard to the question of 

 single and multiple mould-board, automatic ploughs. In 



'Connexion with the engineering side of tillage read the 

 note on the effect of plough hitch on draft (A:/rindtinal 



■ Neii's, Vol. XII, p. 287) and that describing recent progress 

 in the employment of dynamite in soil cultivation 



'(Agri'idturul News, Vol. XII, p. liJ6). Amongst the 

 machinery described in connexion with the collection and 

 harvesting of crops, there is a rtew cotton picker dealt with 



-on page IIS of this volume, and a machine for tapping 



rubber, on page 2-5, and another for extracting rubber from 

 bark, on page 223. Of great importance is the machinery- 

 referred to in regard to the kiln-drying of grain, on page 213. 

 A new hoisting device for sugar-cane is mentioned oa 

 page 230, together with other matters connected with prac- 

 tical mechanics. 



Agricultural engineering is a wide subject. As well aa 

 mechanical engineering, it may be considered to embrace 

 civil engineering, surveying, drainage, irrigation, road- 

 making and the like. In due course, a series of concise 

 articles on surveying and mensuration will be prepared and 

 published in future issues of this journal. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PREI,I.\IINAl;V 1 III E.Sl IONS. 



(1) How does a bee collect honey? 



(2) Under what conditions is a dust mulch more 

 advantageous than one composed of leaves and bush? 



INTERMEDI.^TE <)UESTION.S. 



(1) What are contour drains? From which will water 

 run first — a shallow or a deep drain? 



(2) Compare Paris green, as an insecticide, with Londoa 

 purple. State the source from which each is derived. 



FIN.iL QUESTIONS. 



( 1 ) Write a few observations on the following topics: 

 (a) the present price of coco-nuts; (b) the importance of 

 quality in West Indian cotton; (c) progress in the West; 

 Indian lime industry 



(2) Contrast the advantages and disadvantages of Para, 

 and Castilloa rubber cultivation, respectively. 



It is sometimes neces.sary in analytical work connectect 

 with the production of agricultural produce to cool different 

 glass vessels with flowing water. An arrangement illustrated 

 in the Internitional Sugai- Journal ior May 1913, comprises 

 a perforated ring which i.s fitted by a rubber adaptor to an 

 ordinary tap. Vessels to be cooled are placed underneath, 

 and the water on being turned on flows over the vessel in the 

 form of a spray. The arrangement is often very convenient, 

 in hydrometer work where it is necessary to cool the liquid 

 to be tested down to a definite temperature. The arrangement 

 can also be used, where a hot water-supply exists, for heating: 

 purposes. 



I'ublication No. 144 of the Wellcome Chemical llesearch 

 Laboratories describes a chemical examination of the bark of 

 Erytlirnpldivii.in guineense. The investigation is chiefly of 

 interest because the bark in question is an exceedingly 

 violent poison, and is largely used in West Africa for criminal 

 purposes. The most efficient antidote consists in the prompt 

 administration of an emetic, or use of the stomach pump, 

 with subsequent stimulant remedies. The plant is knowa 

 under the common name of sassy bark, mancona bark, red 

 water tree bark, and oasca bark. Another popular— and 

 significant — name is doom bark. 



It was reported at the one hundred and thirteenth 

 meeting of the Council of the British Cotton Crowing 

 Association that arrangements had been made for the King 

 of Uganda, together with his tutor and four native chiefs, 

 to visit Manchester on .July 28 to 31. The arrangements 

 will include a visit to a cotton spinning and weaving mill, 

 a calico-printing works and a machinists; al.so an inspectioa 

 of the Manchester Ship Canal and a visit to the Royal 

 Exchange. 



