Vol, XIL No. 295. 



THE AQRIOULTURAL NEWS. 



269 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AUGUST. 



Second Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



The commerciil aspect of the application of artificial 

 manures to growing crops is often not fully appreciated. The 

 efficiency of a manure does not depend merely on its produc- 

 ing an increase of yield, the increase produced must be 

 sufficiently large to pay for the cost of the manure and its 

 application, and still leave a margin of profit. Further- 

 more, the value of a manure does not rest entirely upon 

 the amount of the constituent elements or groups of 

 elements present. A roost important feature is the form 

 in which the constituents — nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 

 potash, as the case raay be — occur. Sulphate of ammonia, 

 for instance, contains a higher percentage of nitrogen than 

 nitrate of soda, yet it does not act on ratoon canes as 

 quickly as the latter fertilizer. In valuing manures, 

 a useful scale is that adopted by the Barbados General 

 Agricultural Society .some years ago, and reproduced in the 

 Afjricnlturdl jVf"s, Vol. IV, p. 286. 



The above remarks apply also in relation to artificially 

 prepared foodstuffs for cattle. An idea of a food's composition 

 is necessary before an estimate can be made of its value. 

 Nevertheless feeding experiments are al.so required, since one 

 foodstuff though chemically richer than another is not always 

 assimilated as readily. A case in point is afforded by that 

 interesting discussion which took place at the last annual 

 meeting of the IJritish Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. In this discussion, which was referred to in the 

 Agricultural A'eivs, Vol. XI], p. 141 under the heading. The 

 Verdict of the Animal, it was proved that although Bombay 

 cotton seed cake was less rich, chemically, than Egyptian, it 

 produced a greater increase in live-weight. At the same time, 

 of course, the fuel value of a foodstuff varies directly with 

 the sum of the percentages of albuminoids, fats and soluble 

 carbohydrates e.xpressed in terms of starch, though the 

 amount available for actual work is that which is left after 

 supplying the necessary energy for digestion and maintenance. 



Cultural operations in lime plantations such as forking, 

 manuring, draining and weeding should be completed during 

 this quarter, and attention may now be directed to planting 

 out, and to the crop already established. In dry localities, it 

 is well to plant early, in holes made some weeks ago. Seeds 

 should now be .sown to produce seedlings for transplanting 

 later, but seedlings transplanted now will form good 

 plantingout material towards the end of the year. 



Questions for Candidates. 



Preliminary Questions. 



(1) What is the function in plants of (a) cane sugar, 

 (b) latex? 



(2) What are the direct and indirect uses of atmospheric 

 dust to vegetation? 



Intermediate Questions. 



(1) Write an account of Prinsen Geerligs' theory of 

 molasses formation. 



(2; Compare, in a general way, the feeding value of 

 (a) cacao husks, (b) lime skins, (c) molascuit, (d) Indian corn. 



Final Questions. 



(1) What are your views as to the possibilities of 

 introducing motor cultivation (a) into the West Indies, (b) 

 on to the estate you are connected with? 



(2) If it is desired to form a limited liability company 

 for the purpose of taking over and working a West Indjan 

 plantation, describe the different ways in which the money 

 may be raised. What .system of accounting should be adopted 

 in a properly organized undertaking? 



THE PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OP 

 AGRICULTURE. 



The catalogue for 1912-13 and the announcements for 

 191314 of the University of the Philippines, have just been 

 received, and in view of the interest which is being taken at 

 present in tropical agricultural colleges, the following 

 information has been taken from that section of the publica- 

 tion dealing with the Philippine College of Agriculture. 



This institution which began its class work in June 1909, 

 was the first college to be organized as a part of the 

 university. The permanent buildings of the college were 

 finished in January 1911. These include: (1) ^in adminis- 

 tration and academic buildiiiij containing the office of the 

 Dean, five class rooms, two library rooms and a large reading 

 room; (2) a laboratory building, housing the department of 

 botany and chemistry; (3) a stable and bodega; (4) a silk 

 culture house; (5) a plant propagation house. These build- 

 ings are all constructed of reinforced concrete, and another 

 building for the department of animal husbandry is now in 

 course of construction. 



The attendance at the college during the first year was 

 fifty-six; during the second year there were ninety-five 

 students, and in the third year their numbers rose to 175. 

 There are now 253 students in regular attendance. 



The tuition in the college is fres; and there are no matri- 

 culation or graduation fees. A deposit must be made at the 

 beginning of each year by each student, except those in the 

 first two years of the sixth-year course. This is to cover 

 destruction of property, and a balance remaining, after paying 

 for property lost or destroyed, is returned at the end of the 

 year. In all laboratory and field work, the students are respon- 

 sible for all college property given into their care. 



The college of agriculture offers different undergraduate 

 courses: (1) a six-year course, (2) a four-year course, (3) a four- 

 year course in forestry. Students admitted to these systems 

 of study, unless trained in a public school, have to obtain an 

 entrance certificate. 



The subjects which have to be studied in the ordinary 

 curriculum include those branches of agricultural science with 

 which the reader of the Agricultural N'cws is familiar; they 

 include agricultural chemistry, economic botany and zoology, 

 animal husbandry, veterinary science, rural engineering, syl- 

 viculture and agricultural law. 



Ceylon's request for a College of Tropical Agriculture 

 which found expression in the publication of a report already 

 noted in this journal,has given cause for considerable criticism. 

 Under the heading of a Plea for a Ceylon College for 

 Tropical Agriculture, the Field remarks that the value of the 

 Ceylon report is greatly weakened at the outset by its 

 avoidance of the question whether there is any real need for 

 a College of Tropical Agriculture in Ceylon itself. It would 

 seem that public opinion in London is inclined to aittach con- 

 siderable importance to local requirements of the colony in 

 which the institution is situated, although its infiuence should 

 be by no means restricted to its immediate surroundings. 



