Vol. XII. No. 295. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



271 



NEUTRALIZING THE PUNGENCY OF 



GINGER. 



The following useful hints in regard to the removal 

 of the pungency of ginger are taken from the Jnurnal 

 of the JamaifH Ac/ricidtural Society ,for April 191:5. 



The Agent-General for Queensland in London was, at 

 the instance of the Department of Agriculture and Stock, 

 requested by the Chief Secretary to obtain full information 

 relative to the melhud.s in vogue in China for the purpo.se of 

 neutralizing the pungency in ginger intended for use as des.sert 

 (preserved ginger). A request was also made for rliizomes 

 for planting purposes of special varieties. 



On recei[)t of this application from the Chief Secretary, 

 the Colonial Secretary, Hong Kong, courteously supplied 

 full information as follows: — 



'The ginger is washed and the skin is scraped off It is 

 then punched with forks and washed in rice water (the water 

 left after washing rice), to improve the colour. It is then 

 boiled in three or four changes of refined sugar and water 

 for one or two hours, until it is properly soaked, and then 

 put in barrels and covered with syrup. 



'In the case of dry preserved ginger, the wet ginger 

 is strained till dry; dry sugar is placed on bamboo matting, 

 and the ginger is rolled in it till it is coated with sugar. 



'Stem ginger is the young and tender shoots on the roots. 

 Cargo ginger is what is left after cutting otf the "stem". 



'Further information ou the cultivation pursued for the 

 production of the least pungent kind of ginger, is supplied 

 by Jfr. M. W. T Tucher, Superintendent of the Botanical 

 and Forestry Department, Hong Kong, Mr. Tucher writes: 

 "All Chinese ginger is less pungent than the .Jamaican 

 variety, but whether tbe pungency is due to cultivation or to 

 the variety of the plant, I am unable to say. 



' "The method adopted by the Chinese in cultivating this 

 plant, I am informed, is as follows: The rhizomes are planted 

 in the spring in ridges about 1 foot high and 2 feet apart. 

 Tbe rhizomes are set in ridges about G inches apart. Low- 

 lying ground is generally selected, and water is kept con- 

 tinually between the ridges. 



' "When the young shoots are from 6 inches to 1 foot 

 above the ground, the plants are heavily manured with urine 

 or nightsoil mixed with water. This is repeated at frequent 

 intervals. 



' "About three months after planting, the first crop of 

 ginger is ready. This is known as "young ginger," and is the 

 least pungent and the most expensive. If the rhi/omes are 

 allowed to mature, which will be between October and 

 December, they become more pungent, but nothing like 

 the Jamaican." ' 



The opening of the new wing at the Uothamsted Experi- 

 mental Station is described in Jaim-e (July 3, 1913). 

 The ceremony was performed by the lit. Hon. Walter 

 Runciman, President of the Board of Agriculture, in the 

 presence of a large and distinguished company. The buildings 

 include a large soil laboratory and Director's room, a botanical 

 laboratory, library, and chemical laboratory on the first 

 floor.and a glasshouse for water cultures on the roof. 

 Special rooms aie provided in the basement for polarimeter 

 work, and for soil incubation. 



Royal Agricultural Show. — In view of the fact 

 that a comprehensive account of the recent Koyal Agricul- 

 tural Show held at Bristol has appeared in tbe West India 

 Commithe. Cirrular (July 1-"), 1!)I3,) it is unnecessary to 

 recount the success of the exbibition and particularly that 

 part of it known as the Overseas Section. It would appear 

 neglectful nevertheless not to express agreement with the 

 views of the above Journal in regard to the desirability for 

 all the West Indies in future representing themselves at the 

 Koyal Show. 



In connexion with this year's exhibition, an interesting 

 note appears in Nature (July 10, 1913), which considers the 

 show from a more or less scientific aspect Reference is made 

 to the notice which British-grown tobaccos attracted, and the 

 increased interest shown in regard to labour saving contriv- 

 ances. The article states in conclusion: 'Readers of Nature 

 are mostly familiar with the kind of exhiljits represented in 

 this [the Overseas] section, but large numbers of the populace 

 last week were obviously keenly interested in the rubber 

 series shown by the Federated Malay St;ites, and the sugar 

 samples from the West Indies and British Guiina, including 

 food products for human and ani-mal consumption and even 

 a sugar-Cine plant in a living and healthy state. 



'The time appears to have come when intending colonists 

 should all have the opportunity of elementary instruction in 

 colonial or tropical agriculture before leaving the home 

 country.' 



Oyanamide as an Insecticide.— In the list issue 

 but one of the Agriiultural News (see Vol. XII, p. 23-t) 

 reference was made to the use of cyanamide (nitrolim) as an 

 insecticide against the froghopper of sugar cane in Trinidad. 



In the Monthly Bulletin of Ayriculturjl Intellvjtnre 

 and Plant Diseases for April 1913, there is given a brief 

 review of a paper by L. E. Solanet, entitled The Simultane- 

 ous Destruction of Colaspidema atra and Lucerne Dodder 

 by Calcium Cyanamide. 



The insect {Colaspidema atra) is a chrj'somelid beetle 

 very injurious to lucerne in France, especially in the south. 



The following is copied as likely to be of interest to 

 planters in the West Indies, especially as this substance has 

 already been under trial as an insecticide: — 



'The author states that calcium cyanamide reduced to 

 as fine and light a powder as possible and applied annually 

 at the rate of 90 lb. per acre, has so far proved to be the 

 most efticacious remedy against both the beetle and parasitic 

 plant, while at the same tiuie, it in no wise interferes with 

 the growth of the lucei-ne. As this small amount of cyana- 

 mide is difficult to spread uniformly, the writer suggests 

 mixing it with other sub.stances according to the following 

 formula: cyanamide, 1 part; gypsum, 'l parts: wood ashes, 1 

 part,' 



It will be noted that the mixture given above forms 

 a very fair complete manure, containing nitrogen (in the 

 cyanamide), calcium (in the gypsum), and potash (in the wood 

 ashes) which, used as suggested, atnounts to 360 Bb per acre. 



In the Monthh/ Maya^ine of the Incoviiorated Chamber 

 of Conimen-e of Lirer/mol (June 1913) it is stated that the 

 Chamber is strongly of opinion that the movement fur the 

 production of tobicco in the British Colonies and Dependen- 

 cies should be encouraged by the establishment of a recog- 

 nized tobacco market, where British Colonial tobaccos can 

 be sold by public auction under conditions similar to those 

 which obtain for other classes of produce. 



