Vol. XIV. No. 332. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



ABSTRACTS OF INTERNATIONAL CON- 

 GRESS PAPERS, 1914. 



The following abstracts of papers on rubber, cacao, 

 and maize, read al the International Congress of 

 Agriculture, London, L914, have been forwarded bj 

 Mr. \V. R. Dunlop for the benefit of readers of bhe 

 Agricultural X< ws: 



CEARA RUBBER CULTIVATION AND MANl 



FACTURE IS' SOUTHERN 1\1>IA. Bj R. D. Anstead. 



The writer states thai this rubbercanbe grown profit- 



ibly in liill districts at elevations of 800 to 5,000 feet, with 



l rainfall oi 50 to 80 inches where Hevea will uol grow at 



i profit. Best planting 15 x 15 feet. Subsequent thinning 



,n,l removal of weak trees accessary. It is inadvisable to tap 



ore the trees are five to six years old. The best method 



.,_ ilation is with hot water in a dark room. A- regards 



.fits, during 1913 in Southern [ndia, when rubber prices 



extremely low, a profit of lnj,,/. per lb. was made. 



CASTILLO A RUBBER TREES IN MEXICO. Bj 

 Ashmore Russan. 



Tin- writer, who has a wide practical experience with 

 3 cultivation, was unable to say much in favour of < lastilloa 

 rubber, but he made several instructive observations, particu- 

 larly in connexion with tapping. Hevea requires delicate 

 treatment in this operation, but large gashes have to be made 

 in the Castilloa tree. Hence the refined tapping tools used 

 for Hevea are useless for < lastilloa. ' me advantage attendant 

 on Castilloa cultivation lies in the fact that the trees require 

 ping bul twice a year, compared with Km to 200 times 

 , year in the case of Hevea. Hence where labour is scarce, 

 other things being equal, Castilloa would seem to be the 

 ire desirable tree to grow. But the writer admitted the 

 • id falling off in yield of Castilloa latex, and on this 

 ground he considered further planting of this tree inadvis- 

 able, especially in view of Hevea competition. 



ANIMAL PESTS OF THE HEVEA RUBBER 

 TREE. By E. E. Green. 



In this paper the author makes a reference to slugs, 

 which may be of interest in the West Indies. He states 

 that the West Indian slug, which has similar habits to the 

 Ceylon species, might be controlled by girdling the base of 

 trees with coco-nnt fibre steeped in coal tar — not cotton wool — 

 .i< suggested by Professor Newman. The object of the tar is 

 •o disguise the smell of the host plant which is the stimulus 

 i attraction. It is well to keep t lie base of the trees free 

 from trash, etc., and to sprinkle cinders around them. 



the nece itj oi pure research in tropical agriculture: "The 

 experimenter should uol permit himself to I"- deterred by 

 the criticism that Ids tapping problem i- "purelj acadi 

 Our knowledge of rubber tapping would have been in 

 hi,, re i I stage t'. day, had Expi rimenl Station 



| ic Gardens restricted their tapping experiments to 



"purelj academic" problems during the last ten years.' 



THE GOLD COA ST CACAO INDUSTR )\ By the 

 I lirector ol Agricull tire, ( lold ( loa I 



It is due to the climate, more than to the soil, thai the 



Gold Coast is pre-eminently a cacao-growing itry. Ch< 



rainfall is not excessive, bul the humidity is high owii 

 the wealth of vegetation. In fact the rainfall is actually 



lower than in anj othei ci growing country, and a reduc 



ion in the humiditj would be followed bj disa trous 

 consequences. The natives are not fully alive to the 



seriousness of the position, as lie' destrUCti .f forest in 



making new clearings is being somewhat ruthlessly undei 

 taken all over the country, and a Bill, recently introduced by 

 the Government, for the regulation and preservation of the 

 forests, i- being rigorouslj opposed by the native owners ol 



the land. 



The writer makes reference to the spontaneously pro- 

 duced hybrid variety of Gold Coasl earn,,, which has been 

 called 'Cundeamor' because of its external resemblai 

 .i Ceylon type of that name. This varietj is prolific, and 

 produces very much larger beans, which have been pronounced 

 ,it superior quality. This variety is being largely sought 

 after by the natives. 



The author regards the disease and pests menace as 

 most serious. 



From the communication sent to the Congress on 

 Variability in Plantation Rubber, ii would seem that the 

 most important factor wilder control is rate, of cure, that is 

 the working of the rubber in the estate factory, after coagula- 

 tion. Varying degrees of grinding, for instance, in making 

 srepe rubber, leads to variability in strength. The North 

 British Rubber Company's experl stated that hi- firm 

 preferred plain sheet rubber, but Dr. Sehidrowitz thought 

 'that was because that firm with its technological department 

 able to select the best. He thought there was more 

 ibility in sheet than in crSpe. Unanimous agreement 

 was expressed as regards the necessity of co-operative, 

 reseai :h between manufacturers and growers. 



In connexion with Mr. J. limit Davy's paper on the 

 Production of Maize, with special reference to South Africa., 

 an interesting idea maybe alluded to. The South African 

 Government have adopted a system of supplying official 

 samples representing the various grades of corn (registered) 

 exported from the Union. Various commercial and technical 

 institutions at trade centres are supplied with these repre- 

 sentative samples, and intending buyers can rely upon 

 them in coining to a decision as to what they wish to 

 purchase. These sample- can be -ecu, for example, at the 

 Imp. rial Institute, London, in the South African Section. 



In his paper on the Principles of Hevea Tapping, 

 Mr. T. Petch made the following mendable observation on 



STOCKS FOR FRUIT TREES. 



An interesting and instructive article in the 

 Monthly Bulletin of the California State Commission 

 of Horticulture, for November last, was entitled Stocks 

 for Fruit Trees, by U. P. Hedrick, of the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, Geneva, New York. 



The article is briefly summarized it) a paragraph 

 which is quoted herewith. 



The future of fruit culture is bound up with the nature 

 of the stock. The stock modifies the stature of plants; suits 

 them to the soil and to the climate; influences fruitfulness; 

 changes the time ,,f maturity, size, colour, and flavour of the 

 fruits; and affects the length of life of the trees. The stock, 

 too, is influenced by the scion. The method of growing the 

 Stock, whether from cuttings or from seeds, is important. 



The effects of the stock on the scion, appreciable though they 



are, do not Change the identity of a variety, and are not 

 heritable. If these arguments are well taken we can "illy 

 conclude that fruit growers and nurserymen must give the 

 question of stocks much more careful thought, to the end, I 

 am sure, that we shall thus secure more fruitful orchards. 



