Vol. XIV. No. 352. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 





ings from grass interfered with tobacco, maj aft 

 be due to the inhibiting effecl ol carbon dioxide. This 

 iii;i\ be the toxin aboul which so much is written, and 

 il in i on, nol onlj of the 



rass on I rees bul also nfluence of on 



ci ip on another. Experii i esl this \ iew in 



the case of fruil trees are now in progress at Pusa. 



The mosl striking idea in Howard's paper is per- 

 haps the relation ion to the distribution 

 of crops or the ecological aspecl of agriculture * rops 

 undoubtedly differ greatly in the amount of air 

 their roots require. In India, for example, gram 

 requires a greal deal ol air and only a moderate 

 amounl of water. Ir some parts of the countrj the 

 conditions both natural and artificial are such 1 lint the 

 roots gel plenty of air. Here this particular crop 

 thrives. Bui in other places where for instance 

 irrigation conditions obtain, gram will not grow 



-st'ully. The proper provision of air to the .soil is 

 all thai is necessary for extending the cultivation of 

 this mosl useful crop. The same thing has already 

 been mentioned in regard to indigo, and Howard states 

 that the industry would nevei have had declined and 

 would have successfully competed with the synthetic 

 product, if planters had realized the plant's special 

 requirements and had acted accordingly. 



There can be no harm in considering the ideas 

 expressed in this article from a West Indian point of 

 view. Coco-nuts, we know, do not mind water as long 

 as it is not stagnant; the tree will grow luxuriantly 

 even if its roots are continuously bathed in water. 

 I> this ii"i a question of aeration? If one could pump 

 air into the soil no doubt coco-nuts like rice would 

 grow in a swamp. Cacao is a permanent plant whose 

 roots appear to be greatly benefited by operations 

 designed to increase the air in the soil. For this reason, 

 on the best cacao estates in Grenada forking about 

 once in four years is carried on systematically. Our 

 great dependence in the tropics on permanent crops 

 and leguminous green dressings demands that careful 

 thought be given to the subjecl of soil ventilation. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



ERRATA.— In the note which appeared in the current 

 volume of the Agricultural News ( Vol. XIV, No. 338, p. 117) 

 on the use of the Governor plum as a hedge-plant, the 

 specific name of this plant given as Flacourtia sepiaria 

 should be F. Ramontchi. Also in the article which appeared 

 io the last issue of the Agricultural News (Vol. XIV, 

 No. 351) describing the work of the Porto Rico Experiment 

 - i >n, the coffee referred to as Colonaris should be correctly 



id < lolumnaria. 



Sugar Extension in the Philippines Th< 

 I lovernment in the Philippine Islands I 

 ■ i Suga Ceuti financing schemes 



ils in that grou i ■ - i il B >ard is 



set up, and applications have to be made to il for loans as 

 d. The first application appears to bi una of 



£150,000 Foi th establishn al at Lagonoy,. 



Ambos Camarines. Under the terms ol the above Act, the 

 applicants have to in. mm of their own in the 



undertaking. Mean while 'the high price of sugar is proving 

 a great stimulus to the planting ol ne in the 



Philippine Islands, as ! also the existence of a large new 



central at Calamba which is offering _■. i ii 



carriage facilities to gel the farmers to grow a 1 

 acreage of canes. 



Altogether the Philippines are making considerabli 

 efforts to establish the sugar industry in their islands on 

 a large scale. The local Bureau of Agriculture is very active; 

 inter alia, it is endeavouring to introduce and acclimatize 

 a Hawaiian variety of cane. This variety lias already been 

 sufficiently propagated for cuttings to be supplied to the 

 planters on several of the islands, and the results show such. 

 a considerable superiority over the native cane displaced that 

 there is said to be great igerness to get the new variety. 

 The latter will, no doubt, ultimately largely replace the 

 indigenous canes in all leading areas. (International Sugar- 

 Journal.) 



Messrs. Gillespie Bros. & Co. write to say that during 

 the fortnight preceding September 22, the market had been» 

 under the influence of the impending Budget, and speculation*, 

 based on the likelihood of an increased duty has been sternly 

 checked by Government restrictions from deliveries from 

 bonded stores. The Budget, probably the most sensational 

 ever known, was taken in the House of Commons yesterday 

 afternoon, when taxes estimated to produce £272,000,000 ■ 

 were proposed. The following extract from the report of 

 the Chancellor's speech will define the extent to which sugar 

 is to share this enormous burden: 'The duty on sugar 

 would be increased from Is. 10<2. to 9s. id. percwt.;but 

 the Sugar Commission would reduce its price by 2s. Gd. to • 

 3s. per cwt. so that the price of sugar to the consumer would 

 not be in proportion to the increase of the tax. The result 

 of the tax would be to raise the price of sugar i d. per lb.' 



. Efforts to Establish a Bean Industry in 



St Lucia. — In St. Lucia attempts are being made to 

 encourage the cultivation of beans and peas by the 

 introduction of a scheme for purchasing the produce on 

 a profit-sharing basis. For some time interest has been 

 aroused by the Imperial Department in various islands on the 

 suliject of increased bean cultivation, and the move under 

 notice is one of the results. 



The exact terms on which the Government will buy the 

 beans are not yet fully matured, but it may be itated that 

 a sum of money has been authorized by the Administrator 

 for the purchase of bean al Reunion estate. It is gathered 

 that the basis of the co iperative scheme will be as follows: 

 First payment of tc. pel It'., and at the end of the year half 

 the net profits will go to the vendors and half to the 

 ( lovernment. 



