Vol. XIV. No. 353. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



359 



a big gap fixed between the growei and thi spinner. The 



grower had little idea as to why !. could sell s :otton it 



better prices than he could obtain for other kinds, mil the 

 spinner could not explain to anyot bul fl spinner whj he 

 paid more for some binds than for others. In the past, 



!.: ol [Uality li.nl been founded u| inspection, bul 



th ily real test was the cuml o ictual spinning. 



On the other hand, tl ton gr iwing was 



wasted labour until enough was known aboul cotton spinning 

 to understand exactly what was I >eing worked for. It had 

 ire been suggested that thi Manchester University 

 should form a cotton department for the purpose of linking 

 together the scientist and growers iii d spi rs. 



Cotton-growing could become an accurate science once 

 it was given an objective by the spinners. Fur generations 

 past there had been just as much waste as usual in the 

 cotton used by Lancashire, and just as much impurity 

 leading to dirty yam. There had been no general knowledge 

 of how to altei cotton in anj desired direction, and no 

 common agreement as to the connexion between length, 

 productivity, earliness, fineness, and so forth. The distinc 

 timis between the kind of seed and the environment in 

 which it was grown had been confused. In spinning mills 

 there had seemed to be no room for further advances in 

 technique, in principle as opposed to detail. We had only 

 to look at a piece of tine cambric or muslin with a small 

 hand lens to realize that this delicate fabric was nothing to 

 be proud of, and was, in tact, a mass of defects with only 

 a fraction of the strength and durability which it might 

 possess if properly made. There was a perfect mine of 

 information waiting to be worked by anyone who would 

 trouble to apply a little thoroughgoing statistical enquiry to 

 such simple points as hair strength and hair length. Be 

 himself could see the possibility of two new machines, each 

 marking as big an advance as the comber, and not restricted, 

 like the comber, to the fine spinning trade. 



There was a primary need that the spinner should be 

 able to express the properties of his cotton in scientific terms 

 — practically in numerical form— which the grower should 

 understand; and there was ample room for a body which would 

 take upon itself the function of connecting the grower with 

 the spinner, whilst being devoted itself primarily to scientific 



research. Besides providing a coi on language for the 



industry this body could collate the scattered literature and 

 'illiterature' oi cotton, advise and co-ordimate the vague 

 experimental work done disconnectedly in various parts of 

 the world, lie a sort of court of appeal as to the significance 

 of results obtained, and keep i regi tei of all the pure kinds 

 of cotton grown, with statistical n ords ol their performance 

 under various conditions in field and mill. He suggested 

 that the University could better fulfil such functions than 

 either a Government department or a business concern. 



In the discussion which followed, Sir Daniel Morris said 

 there should !>e no difficulty in getting growers and spinners 

 to join hands in such a work : Mr. McConnel gave illustra- 

 tions from his own experiences of how excellent strains of 

 cotton were being lost for want oi such work ; and the Vice- 

 Chancellor said he had no doubt Manchester University 

 would do everything it could to help forward such a move 

 ment if the growers and others in the industry would find the 

 necessary finances. The amoun ry, he added, would 



bo quite negligible as compared with the enormous sums 

 invested in the growing and -pinning of cotton, and should 

 be easily raised. ( West India Committee Circular, 



October •">. L915.) 



BOTANICAL SOURCES OF RUBBER. 

 The predominanci t /, i of 



rubber supply is apt to cause si, me indium. 



incorrect view plants which yield rubber in many 



parts of the world Tl. botanical sources of rubbi 



o 'ions and wide spied. Furthermore, some plants yield 



considerable quantities ol rubber from pa 



stem. In order to give icise view of the various sources 



we have formulated the follow ing: 



1. Classification according to habit. 



(a) I ; uliber trees Hevi i, Manihot, Ficus, Castilloa. Funtumia. 



(b) Rubber climbers Landolphia, Forster , Parameria. 



(c) Rubber shrub Parthenium (( luayul 



2. Classification according to yielding parts. 



(a) Stem rubbers -Tree forms Hevea and Manihot. 



Climbers Landolphia and Parameria 



(b) Root rubbers Clitandra and Carpondinus. 



(i I Stem and leaf — I'alaipiium (<iuttalVr.li 



(d) Whole plant -Guayule. 



The above synopsis is given in tabulated form in order to 

 demonstrate the variation in type of plant and different 



portions of each plant which yield rubber at the present time. 



Economic developments will probably lead to a diminution in 



yield from all except the tree stem rubbers, though we doubt 



whether any particular insignificant source will ever be 

 entirely obliterated. (The India Rubber Journal.) 



Tropical Drug Plants— An acc< rant of the drug plants 

 under cultivation in the United States is given in Farmer? 

 Bulletin, No. 663, of the Department of Agriculture of that 

 country. Most of the species referred to are adapted only 

 fin- cultivation in temperate regions, but those referred to as 

 occurring in the Southern States may be worth considering 

 from the point of view of their possible cultivation in tin- 

 West Indies and the tropics generally. It might be pointed 

 out here that the interruption of trade in synthetic drugs, 

 dyes and other chemicals by the war. has increased the 

 importance and value of natural products. 



One of the first groups of plants referred to are the 

 insect flowers from which pyrethyrum or insect powder 

 is prepared. Several species of plants of the aster family 

 are used for this purpose, the best known of which is 

 Chrysanthemum (Pyrethyrum) cineraliaefolium, which has 

 been cultivated commercially inCalifornia for the produc- 

 tion of insect powder. Another plant of interest in the 

 present connexion is liquorice (Gtycyrrhiza glabra), which 

 is described as an (lid World plant, the culture of which 

 has not succeeded commercially in the United States, 

 although the plant grows well in the arid South West and in 

 California, where in some localities it threaten- to become 

 .i weed. Liquorice is used to some extent in medicines, and is 

 said to be much in demand by manufacturers ba >. The 



last two plants to which reference may be made are Stramonium, 

 and cuscus grass ( Vetiveria I mioides) The former, which 

 belongs to the genus Datura, is used medicinally, while the 



fitter is collected for its aromatic roots which are often used 

 to impart a fragrance to clothing. In some countries an oil is 

 distilled from the roots and used in the manufacture of 

 perfumes. Yields at the rate of 600 to 1,000 ft), of dried 

 roots per acre have been obtained from CUSCUS grass. The 

 prices in the market oi New Orleans aie ange front 



Toe to $1-00 per Iii. 



