Vol.. XIV. No. 341. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



m 



* h i 



LES PLANTES TROPIC ALES AHMESTAIRE& 



ET INDUSTRIELLES DE LA FAMILLE DES LEG 



UMINEUSES. (Useful Tropica] Plants of the Legumin 



osae I by P. de Sornaj . .1 ( ' ' I ibra i t'< Maritime 1 1 



Pai L913. 



Though th j oi Mr. J. P. Ogilvie, F.C.S., editor 



of the International Svgar J<a we have been furni hed 



with ,i cop) of tli" original French version of this boot 

 pending the arrival of the English translation which is 

 now passing through the press. The book is of special 

 interest to the Wes1 [ndies al the present time on account of 

 the increased attention that is being given to leguminous 

 crops. 



In the preface to the voli the author who has 



had many years' experience as Assistant Director of the 

 Agricultural Experiment Station in .Mauritius, refers to the 

 assistance given him by Mr. Boname, until lately Director, 

 and it is to be observed in perusing the volume that Boname's 

 original work, especially in regard to the chemical aspects of 

 the subject, has been freely drawn upon. 



The book has been planned with considerable lucidity, 



and the arrange nt displays a broad grasp of the subject 



under treatment. Discussing in the first two chapters the 

 fixation of nitrogen by the Leguminosae, the author then 

 proceeds in Chapter III to his principal task of describing 

 (with tables of analyses and excellent illustrations) the differ- 

 ent species useful as soil improvers, as fodder crops, and as 

 food for human consumption. Following this are chapters 

 dealing with the comparative value of different species as 

 dressings, the significance of manganese and of hydrocy- 

 anic acid in regard to the Leguminosae, and the nature of 

 the starch grains typical of different edible seeds of this 

 Onler. The nutritive aspects with particular regard to the 

 _ of animals receive attention in Chapter 1\, and 

 this is followed by others in which the gum and resin 

 yielding specie,, are described, as well as those yielding useful 

 timber, textile material and medicines. After giving an 

 account of the principal ornamental plants, and useful tables 

 showing the average chemical composition of the different 

 , the volume concludes with lists of parasitic fungi 

 and insect pests attacking differen peci . ending with an 

 indi to all the species of plant, referred to in the texl 



than those of a purely 01 nature). The 



number of species referred to in this index is 366 out of 

 the T.i" c to science as belonging to the Order. 



This brief survey of the contents is sufficient to show 

 that the compilation brings together a large amount ol 



useful information some oi which has not I a publi hed 



and indie il ibovi all the highly important 



m occupied by the Leg in the economj oi 



tropical agriculture. 



Bei - nee it would he 



t< i i'''\ i"\\ 1 1 ci intent in detail. The 



statements made appear to be sound aid i rate, and 

 judging by the bi ling authorities 



ulted. It should bi pi inlted out, however, 

 ' loI Jtrictly I 



example, th - \ r icia 1 a a. 



conclusions desei 



of the Canavalia ps is noteworfliy in view of the 



suspicion with which th 

 quarters. He thinks this suspicion is stnply the re 



eneralizing on the basis i 

 lunatus), Mucuna , and Dcfickos bulbosus, all 



of which iim\ certainly exhibit poisoiou ristics 



While speaking of poisonous plants it may lie i 



a list of dangerous Leguminosae is given, including 

 species as contain, for instance, saponin; And Li ucai iia glauca 



which, when consume, I l,\ horses and iii le bail 



to fall from their tails. 



In climating the value of one pEcie compared with 

 another as a rotation crop, the author lake various matters 

 into considerati bul concludes that h is impos 



which is superior since almOSl everything depends upon the 

 climatic conditions under which each is grown. Soil and 

 climatic conditions are more important than relative chemical 

 compositions and recorded yields. Coming to the question 

 of manganese as a factor of fertility, reference is made to 

 Boname's view that in Mauritius soils the metal acts as a base 

 for nitric acid in the absence of lime; the author thinks that 

 the chief benefit derived from manganese is its physiologi- 

 cal effect on the plant. These views are of interest in 

 connexion with recent work in Hawaii on the same subject. 

 It seems ungracious to conclude a review of a useful 

 compilation by referring to its minor blemishes, but the mis- 

 placement of pages 473, 1 7 4. 471 and 472 in the tables of 

 analyses at the end is unfortunate, and Fig. 66 stated to 

 represent Caesalpinia pulcherrima (the so-called 'Barbados 

 Pride', of the West Indies) does not do so. For these 

 mistakes, however, the author is hardly responsible, and we 

 may conclude with an expression of thanks in appreciation 

 of the useful service he has rendered to our agriculture, and 

 of the justice he has done to this Natural Order which is s( 

 wonderfully represented in the Tropics. 



W R. 1). 



During the present year further progress has been made 

 at the Quetta Fruit Experiment Station in designing suitable 

 fruit packages for the five-seer parcels rate. In the original 

 Quetta peach crates, chip compartments were used for each 

 peach and laths were employed for the top and bottom of the 

 box. The separate laths were found to be unsuitable in 

 practice on Indian railways on account of the comparative 

 ease with which thefts in transit could be carried out 

 without risk of immediate detection on delivery of the' crates 

 Further, the labour of making the separate chip compart- 

 ments was considerable. 



Two change- have been made in the Quetta pee 



crates by which the abo di have been e 



re vi d. In place I • compartments, 



a collapsible >- <y<\ board I [ Tl folds 



flat and is imported rei use. Two box hoards, 



which I ventilation spa inch down the 



middle of the box, are used instead of the narrow laths. 

 1 canm >1 be rem 



u. {Agricultural ■ 



