Vol.. XIV. No. 342. 



THE AGRICTLTCKAL NEWS. 



181 



SWEET POTATO AND COWPEA VINES 



AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



Some investigations ha made in Japan, 



i ported "ii in the J< . i iculturt 



.1 Vvtoria, which seem to show that the dried vine of the 

 ■ Lffords an exi dder for live-stod [n 



discussing the work it is said 

 stem and leaves 13 tons The green i ine is 



considered rather a watery 1 1 i [bl gin composition 



the leaves oi the sugar beet, containing tannin, however, 



instead of oxalic acid. Although this green stuff may with 



caution be fed as such, it is the dried material which has 



tisfactory. In the experiments, the stems and 



were exposed to the sun for a \ day . but at a tem 

 perature much lower than occurs in the tropics, and eventually 



dried herb was obtained wit! i tie iroma, which was 

 gladly eaten by stock. The green vines and leaves of the 

 • mri potato were also shown tn .-rrve us useful material for 

 the manufacture of ensilage. Animal- fed on this material 

 thrived satisfactorily. Although it is observed that there 

 \ as a loss in nutritive material during its manufacture into 

 . isilage, this amounted only to about 6 percent. 



In another publication (Tropical Lift for April 1915) 

 attention is given to the value of cowpea vine as a cattle 

 feed. After referring to the great value of this material as 

 a nitrogenous fertilizer and weed destroyer, it is stated that 

 i iws getting cowpea hay averaged l*3fi>. more milk daily 

 than those which were fed on wheat bran. For pig raising 

 i' is said that cowpea vines are invaluable. Experiments 

 n ade in New Zealand with three 50 lb. pigs in a field pasture 

 of cowpeas, given corn additional, and the second lot of 

 corn only, in a trial lasting forty-two days, 



1 that the pigs in the cowpea field gained nearly three 

 times as much as those fed on corn alone. In a trial made 

 with this fodder on horses, it was proved that cowpea hay 

 combined with corn and cob meal made a very satisfactory 

 work ration. Cowpea hay with a reasonable quantity of 

 corn is regarded as a good substitute for bran and oats. 



HORSE BEAN AS A POULTRY FOOD. 



In 1906 in experiment was tried in Dominica to 



'i tain if the horse bean (Canavalia ensiformis) could be 



used as a poultry food. Twehe chickens, two months old, 



were individually weighed and placed in two separate runs, 



six bird- being placed in each. 



The birds in run A were fed on crushed corn and corn 

 mash, and the birds in run B were fed on horse beans crushed, 

 and as boiled mash. 



It was intended to keep the birds thus for four weeks, 

 each bird being carefully weighed at the end of each week. 

 The first day the horse bean was eaten with relish: but on 

 the second day there was much evidence that it was unsuit- 



I. Two of the birds were quite ill, and the others 



appeared very shaky. 'I i men! was therefore con 



land the birds were retu heir former quarters. 



i iuld be interesting to know if this ill effecl upon the birds 

 lue to any poisonous pro] i to indigestibilitj oi 



the horse bean. It was most p lue to thi lal ter ca 



There i- reason to believe I th suspicion with 



I ralia Id ids is unfounded, 



i with different varieties 

 horsi bi ' i nded to planters with 



confidence. 



1 1 connexion with this may be refi 



nt inform i et in this volui 



i 136 and 



TUBER CUTTINGS VERSUS VINES. 



EXPERIMENT l\" SWEET POTATO PLANTING 



Towards the begii 1914 there appeared in th< 



A ultwal .\> w» I \ ol. \| [ |, No. 310j an account of an 

 experiment carried out in Montserrat by Mr. W. Robson, the 

 Curator of the Botanic Sta ion, to test the value as planting 

 material of sweet potato cuttings taken from sprouted 



tubers, as compared with cuttings taken from the vines in 



the ordinary way. Thi experiment though showing 

 increased yields in the case of the tuber-planted crop did not 

 indicate the phenomenal difference said to have been ol. tamed 

 in Cuba some few yeai previously and reported in the 

 Agricultural News, Vol. VTI, p. 120. 



With a view to obtaining more conclusive informa 

 tion, the Montserrat experiments were repeated last year and 

 the results have now been forwarded to this Office by 

 Mr. Robson. In this second experiment the cutting- from 

 tubers and from vine- of the same variety were placed in 

 contiguous rows on November 25 and reaped on March 31. 

 With regard to the climatic conditions which prevailed, during 

 the latter half of the period the weather was very dry, the 

 total rainfall from planting to reaping being I "_' 7 I inches, 

 distributed as follows: from November 25*78 inches, Decembei 

 5*46, January 3*42, February 2*87, March -is inch. 



Considerable trouble was taken to ci induct the experiments 

 in the most careful manner, and the tuber cuttings and vines- 

 got an equal start. The result?, however, were less conclu- 

 sive than in the previous year. In the former experiment 

 the percentage gained from tuber cuttings worked out at 

 about 20 per cent., while in this experiment it was only 

 about 9 per cent., with only four of the varieties showing 

 appreciable gains. The variety Red Bourbon, which showed 

 an average gain of L'7 per cent, in the first experiment, 

 showed no gain in the present one, but the increase in crop 

 from White Gilkes was as much as before. 



It will be seen that on the basis of these two trials 

 it is very difficult, if not impossible to decide whether any 

 particular variety will give an increased yield as the result 

 of either method of planting, and the results must be regarded 

 as disproving the general application of the original Cuban 

 trials in which a gain of 350 percent, was recorded in 

 the case of the tubers. 



It is interesting to note that the Montserrat results- 

 indicate that Blue Belle and North No. 3 are good dry 

 weather varieties. Owing to the small rainfall a la 

 proportion of the Red Bourbon and other varieties that 

 usually give the largest crops, yielded in this casi potatoes. 

 that were small and unshippable. 



The practical training for meat inspectors is of great 

 importance. West Indian colonies will be intere ted to learn 

 something of the course which is given bj the Royal Sanitary 

 Institute in England. M irbid conditions of meat are studied, 

 and thi d health and disease of animals de 



f 1 when alive and after slaughter. The practical methods 



oi tailing and laughti ii a of animals are studied and the 



i houses. Attention is given 

 to I. . and its efficiency. Ac 



ha to be done I ■ i I the b er houses. 



\ demon tration of fish inspection is also included. Further 

 information of tl rs will be found in the ' 



E rr ' I nary 6, 19 



