Vol. XIV. No. 344. 



TIIK AGMCULTUKAL NEWS. 



217 



and the Philippines poss< ss the distinction of being the 

 onhj strictlj tropical countries ^kere agricultural 

 colleges exist. A letter has reeenth been received al 

 this Office from the Dean, in \vl pointed oul the 



advantages the existenceof this c i m offers to men in 

 the British Wesl [ndies who desire a scientific and 

 practical training in tropical agriculture. Engineering 

 is taughl as well as the usual bi ogical and chemical 

 subjects, and it is possible to specialize in almosl anj 

 cultivation owing to the varied nature of the crops 



Acid Soils. 



The studies which are being conducted in India 

 and the Federated Malaj States wit! regard to acidity 

 as a factor of soil fertility are amongst the mosl nun' 

 esting of present soil investigations in the tropics. 

 A recenl editorial in this journal made reference to the 

 large quantity of lime required to neutralize certain 

 soils in Malaya.and now from 1. country a publication 

 has been received containing a review of an investiga- 

 tion designed to show the value of lime as an antitoxin. 



In Assam, according to the publication under 

 consideration (Agricultural Bulletin ofthi Federated 

 Malay States, Vol. 3, No. 4), it has been found that on 

 untreated soil certain crops consistently fail to survive 

 the seedling stage, but that after the application of 

 lime, normal crops are afforded. Laboratory examina- 

 tion of the soil disclosed the presence of an acid organic 

 compound which is definitely toxic to certain seedling 

 plants. A number of manurial experiments were 

 carried out to see whether the unfavourable factor 

 could be eliminated by different nutrients. It, was 

 found that satisfactory crop production was always 

 obtained on those plots to which lime was added. Of 

 all the unlimod plots, the only ones to carry a crop to 

 maturity were those to which basic manures bad been 

 added on the one hand, and on the other, tour plots in 

 which, superphosphate was the only constant manurial 

 factor. 



According to the publication referred to, it 

 seems extremely improbable that this favour- 

 able action of lime and the alkaline carbonates 

 can be credited to anj common attribute other than 

 thai of providing a base and thus diminishing the 

 soil acidity, and probably rendering harmless the toxic 

 compounds which accompany it. As regards the good 

 effect of superphosphate, the explanation is put forward, 

 that this manure probably stimulates root development 

 which, by increased extra-cellular root oxidation, leads 

 to the dest rucl ion of the toxic material. 



Transpiration of a Partial Parasite, and of 



Shaded Tobacco. 



The above heading indicati - : subjeel of two in- 



notes that appear in tl Experiment Station 



R rd, Vol. \ \ \ I No. 4. !■'■ a these il appears 

 that experiments with a mistletoe (Loranthus 



j" nta on Mangift ra ca in Java, have 



.shown that the dail'j loss ol pei unil an a 



or leaf surface of the il i iboul .50 per c< at. 



greater than that of the host, tic difference being 

 at a maximum during the hotter part of the daj 



owing, presumably, to observed better coi I oi 



the stomata i>\ thi host. The same gem ral n 

 was obsi rved in the casi of, another mistletoe growing 

 on guava. The hig I evaporal ton is considered 



to es plain the desii und death « hich sometimes 



occur oftbat part of the host bey I the location of 



the parasite. 



The second note referred to concerns the effecf of 

 shading on the transpiration and assimilation of the 

 tobacco plants in Cuba The transpiration of plants 

 grown in the open was nearly •"><> percent, greater than 

 that of the plants grown under cheese-cloth shade. 

 Shading of tobacco plants did not, seem to result in 

 a diminished production of total plant substance as 

 compared with other plants not shaded. As the 

 leaves of the shadi s;rown plants had a greater total 

 area than those of plants in the open, the quanti 

 plant material elaborated per unit id' leaf area was 

 greater in the plants grown in the open. As regards 

 the influence of shade on the deposition of material, it 

 was found that in the shade-grown plants, relatively 

 less material was deposited in leaves ind more in the 

 stems than in the corresponding organs of the plants 

 grown in full light. 



It may be added that the question of the effect of 

 shade upon plants was dealt with editorially in the 

 Agricultural News for May 8, 1915. Experiments 

 with tobacco have been conducted in St. Kitts, and it 

 has boon suggested that a similar trial should be made: 

 to test the effect of shade upon sugar-cane. 



West Indian Bulletin. 



The contents of tin:' current issue of the West 

 Indian Bulletin (Vol. XV, No. 1) comprise several 

 articles of interest. The first dealing with the 

 development of agriculture, i- based upon and in part 

 consists of the addresses of Mr. A. 1). Hall, F.H.S.. 

 delivered before the Agricultural Section of the British 

 Association — Australian Mooting l!t|4. These ad 

 dresses have been published in the Bulletin with 

 Mr. Hall's special sanction. The second paper^also* 

 deals with agricultural development, bul with special 

 reference to tin.' industries of Montserrat. In this 

 article Dr. Watts gives an interesting review of the 

 progress. of events in the Presidency. In this number 

 of the Bulletin also appear two short, articles bj 

 Dr. H. A. Teinpany dealing with the island of 

 Redonda, and the feeding and manurial value of 

 lime seeds, respectively. Finally, two articles appear 

 concerning the poisonous forms ,,f Lima beans, i,\ 

 .Mr. \Y, K. Dunlop and skin diseases of cattle n 



Antigua as paper compiled fr the notes of 



Mr. I' T. Saunders. M.R.C.V.S., fornierl) Veterinary 

 ( )fficer to this | (eparl ment. 



With this issue of tin- Bulletin is sent out the 

 title page and ind< •• to Volume X 1 V. Readers an 

 now advised to have Volume XIV bound. 



