Vol. XIV. No. 347. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



261 



(i i i H \ ■ i ' i ■ I 



13 . The [ges is, on the whole. 



varieties, as in 

 earlier. 



u.l the 



but did nol I il of the 

 fruit of the Sun 



the ridges than in the furrows. 1 tonimended thai 



Si, th Cayenne and Sugar Loaf sh grown from suck- 

 ers, and the Costa and the Baboy varieties from crowns. 



Further details in - these experiments maj be 



had b) reference to the Philip} idtwist and I 

 foi M.u L915. 



CITRUS MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS IN 



PORTO RICO. 



Some important manurial expi timents have been 



anieil 1, ut in Porto Rico with 01 mges and grape fruit, 



and the results are published in B No. 18 of 



the Agricultural Experiment Station. The res] se 



to manuring was verj prompt, and the effecl pro- 

 nounced on both trees and quantity of fruit produced. 

 The weigfal of frail per tree harvested from the 

 ;ontrols was but 27 percent, of that from the trees 

 given a complete fertilizer. The fruit ripened earlier 

 in the control plots than in the manured plots. The 

 following are the general conclusions arrived at: 



The theory thai fertilizer requirements for a plant may 



ermined definitely by the chemical analysis of the soil 



in which it is growing has been abandoned, as the food 



elements may b pri at in abundance, but insolubli 



slowl} available to the plants for their support. The 

 analyses of the orchard soils where these experiments were 

 are, however, of unusual value, as they show the actual 

 quantity of food elements in the soil which may become 

 available for the trees, and that these elements are present 

 in such small quantities that a thrifty profitable orchard 

 could not he maintained without the addition of fertilizer. 



It would be impossible to give a formula which would 

 provide for the fertilizer needed in all orchards in Porto 

 Rico, although the results of the experiments under consider 

 ation point to one which may be recommended for those 

 having like conditions. As the weather conditions in the 

 citrus-growing sections on the north side of the island are 

 almost uniform, this will include localities where the soil 

 is of a rather compact, red, sandy clay, or red, sandy clay 

 loam. Practically all the land in the citrus-gro 

 sections on the north side of the island except the 

 sandy beach land answers this description. For trees of 

 the age of those in the experiment at the time the 

 harvests were recorded, a fertilizer formula providing for 

 3 per cent, nitrogen. 12 perci phoric acid, and 12 



per cent, po >mmended. This formula is suggested 



for use until the exact n I- in individual localities are 



determined. For older trees which have passed their 

 maximum annual growth, it would probably be economical to 

 decrease the nitrogen content slightly. 



The quantity of fertilizer required varies with thi 

 and general conditions surrounding the tree, but the 

 experiments indicate that for tree- six to eight years old, 

 which are producing good crops, 20 th. per tree should 

 probably be the minimum. Much target quantities have 

 een applied in Porto Rico with g 1 results. 



DIGESTIBILITY OF SOME TROPICAL 



FOODSTUFFS. 



The follow ii, 

 experimen rom the Ex\ 



Molassii - duel, 



compose I oi it ially 7<» to 75 per 1 



molasses, and from 25 to 30 per. mm moss, 



and lias the following j i iroxiffl I8'43, 



protein 9*32, fat <> 1 T rogen-frei i 6 - 75, 



uid ash 7 - 52 per cent. 



six cows were fed by the n 

 of three weeks' duration, a basal ■ wheat bran, 



and cotton seed meal to which ivere added defini e amounts 

 of either inolassine or corn meal, The total .iVei + ■■ daily 

 nutrients were somewhat less for the molassine ration than 



for the corn meal ration. Tin ws produced sitostaiitially 



I I per cent, more milk, and 16 per cent, more solids a id fat 

 on the corn meal ration than they did ou the inolassine 

 ration. The cost per quart of milk on the corn meal ration 



was 3 - lc. per th., of butter 26c; on the n n tal ration 



3 - 8 and 33c, respectively. Successful trials in feeding this 

 product to hoi n ceding 



stuff is di 



Analyses are given of col 1 ton seed 



hulls, cotton seed hull bran, and cotton i [c 



was found that low gradi ed al coul 1 



30 per cent, less digestible organic matter than the high 

 grade material. It is stated that the addition of hulls to 

 cotton seed meal, even in small amounts, lessens its reeding 

 value b\ decreasing its protein content and impairing its 

 digestibility. Cotton seed feed meal containing ch lice cotton 

 seed meal and cotton see.l hull bran in equal parts has about, 

 one-half the feeding value of choice cotton seed meal. 



Cacao shells are described as hard, outside dating or, 

 bran of the cacao bean. Their use in this country as 

 a feeding stuff has been quite limited, but in Europe they 

 are used as a partial feed for horses and cattle, and 

 adulterant for oil cake- Large quantities are also used by 

 the Swiss as a feed for draft oxen. It is held that they 

 act as a stimulant to the nerves and muscles, and enable the 

 animals to do a greater amount of work. An analysis is 

 reported as follows: water t'5, protein l.'l'.t, fat 4-91, nit 

 free extract 55-61, fibre 12-65, and ash 8'43 per cent. 



In feeding trials with wheat screenings the fibre did not 

 appear to beat all digestible, indicating somewhat of a depress 

 ing effect upon the fibre digestibility of the hay, and the 

 fibre contained in the weed seeds of the screenings was of 

 decidedly inferior character. In chemical composition and 

 digestibility the screenings did not appear to vary greatly 

 from wheat bran. 



In experiments with sheep, the following coefficients 

 of digestibility were obtained for the several products: — 



Kind 





8, fc 



ri-90 



< ■- 



79-48 



Molassine meal 6 1 '98 ' I 7 1 

 t loton seed feed 



meal 58-23 74"96 100-66 61-20 26-10 1937 



1 shells 57-52 11-47 100-48 7:: 16 50-66 13-64 

 Wheat screen 



ings 62-94 rr-79 88 15 73-19 



