-2 1 is 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



\i 'i-i 1 I. 1915. 



GLEANINGS. 



I rom information received, it is undersl 1 that the sum 



if t: I v 17s. Id, has been collected from the members oi the 

 Antigua Agricultural and ( Commercial Society as a conti ibution 

 towards the rsea Aircraft Fund. 



Ii is stilted in the Chamber of < Journal 



(July 1915) that the 85th meeting "1 the British Assoi 

 for the Advancement of Science will beheld in Manchester 

 from September 7 to 11, under the Presidency of Pro 

 Arthur Schuster. 



Some remarkable records were made at the 19] 1 15 

 egg-laying competition conducted by the Government of 

 Victoria, Australia. Fed on dry mash diet, six white 

 leghorns laid 1,699 eggs in cue year, which at Is. Id. per 

 dozen would be worth £8 5s. 2d, 



An article appears in the X<ifnl Mercury for Mai 

 27, L9 15, which describes!) new sugar mill which is being 

 irected in that province of South Africa next t" the main 

 Xi nth i 'cast railway line. It appears to be of very modern 

 construction, for the chimney is comparatively small, induced 

 draught plants having been installed. Provision has also been 

 made for the manufacture of white sugar. 



It is stated in the Journal <if the Ctiemiol Society, 

 Vols. In" and L 08, p. 846, that the action of colchicine hem 

 Gloriosa superba, well known in the West Indies, was com- 

 pared with that of the base from Colchicum autumnalt and 

 the two liases were found to be identical in their effects. It is 

 evident, says the journal, that the toxic properties of ( -'loriosa 

 superba are due to the colchicum present. 



A useful publication is Bulletin No. 127, University of 

 Florida, Agricultural Experiment Station, which contains 



m mi of information concerning the different 



groups of mangoes. <>n the cover is an illustration showing 

 the correct way to peel a fibrous mango. A circular incision 



IS made ;it each end, and then longitudinal cuts are made and 

 ach Section peeled oil' between the point of the knife ami 

 the thumb. 



According to a note in the Experiment Station Record 

 for June 1 91 5, calcium compounds," particularly as sulphate 

 or as phosphate, exercise a most importanl influence on 



forest vegetation, [t is stated that certain trees were I id 



to grow with increased vigour in the presence of high pro- 

 portions of the salts mentioned. It is believed that the 



influence of the salts is in t In- nature of stimulation nthei 



than of nutrition. 



Refer e is made in Bulletin No. 190, United states 



Department ol nee of draining 



ed lands, and attention is called to the alarming 



proportion of I i have been brought under irri 



which are nou mproductive by reason of wal g and 



fi i ol these lands i U ami 



nomically be effected by drainage, followed by proper 



eultiv at : m, i topping ind ii i igation. 



Dr. Britton, who. visited the Virgin Islands a few years 

 ontributes to the Journal o} ih New York Botanical 



Gat ' «s an inten sting m inicatio i arl her bol 



exploration of Porto Rico. In the course of his report 

 Dr. Britton says that i the Luquillo Mountain 



Foresl Reserve in easti rn Porto Rico, there is now very little 

 maining on the island, and for the future welfare 

 of the solony it is imperative thai a policy of conservation 

 and reafforestation I loj 



Appearing in Modern C series of articles on the 



ecoi tic flora of that island. The article in the issue fo 



June 1915 gives lists, in some cases nol complete, of thi 

 plants yielding commercial timber, tannin, oil seeds and nuts, 

 and fibres. Amongst the I ss is an agave, a hibiscus, 



and several other plants familiar in these islands. It is saici 

 that the cultivation of cotton in Cuba will never prove 

 a success until it has been found possible to control the 

 boll weevil. 



According to the Produce Markets' lieview for -lul\ Ml 

 1915, a very strong demand continues in England foi 



and peas. For split peas tier,, i- ; , large business in forward 



positions, ami prices are likelj to be higher as the season 



advances. Split lentils are in excellent demand for this time 

 of year, and prices are yerj linn. Rangoon beans are in 



good demand and shippers ask an advance of 10s. per ten. 

 It is possible that prices will rise considerably on the approach 

 of the season. Madagascar butter beans are a shade firmer 

 and an early advance may be expected. 



The Ninth Announcement of the McDonald College of 

 McGill University contains interesting information as to the 

 ways in which a school of agriculture may render useful 



services to farmers living in the neighbour!) 1. The 



different departments of the college, which include , i gineei tng 

 animal husbandry, bacteriology, biology, cereals, chemistry 

 dairy, horticulture, etc, a^p prepared to furnish information 

 on questions pertaining to each department, respectively. 

 Personal interviews are invited, and free winter short courses 

 are provided lor those farmers who care to attend. 



Correlating Agriculture with the Public School Subjects 



in the Southern States, is the til e ol Bullttin No 152 OX 



the United States Department ol Agriculture. This publi- 

 cation contains much that is suggestive, especially the si I of 

 score-cards which are inserted towards the end. These not 

 only include systems of scoring for live-stock, and plants 

 like cotton and corn with which we ate familiar in the 



West [ndies, bul also Bcore-cards for | lucts like butter, 



pri erves, vegetables ami fruit. The score-card is of much 

 value iii agricultural education, and those interested in the 



subject should give this publication their attention 



