316 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 2, 1909. 



GLEANINGS. 



The sugar production of Quba for this year is estimated 

 at about 1,-150,000 tons. Under the reciprocity treaty with 

 the United States of America, this amount doubtless will 

 increase year by year for some time. 



The export of crude rubber from Mexijo for the period 

 June 30, 1907 to June 30, 190S was 12,372,-241 lb. 

 During a similar period in 190G-7, it was 10,321,248 lb. 

 For the last six months of 190S, the export was r),121.803 lb. 



During the present year, to August 19, there were 

 imported into the Ignited Kingdom 2,.")79,17o, bales of 

 cotton. Of this, .5,949 bales were liritish West Indian cotton. 

 The amount imported during the week ended August 19, was 

 31,082 bales. 



According tu the ]iiiUtti}t uf tin Iiiipi-ri<tl liixtifiilt, 

 Vol VII, No. 2, discoveries of graiihite have recently been 

 made in several British African colonies. Those in Nyas.sa- 

 lani and lihodesia, only, appear at pre.sent to be likely to 

 become of any commercial value in Enghind. 



The imports and exports of Jamaica for 1907-8 were 

 valued ai £2,854,042 and £2,360,702, respectively. For the 

 |ieriod 1906-7, they were similarly £2,201,469 and 

 £1,992,007. Of the exports in 1907-8, fruit had a value of 

 £1,193,784, rum £174,9."):") and sugar 109,77.j. 



Gauze covers for the protection of food from Hies are 

 being offered for .sale by Messrs. K. Sumner i Co., Ltd., 

 ■50 a, Lord Street, Liverpool. They are made in three sizes 

 and cost from 4.s. to 8.s. Hd. per dozen. As they can be 

 wa.shed, and are weighted at the corners to j)revent them from 

 being blown over, they are especially useful. 



A Danisli inventor has recently patented a new process 

 for sterilizing milk, which is dependent on the existence of 

 an enzyme, ' catalase ' (see also Ar/riei/ltural A'env, Vol. 

 VIII, p. 218), in that product. The milk is heated to 120' F.. 

 and hydrogen peroxide is added. The action of the catala.se 

 on the hydrogen peroxide is to liberate o.xygen from it, 

 which destrovs the bacteria. 



In the l'hiHpi)ine lsland->, cassava is grown on a large 

 scale for the i)roduction of starch. The average yield of 

 roots per acre is about II ton.s, and a-; these give aiiout 34 

 per cent, of starch, llic amount of tliis [)n)duct that is 

 obtained from each acre is approximntily 9,000 lb. 



During the p;ist season, over ;5,00() crates ol tomatos 

 have been shipped from the Bahamas by the Canadian Fruit 

 Comjiany to Canada, 'i'his company expects to ship .50,000 

 (.•rates of the fruit duiing the coming season. ( U'tc/cl;/ 

 Jiepurt, /k/iin-tiiH-iif af Tntdi' mid Coinmerci, Canada, 

 August 30, 1909.) 



Frnm statistics given in the ('hruhux ami A'lriridlnrnl 

 .loiiinal ot till- ]ltii/iil li^itdiiii- Gaidns, Ceylon, it appears 

 that the area in India fiom which crops were obtained during 

 the period 1906 7 was 22^,950,0.50 acres, which is an increase 

 of 22.332,494 acres over that of 1S97 8. In the first- 

 mentioned period, tlie total area frnm which food grains 

 were raised was 208,241, -529 acres; in 1897 8, this was 

 191,852,026 acres. 



The great earthquake in Messina, causing dislocation of 

 trade in Sicily, created a demand for essential oil of orange 

 from .some other source, and enhanced the price. Quick 

 advantage wa= taken of this in Jamaica, and good trade has 

 been done in all the large orange producing parishes, 

 especially St. Ann and ^[anchester. {Joiirual of the Jani'ticn. 

 A;/ricii/tiiriilS(iriet_i/, August 1909.) 



Experiments with the castor oil p)lant, in which the 

 total weight of crop obtained per acre (from 1,210 plants) 

 was 6,655 ft)., showed that 34'91 percent, of this was organic 

 matter. The nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid that 

 would be added to the soil from such a ouantity would be 

 .">3'3 111., 53-2 lb. and 21 '3 fti., respectively. (Queensland 

 A<iiieiiltiiral Jiiniii<d, August 1909.) 



The red spider (Ti tidiJii/iicluis l/iniacidatux) catited 

 considerable injuiy in Florida, during the spring of 1901, to 

 vegetable and general I'rops, and to citrus trees. The Joiininl 

 of Erotioinic Eiitomolo'jy reports experiments for the control 

 of the pest by means of lime-sulphur wash, lye sulphur, 

 snli)hur, and kerosene emul-iipu, and states that it can be 

 kei>t in check by any of these insecticides. 



The Annual Report nj the Bureau <>J Su;/ar E.rperi inerit 

 SIkI/oiis, Queensland, 1908-9 states: ' B. 208 has a strong 

 record in the West Indies as a sugar producer, and it is also 

 very highly spoken of on the Herbert Itiver, where it is fast 

 becoming the leading cane. On the ilackay Station, 

 however, it does not present a healthy appearance, and 

 <lcvrlops a rind rot at many of the joints.' 



The l"nite<l Kruit Company has entered into a contract 

 with the CiovernuKMit of (.Jo.^ta Itica by which it agrees to pay 

 an export tax on bananas. As a result, the export of banana.s 

 from Cost-i liica, which is at present slightly over I million 

 bunches a month, i.s cxpecteil to increase rapidly, owing to 

 the security afforded to the industry by the new law. (The 

 Jiiiiird of Trade Jnurual, .\ugust 12, 1909.) 



The 1908 sugar' crop of Madeira was again a record one, 

 the ciuantity being estimated at 50,000 tons with a value of 

 .£1^5,000. About 24,000 tons of cane was used for sugar 

 manufacture, the lemaiiider having been utilizeil for cane 

 brandy and alcohol. Some 700 tons were exported to 

 Portugal and the balance consumed locally. The coming 

 crop piomi.ses to be larger than ever, and it is estimated that 

 its value will be well over £200,000. (.Interiintioual Su()ar 

 .A»//»a/, August. 1909) 



