Vol. VIII. Xo. 19i. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



3ir 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



OCTOBER. 



First Peeiod. 



Seasonal Notes. 



Xow that coi-n is being reaped, the selection of seed for 

 the next crop should be carried out. The preliminary work 

 in connexion with this may be done in three ways : (1) by 

 going into the field before the crop is harvested and selecting 

 good" ears on good plants bearing at least two of these, (2"! by 

 selecting from the ears that have been already brought in, (3) 

 l3v choosing the best grains. - Of these the first is far 

 preferable to the others. If it is adopted, the ears from the 

 marked plants are kept separate and are placed side by side 

 on board or benches for the purpose of examination. As the 

 principal object in view is the greatest production of g'jod, 

 •deep, similarly-shaped grains on each ear, those characters 

 ■which tend toward this are given the greatest weight in the 

 selection. To this end, the shape of the ears should be 

 cylindrical, with a circumference which is about three- 

 quarters of the length. The grains should fill the ear well 

 up to the tip and butt, in which regions they should be 

 as nearly as possible of the s.ime shape as the other grains 

 on the err. The rows of grains should be close together and 

 straight, and the grains well fixed to the ear; the latter 

 characteristic is most conveniently tested for by taking each 

 ■ear well in the hands, trying to twist the ends in opposite 

 directions, and rejecting those ears in which the rows ' give ' 

 to any great extent. The ears are weighed, and the grains 

 shelled from those which have passed these tests most 

 .successfully, the weight of each lot of seed from the diftcrent 

 ears being then weighed also; the grains' should weigh about 

 nine-tentiis of the weight of the ear before shelling. In 

 comparing the shapes of the grains from different cars, those 

 should be chosen which are wedge-shaped with straight edges. 

 The process of selection will be completed by germination 

 tests with six grains from each ear, as described on page 2.55 

 of the present volume of the Agriiuilinral Xcn's. Finally, 

 grains for snwing will be such as grew in the region between 

 the tips of the selected ears, and the grains from the ears will 

 be sown in alternate rows, as the first step toward the 

 encouragement of cross-pollination. 



A thorough examination of both plant and ratoon canes, 

 especially the latter, for root disease {Mardsmiiix) should 

 now be made. The first sign of attack by this is that the 

 cane appears to be in want of water, for first the tips and 

 edges, and then the whole of the leaves, roll up and finally 

 ■wither and dry up. Another easily recognized sign is that 

 the lower leaves are matted together by means of a white 

 mycelium, while the whole of the attacked part has a musty 

 smell. Exiimination of the rootlets wo-iild show that their 

 growth is not taking place properly ; they are short and have 

 red tips. In rainy weather, in the early morning, a search 

 sihould be made for the sjsore-bearing part of this fungus. It 

 appears as a small, white, delicate structure which may be 

 attached to the roots or to the sheaths of the leaves. 

 Information concerning this disease (which is closely related 

 to another which attacks bananas) may be found in the 

 A'/ricnltural A'mK, Vols. I, p. 3, 259 ; II, pp. 162, 258 ; 

 III, pp. 23, 77 ; VII, pp. 65, 155 : VIII, p. 297 ; the West 

 Indian Bulletin, Vols. VI, p. 3i ; VIII, pp. 42, 350 ; IX, pp. 

 41, 103 ; and in the following pamphlets published by the 

 Deimrtment; No. 17, p. U; No 29, p. 32. 



In applying green dressings to the soil, an interesting 

 experiment may be performed. This consists in allowing 

 part of the material to dry bet'bre turning it in, and malcing 

 a careful note of the position of the area on which this ha.s 

 been done. \A'hen the following crop is growing, a com- 

 parison of its development where the dressing was buried 

 green and where it was turned in after being dried, may lead 

 to useful conclusions. Reference to pages 22G and 296 of 

 the present volume of the Agricultural Xeivx -ssnW give 

 information on this subject. 



The method of ap[)lying pen manure tliat is common in 

 Barbados consists in burying it in the soil in the cane holes. 

 As this is generally done when^ the soil is wet, there is a great 

 likelihood that the action of bacteria will be to cause the 

 manure to give off nitrogen rather than to change it to a state 

 of combination in which it will be more available to plants. 

 It is suggested that experiments might be made to try the 

 effect of burying and of broadcasting manure on the succeeding 

 crop. Such trials would probably lead to useful practical 

 results. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) Describe, giving examples, the uses of cotyledons 

 (seed-leaves) to plants. 



(2) What are the principal phosphatic manures? (!ive 

 an account of each. 



(3) What are the uses of the veins of leaves / Describe 

 the ways in which these are arranged in some of the commoner 

 plants. 



INTERMEDUTE QUESTIONS. 



(1) Give an account of the chief sources of lo.ss from the 

 soil. 



(2) AVhat purposes are served by the breaking up of the 

 soil in cultivation ? 



(3) Describe how you would lay out, and carry to 

 a conclusion, the experiment suggested in the last paragraph 

 but one of this fortnight's Seasonal Notes. 



WHEN TO WATER HORSES 



The following hints on this subject are taken from 

 an article w'hich appears in the Hawitcian Planters" 

 Monthly, July 1909 :— 



A horse should be watered before feeding, and never 

 given a large quantity of water after a meal, for the simple 

 reason that the water will wash the food out of the stomach 

 before stomach-digestion has taken place, and the food will 

 not be well prepared for absorption; and besides, it is some- 

 times the cause of colic. 



There is a popi'ilar idea that a warm horse should not be 

 allowed to drink, and unlike a great many other popular 

 ideas, there is a little truth in it. If you water a warm horse 

 in the ordinary way, letting him drink all that he will, you 

 are likely to have a foundered horse on your hands. This is 

 especially .so if, at the time, the horse is fatigued. Never- 

 theless, it is always safe to allow him from six to ten swallows, 

 no matter how warm he is. If this be given on going into 

 the stable, and he be allowed to stand and eat hay for aa 

 hour and is then offered water, he will not drink nearly .so 

 mui.'h as he would, had none been given him before. 



The danger is not in the first swallow, as we often hear 

 it asserted, but in the excessive quantities that he will drink 

 if not restrained. The most dangerous time to give a horse 

 a full draught is when he has cooled down from fatiguing 

 work and has partaken of a meal. 



