Vol. VIII. No. 184. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



157 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



Seasonal Notes. 

 MAY. 



'2nd FOETNIGKT. ' 



Tbe reaping and milling of .sugar-canes will continue to 

 be in progre;s.s during thi.s fortnight. Caretful outlook should 

 be kept for diseased and rotten canes'*; the , cause of tbe 

 -disease should be ascertained, and the \ ari^ties most suscep- 

 tible, and those which are more immune, '"noted. Rout disease 

 (i1/a/-a.<»i/i<.>-) .'■hould be especially looked fbr in ratoiin caaes. 

 Learn to recognize the symptoms which i;idicate its presence. 



An attempt should be made to learn the distinguishing 

 •characteristics of the chief kinds of canesc Note, wherever 

 possible, the yield of cane obtained per acre, and the quantity 

 ■of cane required to give one ton of sugar. ' 



Fields in which cotton was planted' last year should 

 now be cleared of old cotton plants. TJie various insects, 

 tungi, etc., affecting the old bushe.s, and the attacks of which 

 have prevented their full development, may now be observed. 

 If scale insects are present note ' whether any of them are 

 parasitized or not. Observe the fact that the scale insects 

 •easily spread from the cotton to neighbouring vegetation. 

 Land which has borne cotton for two years in succession will 

 now be planted .with green dressings, sufsh as woolly pyrol, 



-€tC. [ 



Cacao pruning will still be in progress. Study the 

 different methods and tools, and note the Jierits and demerits 

 of each. Observe carefully those cacao trees in the planta- 

 tion which appear especially vigorous and productive, and 



•endeavour to ascertain the causes. 



Look through the lime plantations ; remove all 



-dead branches, dressing the wounds with tar and resin 



•oil. Remove any mistletoe that may be seen growing, as 

 well as epiphytes which occur in wet districts. When ' black 

 blight ' is seen on the lime trees, endeavour to ascertain 

 what scale insects are associated with it. 



Preparation of the land, and planting with yams will be 



-done about this time. Observe the amounts of manure given 

 to this crop per acre. Experiments with different varieties 

 of yams have been carried out in many of the islands. 

 Ascertain which kinds have done best in those trials, and 

 compare the returns given with those obtained on estates in 

 your neighbourhood. Note that some vkrieties of j'am are 

 planted on banks and others in the furrow. Ascertain the 



Treason for this. 



Questions for Candidates. 



I'RELIMINAEY QUESTiONS. 



(1) Give an account of the chief changes brought about 

 in a soil as the result of drainage and tillage. , 



(2) Under what conditions could a'soil contain a good 

 supply of plant food constituents, an4 yet fail to yield 

 satisfactory crops I 



(3) What change must sulphate of ammonia undergo in 

 the soil before it is available as plant food ! 



INTERMEDIATE QVESTIOJfp. 



(1) Write a >hort account of the method of extracting 

 starch from the roots of arrowroot (or cassava) on a commer- 

 cial scale. ) 



(2) State the composition of an average sample of cow's 

 milk. Why is milk an especially nuti'itioius food ? 



(.3) Discuss the circumstances under which soils lose 

 respectively the greatest amounts, and ,sanallest amounts, of 

 water by evaporation. ; 



STUDENTS' MEETINGS AT ANTIGUA. 



With the object of affording . assistance to candi- 

 dates at Antigua who propo.sego enter for the Prelimi- 

 nary and Intermediate Exarifenations in Agriculture 

 of this Department to be heldrin September or October 

 next, monthly meetings are beir)g held in the islaiwj, 

 at which the chief points in -Aie 's^^llabus of work kW 

 discussed with the students, f 



Meetings for Preliminary students, at which elementary 

 theoretical points are considered^lre held on the first Monday 

 in each month. The various subjects dealt with are discusseti 

 in such a way as to be useful al*o to intending candidates 

 for the Intermediate Examination. These meetings are 

 under the charge of Mr. A. H. Kirby, B.A. 



Since the Intermediate Examination is concerned with 

 the more practical side of Agridulture, efforts are made to 

 assist students in this direction 'at the meetings which are 

 held on the third Jlonday in eafh month for Intermeiliate 

 candidates. For instance, the students were met at the Cotton 

 Factory, St. John's, on April 19,- when the construction, set- 

 ting, and working of gins, and the ginning and baling of cot- 

 ton were dealt with by Mr. .J. Dew. Later Mr. H. A.' 

 Tempany and Mr. T. .lackson discussed seed selection and 

 disinfection, and the judging of; cotton lint, etc., with the 

 students. Meetings will also be held at the Antigua Sugar ■ 

 Factory, Botanic Station, Skerrett's Experiment Station, and 

 other centres, for the consideration of various [)ractical points. 



COWS AND THEIR MILK YIELDS. 



The enormous extent of the dairy industry justifies 

 the attention that has for years past been given ia 

 many parts of the world to the question of breeiling 

 cows that shall give a maximum return of milk. This 

 is not only a matter of great practical importance, 

 but also one of distinct scientific interest. 



The results of numerous experiments have established 

 the fact that when a deep-milking cow is mated with a bull, 

 the dam of which was also a deep milker, it is found that 

 the female offspring yield large quantities of milk, while the 

 males will beget deep milkers. It will be recognized there- 

 fore, that the milk records of a herd of cows form data of 

 considerable value to a stock-owner who is anxii^us to breed 

 and rear animals of special value for dairy purposes. 



The Xorth British A(jtirulPttrist lately contained some 

 statistical particulars in relation ^to this subject, which show 

 the great variation in the milk-yielding power of different cows. 

 On a farm referred to, a group of Ayrshire cows has been bred, 

 which, with their latest calve.s, 'gave the very high average 

 of 1,144 gallons of milk, containing 3-6 per cent, of fat. 

 Acting on the belief that like produces like, a group of.young; 

 cattle is being carefully raised, the dams of which averaged 

 1,232 gallons of milk per year, Obntaining 3-8 per cent- of fat. 



In relation to the same question, IluUetiri Xo. I'l of thfe 

 Edinburgh and East of ScotlaiYd Agricultural College show.* 

 the kind of variation in milk-yielding capacity which is found 

 in an ordinary herd of Shorthorn cows. For tlie year ended 

 •July 190G, the highest yield given by an individual cow ii»' 

 a certain herd was 1,50-5 gallons in forty-seven weeks, while 

 the lowest return from a single cow in the herd was 47& 

 gallons in thirty-nine weeks. ; With the same hovd, the 

 highest and lowest yields for the year ended -July 1908, 

 were 1,224 gallons in fifty-two weeks, and 438 gallons iifc- 

 twenty-six weeks. 



