Vol. VIII. No. 185. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



lCf> 



Eucalyptus Culture in Caliiqrnia. 



Btdliiiii I'.IC, of the California ]<]xperiinent Station 

 give.s the results of extensive observations on eucalyp- 

 tus cultivation in that State. The importance of the 

 different species of eucalyptus for timbei-. fuel, and oil 

 production is discussed, together with the soil 

 requirements, methods of treatment, and financial 

 return that n)ay be expected. Over .sixty-five different 

 s[)ecies of eucalyptus are growing on the University of 

 ("alifornia Forestry Station grounds, of which eighteen 

 are considered to be particularly useful from the 

 commercial point of view. These receive special 

 attention in the bulletin. Since .several varieties of 

 this tree have been planted in the AVest Indies, and 

 one or two kinds have made very good growth, the data 

 on the subject contained in this pamphlet may prove 

 useful to those interested. 



Fruit Trees on Grass Land. 



When fruit trees are to be planted on grass land it 

 is now generally recognized that care should be taken 

 for the first few years, at least, to keep a ring around 

 the young trees free from grass, and well cultivated or 

 mulched. Otherwise the fruit trees make very slow 

 growth during the early stages. This is due to the 

 fact that a compact growth of grass makes very exten- 

 sive demands on the supply of soil moisture, and hence 

 young fruit tree.s, which, at the time of planting, are 

 but indifferently supplied with water-collecting roots, 

 are usually unable to obtain all the water they need if 

 they have to compete with the extensive mass of 

 fibrous roots possessed by the grass. Few crops so 

 effectually dry the surface soil as grass does, and hence 

 any plant growing in pasture land is likely to suffer so 

 long as the two sets of roots are in the same layer. 

 After the lapse of two or three years, when the root 

 system of the trees has gained a more extensive range, 

 the trees are not likely to suffer from the presence 

 of grass. 



Rubber Coagulation by Leaf Infusions. 



Man\- chemical agents have been used for the 

 coagulation of rubber latex, but it is worthy of note 

 that two samples of Funtumia rubber which had been 

 coagulated by adding an infusion ' of the leaves of 

 a leguminous plant — BaaJiinui ret u'vldta — and which 

 were sometime ago forwarded to the Imperial Institute, 

 London, by the Agricultural Department of the Gold 

 Coast, were reported upon as being very satisfactory in 

 character, and valued at from 4.s. to 4s. 3(/. per' lb., 

 when fine, hard Para was worth 4.y. Id. per lb. 



The infusion of the Bauhinia leaves is acid, and 

 contains a considerable amount of tannin. It is believed 

 that this tannin is the active coagulating .agent, since 

 other astringent materials are found to have a similar 

 effect. This suggests that many other products might 

 well be tried by rubber growers in tiie coagulation of 

 latex. The pods of ^-Icacirt arrt7>/cr6- have been found 

 to answer the same purpose as the .p]auhinia leaves. 

 This method of coagulation obviates the necessity of 

 applying heat directly to the latex. 



Calcium Cyanamide or ' Nitrolim.' 



The new nitrogenous fertilizer calcium cyanamide, 

 or lime nitrogen, which is prepared from the atmosphere 

 l>y the aid of a powerful electric furnace, has now been 

 placed on the market under the name ' Nitrolim.' This 

 manure is manufactured in different parts of the world 

 by a number of companies, and the total output is at 

 present estim.ited at about 1.50,000 tons per year. 



' Xitrolim ' is guaranteed to contain 20 per cent. 

 of nitrogen — equal to 24), per cent, of ammonia — - 

 together with a proportion of lime ranging to 40 percent., 

 about 18 per cent, of which is in the form of quicklime. 

 The presence of the lime naturally adds considerably 

 to the value of the manure on soils which are deficient 

 in that element. ' Nitrolim ' will be sold on the basis 

 of the content of nitrogen, but in view of the source 

 from which the nitrogen is derived, and the com- 

 {laratively low cost of production, it is believed that it 

 will be possible to sell the manure at a lower unit 

 value than in the case of nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia, i.e. about £11 per ton — ^in England. 

 A small quantity of ' Nitrolim " has lately been 

 purchased by this Department for trial in the sugar- 

 cane experiments in the Leeward Islands and at 

 Barbados. 



Agricultural Work at the Gold Coast, 



The latest report on the Botanical and Agri- 

 cultut^d Department of the Gold Coast has recently 

 come to hand, and shows that much useful work is 

 being done in that colony in introducing new kinds of 

 cultivated plants, improved varieties of crops previously 

 grown, and in the distribution of superior seed. 



F(nir experiment stations now exist in the Gold 

 Coast Colony, viz., the Aburi Botanic Garden.s, and the 

 Agricultural Stations at Tarkwa, Coomassie, and 

 Asuantsi. The last was established in 1907. 



Large quantities of seeds and plants were dis- 

 tributed from Aburi and Tarkwa in 1907, and in 

 future years will be sent out from the other two 

 stations as well. Plants and seeds of cacao and rubber 

 are those which are in chief demand. Over 10,000 

 plants and 210,000 seeds of Forastero cacao were 

 distributed from Aburi during the year, and 3,743 

 plants fiom Tarkwa. Of Funtumia rubber, 34,000 

 plants, and nearly 2A- million seeds were distributed, 

 together with about "l 6,000 plants and 6,000 seeds of 

 Hevea rublier. 



Specimens of Funtumia rubber from the Gold 

 Coast, prepared by different means, were favourably- 

 reported on at the Imperial Institute, London, and 

 valued at prices varying from 4.v. to 4s. Qd. per If)., at 

 a time wdien fine, hard Para rubber was worth 4.v. Id. 

 per lb. The value of ' biscuits ' of rubber from 

 Jjdidnljilidi (iirai'K'HKts was placed at from 3-s-, to 3-5'. 'id. 

 with fine, hard Para at Zs. 'ild. per lb. Other rubber 

 trees under trial are the Ceara, Manihot, and Castilloa. 



Propagation of cacao by grafting has been under- 

 taken, and in 1907 over 100 stocks of Forastero were 

 grafted with scions from Tlicoln'niiKt inntafjpna. 



