Vol. VIII. No. 186. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



181 



The final grading of the lemons is done at the store- 

 hou-ses. They are sotted into three classes, the first compris- 

 ing naturally the largest and finest fruits, the second contain- 

 ing the healthy but smaller an<l less fine fruits, while in the 

 third class are placed the small, deformed, and blemished 

 fruit. The great bulk of Sicilian lemons are exported to 

 European countries, i.e., Russia, Germafly, the United King- 

 dom, etc. 



It is not necessary to carry out the processes of selection 

 and grading in the ease of lemons use<Hn the preparation of 

 juice, citric acid, or citrate of lime. All grades of fruit are 

 available for these purposes. _ 



Before the juice is expressed, the lemons are split and 

 the pulp is scooped out from tlie peel, the latter being treated 

 for the extraction of the essential oil it contains. The fruits 

 are crushed by means of toothed cylinders, the juice being 

 caught and led off to a vat. About 11 gallons of raw juice 

 is an average return from 1,000 lemons. A number of 

 efforts made in the past to preserve the lemon juice without 

 fermentation have failed, on account of the contained sugar, 

 but very recently an Jinglish firm has established a finely 

 equipped factory near Messina for putting up, by a special 

 I>atented process, pure unaltered lemon juice for the trade. 



Formerly laige quantities of concentrated lemon juice 

 were exported from Sicily, but in recent years almost all of 

 this product is used in the manufacture of citrate of lime. 

 The manufacture of citrate of lime commenced in Sicily 

 about fifteen years ago, increasing every year, and in 1907-8, 

 95 per cent, of the production was exported in this form, and 

 only 5 per cent, as concentrated juice. The cost of making 

 citrate is about S7-75 per pipe less than for the same quantity 

 of juice. Further, a pipe of citrate is [iroduced in two hours, 

 whereas it takes three days to boil a pipe of juice. The 

 boiling process carried on for three days .cau.ses a considerable 

 loss in acidity. It is mentioned that it takes '120,000 lemonE 

 to make 1 pipe of concentrated juice, while only 100,000 

 are required to make a pipe of citrate. - 



Details of the method employed in the manufac- 

 ture of citrate of lime in Sicily were supplied to this 

 Department some two years ago by the Bririsli Consul 

 at Palermo, throuj,'h the Foieijrn Office. These were 

 published in the Ayriculturul Neus, Vol. VI, p. .S3. 



RUBBER CULTIVATION IN BRITISH 



GUIANA. 



The progress that has of late been made in rubber 

 cultivation in British Guiana was summarized by 

 Professor J. B. Harrison, C.M.G., at a recent meeting 

 of the Board of Agriculture of the colony. 



At the Botanic Gardens, Georgetown, the rubber trees 

 that have been planted are doing fairly well. These include 

 J/evea /,riml>i»<ix, C/fliUod elmlirn, Hapiuiii, .JKiitimni, 

 Manihot Glaziovii, and Manihof jiinuhiiensis. 



In the Gardens, as well as at the Issoruru Experiment 

 Station in the North West, and at the L'hristianburg Station, 

 the Department is making special experiments to settle the 

 question as to whether it is advisable to keep the land clean, 

 or whether it is better to allow the Aseeds to grow and to 

 cut thetn down at certain intervals. The general opinion 

 formed by the Department so far is that perfectly clean 

 weeding is not conducive to the healthy growth of the 

 species of rubber trees mentioned, and, so far as experiments 



have gone, that the trees grow best when the soil is pro- 

 tected from the direct rays >)f the sun, and from heavy rain 

 bj- the undergrowth of grass, etc. It is of course advisable 

 to keep an area imtnediately around the voutig trees clear of 

 all weeds. Sjjecial experiments are in progress with the 

 object of thoroughly investigating this matter. Probably 

 the growth of certain species of leguminous plants beneath 

 the rubber trees would be most advantageous. 



The North West Rubber Station at Issoruru is being 

 gradually extended. The two kinds Saithi.m Jevm'ini and 

 Hevea hraxiliensU are chiefly grown at Is.soruru, but 

 C'MlillfM eliiMica, FiiMtumia eliuitira, and two varieties of 

 Manihot lately received from Kew are also being tried. 

 Altogether about .5,000 rubber trees of various kinds are 

 planted at this station. 



Some useful information has already been obtained in 

 regard to the modes of growth of Soj/iunt .Jenmanr and 

 Hemn hranilienxis, and the [iroper treattiient that should be 

 given them when under cultivation, as the result of the experi- 

 mental work that has been done. Land on which these two 

 kinds of rubber are planted should be fairly well drained, 

 and they will not grow on land subject to flooding. Another 

 important point to be borne in mind is that planting under 

 forest shade is absolutely fatal to the growth of both the 

 Sapium and the Hei'tn. 



Near the Issoruru Station are the very extensive njbber 

 jilatitations of 5Ir. David Young, and of Messrs. Farnum and 

 Stiiyth. From .30,000 to 40,000 rubber trees (//^»^<"/ and 

 Sapium) have been planted by ilr. Young, while on the other 

 plantation from 16,000 to 18,000 trees are growing. In 

 both cases the rubber trees are doing remarkably well, and 

 offer a u-seful object lesson to persons who may think of 

 starting rubber planting. 



The total area under rubber cultivation in the North 

 West Territory is about 418 acres. The services of the 

 officers of the Agricultural Department are taken full 

 advantage of by those who have made a start in the industry. 



Another rubber experiment station, about 20 acres in 

 extent, exists at Bonasica. This contains some sixty trees of 

 Sapium Jenmani, of different ages and sizes, the larger 

 being from 6 to 7 feet in circumference. Experiments iti 

 tapping, collecting the latex, and preparing the rubber, are 

 carried on at Bonasica, and specimens of the Sapium product 

 here prepared have been valued in London as equal iu 

 quality to the best lltvea rubber from CJeylon. 



At Christianburg on the^emerara river 1-5 acres were 

 cleared in 1908, and of this area, 10 acres have been planted 

 experimentally with rubber trees under the direction of the 

 Department of Agriculture. Trees of Hevia /jiasiliensis 

 formed the chief kind planted. 



In addttioti to the cultivations mentioned, about -5-50 

 acres of rubber have been planted in Demerara during the 

 past few years. 



Between 70,000 and 80.000 plants of Hevea hrasilieiuix 

 have been sold from the Botanic Gardens iu the past two 

 years. In 1908 the value of the young rubber plants raised, 

 was about 81.5,000. 



Tht 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left 



Barbados by the R.M.S. Esk ' on June 8, for an official 

 visit to St. Lticia. Dr. Watts is expected to return to 

 the Head Office on Tuesdav, June 1-5. 



