Vol. VIII. No. 189. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



•237 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



'TROPICAL LIFE' PRIZE ESSAY. 



JULY. 



Middle Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



The young cotton plants, wliicb, under favourable 

 conditions, will have begun to make a good stand by this 

 time, should be frequently hoed, in order to keep weeds 

 down, until the plants have attained at least half their final 

 height. Continued careful examination should be made of 

 the plants and, if they are found to Ije sufl'ering from attacks 

 of plant-lice, to which they are prone, they should be sprayed 

 with weak kerosene emulsion. 



As dry weather has followed the planting of canes in 

 many cases, a note should be made, if possible, of the relation 

 between the number of plants surviving and the kind of soil 

 in which they are growing. This, if the canes are all of the 

 same kind, will give a hint as to the comparative water- 

 holding capacities of the different kinds of soils. Where 

 there is little variation in the type of soil, and different varie- 

 ties of caues have Ijeen planted, observations shouhl be made 

 on their relative powers of becoming established under 

 adverse conditions of water-sui)ply. Is it beneficial, or other- 

 wise, for canes to come up under wet conditions, and then to 

 be subjected to dry weather i 



Where green dressings are being raised, each kind 

 should be examined with a view to its future identification. 

 Xote should also be made of those which give the best 

 cover, and which are least subject to the attacks of 

 insects. The importance of the consideration of the condition 

 of a soil, as regards its water-content, in places which are 

 liable to suffer fron^i drought, should be recognized. A crop 

 which is being raised in order to serve as a green dressing 

 later on may, in the drier soils, decrease the amount of water 

 to such an extent as to prevent the succeeding crop from 

 being capable of benefiting from it. 



In the next few months, as land will be in preparation 

 for cane ].>lanting, ploughing will be in progress, and a good 

 opportunity will be afforded for making observations on the 

 different characters of the various soils ploughed up in different 

 districts. Careful note should be made of the working of the 

 plough : pay attention to the action of the mould-board on the 

 furrow slice, and try to get an idea of the way in which such 

 action helps to break up (pulverize) the .soil. Time may be 

 profitably spent in paying attention to fields that have been 

 ploughed, from day to <lay, and noticing the rates at which 

 different kinds of soils ' moulter down'. Where implemental 

 tillage is employed, examine the various implements so as 

 to gain a knowledge of the ways in which the different parts 

 are eir ployed ; then, when they are in use, familiarize your- 

 self with the various operations which they are intended to 

 perform, and with the reasons for those operations. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUE.STI0N8. 



(1) Explain why some leguminous plants will not thrive 

 on certain soils. 



(2) Why should plants be cut back when they are being 

 tran.sj)lanted '! 



ISTERJIEDIATE QUESTIOKS. 



(1) Indicate briefly the chief sources of gain to a .soil. 



(2) Give some account of the relationship of lime to the 

 action of manures on crops. 



In reference to the announcement in the Agri- 

 cultural News, Vol. VIII, N OS. 187, p. 204, and 188, 

 p. 220, that Tropiccd Life has arranged to otfer a prize 

 of £.50 for the best essay on the fermentation and drying 

 of the cacao bean, the following rough draft (wliich 

 need not be followed too closely) for the guidance of 

 candidates, which appeared in the June number of that 

 paper, is now given ; — 



The essay should record precisely and in full detail the 

 changes resulting from the processes of fermentation and 

 drying that take place in the bean from maturity in the pod 

 to the time of putting the cured beans into bags for market. 

 Biological as well as chemical changes should be noted. The 

 action of maximum, minimum and optimum temperatures, 

 and of checks producing differences of times in the fermenta- 

 tion and drying processes, should be noted for every stage. 

 The dirterences due to such variations on the resultant cured 

 bean should be clearly traced. The possibility should be 

 discussed of producing at will by such variations, and inde- 

 pendently of the natural character of the bean, varieties of 

 taste and of colour, both internal and external, .so as to 

 simulate the different kinds of cocoa known on the market. 

 Alterations that might be made in ordinary methods, so as to 

 improve the quality of the cocoa, .should be explained. Waste 

 products should be considered, and their potential value 

 indicated. 



The experiments on which results are based .should deal 

 with the beans in marketable quantitie.s, and samples should 

 Ije submitted in illustration of statements made. 



The terms on which all candidates enter the competition 

 are as follows :-- 



(1) The copyright of all es.says sent in becomes the 

 property of the publishers of Tropical Life absolutely, 

 whether successful in winning the prize or not. 



(2) The publishers of j'Vo^j/ra/ Z/ri' have the sole right 

 of publishing the essays, and the copyright of such publica- 

 tion to Ije vested in them. Permission to publish in any lan- 

 guage must be obtained from the publishers of Tropical Life. 



(3) Every candidate or competitor agrees to accept as 

 final and to abide by the award of the Editor of Troiiical 

 Life, whose decision in the matter must be taken as binding. 

 No correspondence can be entered into respecting the awards. 



(■t) An English translation must accompany all essays 

 not written in that language, so that the onus and risk as to 

 correct translation will rest with the competitor. 



(•5) Essays must be written on one side of the paper 

 only ; when possible the essay should be typewritten. In any 

 case the writing must be clear and distinct. Corrections 

 causing doubt or difficulty to decipher must be avoided. 



C6) All essays must be sent to the Editor of Tropical 

 Life at his City Oflice, 112, Fenchurch Street, London, E.C., 

 to reach him on or before January .31, 1911. No essay 

 arriving after that date will be eligible for competition. 

 Every essay will be acknowledged on receipt. 



(7) Every essay sent in must have attached to the head 

 of the first page the competitor's full name and postal 

 address. In submitting the essays to the Judges, the name, 

 however, Avill not be made known until after the prize 

 is awarded, 



(8) After the prize has been awarded, any balance left 

 over will be devoted to publishing those essays which, in the 

 opinion of the publishers, are considered of sufficient merit. 



(9) Competitors must fill in and attach a coupon, 

 presented with Tropical Life, to their essay. 



