Vol. VIII. No. 199. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



393 



instal and operate a number of gins. The means at 

 "the disposal of the Committee, however, seem to pre- 

 -clude the possibility of such a step. It has been 

 suggested that the Committee instal these gins, but 

 that their operation be left to the planters on a sort of 

 commonweal plan. 



Montserrat's Gift to the Queen. 



Her Majesty Queen Alexandra has been pleased 

 to accept from the people of Montserrat a number of 

 presents, which include fancy work and preserves. The 

 formei was made under the supervision of Mrs. David- 

 son Houston, the wife of the Commissioner of Montse- 

 rrat, who is attempting to build up an industry in drawn 

 thread work. For many years, this kind of fancy work 

 has been produced in the island, but the workers 

 lacked opportunities for putting the results of their 

 labours on the market under satisfactory conditions. 

 Owing to the efforts of Mrs. Davidson-Houston, these 

 opportunities have been provided, and there are indica- 

 tions that the making of drawn thread work will 

 become a profitable handicraft. The preserves were 

 prepared under the direction of Miss Tull. Both 

 these and the fancy work were on exhibit at the Court 

 House, Montserrat, for a short time before being 

 • despatched to England. 



The success that has attended these efforts should 

 encourage others to do what they can toward assisting 

 the development of minor industries in the West 

 Indies, for it is only too evident that very little 

 advantage is being taken of the opportunities that are 

 afforded in these islands for making use of this import- 

 ant and effective aid to the well-being of their 

 inhabitants. 



The Weevil Borer of the Sugar-cane. 



The Havxtiian Planters' Monthly for September 

 1909, contains a report on the weevil borer of the sugar- 

 ■cane in the Moluccas {SphenopJiorus ohscurus). In 

 many of the islands, this insect does much damage to 

 the sugar-cane and various palms, whereas in others its 

 numbers are kept down by its natural enemies. The 

 chief of these are two predaceous beetles, a Histerid 

 and an Elaterid, and a Tachinid fl}'. The former of 

 the beetles feeds on the larva of the borer, both as 

 a larva itself and as a perfect insect: it is active in both 

 stages, hardy, and can remain for some time without 

 food. In the case of the Elaterid, only the larval 

 stage feeds on the borer, but both the larvae and the 

 pupae are attacked: like the former, it is hardy and can 

 stand long fasts. Both of them are slow breeders, or 

 their value would be greater. The young of the 

 Tachinid fly enter the larva of the borer and kill it just 

 before it pupates. On an average, there are three 

 parasites in each larva, but there may be as many as 

 ^ight. 



The sugar-cane weevil borer of the West Indies is 

 Splhenopliorus sericeus. It will be remembered as the 

 ■one which makes the cocoon of cane fibres in which 



to pass its pupal stage. (See Agricultural Neivs, 

 Vol. I, pp. 168 and 2.58: and Lectures to Sugar Planters, 

 pp. 127-32.) 



The Manufacture of Alcohol from Sawdust. 



In the A merican Sugar Industrg and Beet Sugar 

 Gazette, May 27, 1909, particulars are given of what is 

 known as the Classen Patent for making alcohol fron) 

 sawdust. It consists in heating the sawdust, with 

 sulphur dioxide, in lead-lined digesters, to a tempera- 

 ture of 250' to 300' F. for an hour. The effect is to 

 oxidize the cellulose in the sawdust, so that a portion 

 of it is turned into glucose. The glucose is washed and 

 then fermented in the ordinary way, any excess of acid 

 being neutralized by means of chalk. It is estimated 

 that by this process 250,000 gallons of wood spirit will 

 be manufactured during the next twelve months, but 

 it is expected that this output will be quickly increased. 

 It is hoped that there will be produced from 1 ton of 

 sawdust, 241 gallons of alcohol, about 6 gallons of acetic 

 acid, and 1,700 lb, of cake for feeding stock. 

 ^ ♦ t^ 



A Use for Silk Cotton. 



In the current volume of the Agricultural News, 

 p. 279, an account was given of silk cotton, or ' Kapok', 

 in Java. From information contained in the Journal 

 of the Royal Society of Arts, October 15, 1909, it 

 appears that trials have been made with this substance 

 as a substitute for cork in life-belts, by the Royal 

 National Life-Boat Institution, since July 1905. The 

 reports on the belts were so favourable that, in July 

 1906, the Committee of Management adopted the kapok 

 life-belt for all future supplies, and at present there 

 are not many cork belts in use. The chief advantages 

 of the former are (1) its weight, which is somewhat 

 over one-half of that of a cork belt : (2) its resulting 

 extra buoyancy : (3) its flexibility ; (4) its strength"; 

 (5) its durability and non-liability to injury. 



■ I M 



A Method for Coagulating Rubber. 



An account of a method for coagulating rubber, 

 which is used by the natives of the Ivory Coast, is 

 described in the Journal J'Agriculture Tropicale, No. 

 98. The latex, which is obtained from Funtumia 

 elastica, is mixed with the juice of a plant which is 

 common in the forests of the Ivory Coast — Strophan- 

 tli-us Barferi — and the whole is stirred rapidly for five 

 to ten minutes. One part of this juice, which is 

 a yellowish-green, sticky licjuid, is required for the 

 coagulation of 30 parts of the latex. When thej- have 

 been formed, the clots of rubber are thrown into a basin 

 and washed with plenty of water, as their surface is 

 covered with a thin yellowish layer, which is apparently 

 produced b}' the juice of the Strophantlius ; this sub- 

 stance is exuded from the surface for several days. The 

 rubber thus obtained is as elastic as ,that recovered by 

 boiling, but its appearance is not as good. 



Strophanthuf' Barter i is found in Africa and Asia, 

 chiefly in virgin forests. It is a liane, which attains 

 the thickness of the arm, and a length of 50 to 60 feet. 



