Vol. XIII. No. 310. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



95 



on one estate. They had shown no sign of disease while 

 living, but several were now found to l« fully infested with 

 the fungus, which had apparently developed after their 

 death. 



In view of the various facts no-v well established as to 

 the ability of the fungus to live on dead woody material 

 wherever sufHcient moisture is present, great stress must be 

 laid on the importance of removing such material from the 

 cacao plantations. No branches of any thickness should be 

 used as mulch. The ideal condition would be that no stumps 

 or roots should be. left to rot in the ground and no branches 

 left to rot upon it. The difficulties of the position are 

 recognized, but the desirability of approaching a.s"near to this 

 state of things as is practically possible .should be steadily 

 kept in mind. 



There is a general demand among planters engaged in 

 fighting root disease for a soil sterilizing agent more efficient 

 than lime. Very probably much of the evident dissatisfaction 

 with this material is due to the difficulty of obtaining and 

 applying it in a fully caustic condition, failing which it is of 

 little use. One planter is using flowers of sulphur for the 

 purpose. This sub.stance has been tried in French vineyards 

 against the allied R. necatri,-, good results have been 

 claimed for it, while on the other hand its efficiency has 

 been denied. If it can be obtained cheaply enough to 

 be liberally used it is well worth trial. Perhaps the local 

 sources might be utilized. There is a decided lack of a good 

 and cheap soil fungicide in solid form, at present the 

 best available substances are liquids. Carbon bisulphide, 

 applied by means of a soil injector at the rate of about <; oz. 

 to the square yard appears to be extensively used in France 

 against the fungus above mentioned. Its cost and inflamma- 

 bility will probably prevent its use in St. Lucia. Carbolic 

 acid 1 oz. to 1 gallon of water has been used for a similar 

 purpose and good results claimed. I'robably the moat 

 promising liquid is a solution of formaldehyde made by 

 mixing 1 pint of the commercial (40 per cent.) solution with 

 20 imperial gallons of water. The soil should be thoroughly 

 soaked with this, and covered up as well as possible to 

 prevent rapid escape of the fumes. It mast be noted that 

 none of these agents is likely to have much eflect on 

 mycelium established in roots or branches, which should be 

 carefully removed, as is the present practice. 



OTHER CAC.vo DisEAtiKs. Other diseases of cacao were 

 studied so far as time permitted and their field characters 

 noted. Many patches of trees with the upper twigs dying 

 or dead were seen, but owing to the precedent dry weather 

 the fructifications of Thyridaria (Lasiodiplodia) were not 

 much in evidence upon thera. In every case examined the 

 afi'ection seemed to be correlated with absence of adequate 

 protection for the trees. Pink disease {Corticium lilacino- 

 fuscutn) was noticed only on one tree. 



The 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture 



returned to Barbados on Wednesday, :March 4 by 



the R.M.S. 'Trent'. Dr. Watts had spent the 'past 



month in Jamaica in connexion with official matters 



-pertaining to the agriculture of that Colony. 



^Ml 



COCO-XI-TS: THE CONSOLS OF THE EAST 

 By H. Hamel Smith and F. A. G. Pape. Second Edition 

 London: 'Troptml Life PuUishing Dept. 19U. Price Us Qd 

 The contents of the first edition of this book were fully 

 outlined in the Agricultural News for August 31, 1912. In 

 this, the second edition, there has not been any 'very radicle 

 changes, though the amount of additional information is 

 considerable. The first edition Jiad .506 pages; this one has 

 6-44. Much more information is given on the cost of making 

 copra and in connexion with coco- nut cultivation in Samoa, 

 Fiji and Xorth Borneo; also about the cost of establishin<^ 

 estates, and in regard to the utilization of by-products. ° 

 The more novel of the newly introduced sections include 

 a chapter on remounts for the army followed by another 

 equally suggestive of war, namely, farming with dynamite. 

 Hut when one comes to read the subject-matter there is 

 nothing very alarming— it is only advocated that horse 

 breeding might be profitably conducted with advantage to 

 the Empire on large plantations and that the quickest and 

 cleanest way to clear the land and to improve the subsoil is- 

 by means of carefully controlled explosions. 



Each section of the book is more or less self-contained 

 which, as pointed out in the review of the first edition, leads 

 to a certain amount of repetition. But the subject matter 

 IS good since it is based on the work and experience of all 

 the best authorities. Those readers who want to know 

 ju.st how to prepare and plant land in coco-nuts are advised 

 to begin by reading pp. 160 to 215, which strike us as being 

 thoroughly practical and to the point. The intending 

 investor, on the other hand, will probably feel inclined to 

 peruse the sections dealing with coco nut cultivation in 

 different countries He may feel somewhat disappointed in 

 not getting more facts concerning what land is available for 

 planting purpo.ses, but of course such information as this 

 is more easily got by communicating with local authorities in 

 the various centres of production. Lastly it may be said thai; 

 the large amount of matter concerning pests and diseases 

 will put power into the hands and minds of those whose 

 principal duty it is to check depreciation, just as the 

 interesting matter concerning the utilization of by products 

 will help those who are concerned more directly with appre- 

 ciation on the estate. 



( )ne or two features of a literary nature call for comment. 

 Though presumably compiled in collaboration, much of the" 

 subject-matter is written in the first person singular. Agaia 

 Mr. F. P. .Jepson, Government Entomologist, Fiji, is treated 

 in a rather inconsiderate way, being given on page 125 the 

 curious qualifications of B. A. Cant., F.E.C., whilst on page Hi 

 we find what must be equally curious 'Mr. Frank Jepson oa 

 the rhino beetle in Samoa.' These are mere trifles of course 

 and are quite eclipsed by one or two similes; for example, ia 

 connexion with wide planting we are told that the coconut: 

 palm is like a big bird and wants plenty of room to flap 

 about in. So that whatever small blemishes the book may 

 have, the authors have not failed in their determined eff'orts 

 to drive home essential points. It is, in fact, the best book 

 of its kind .n\ coco-nuts that there is. 



