Vol. XIII. No. .-319. 



THE AGltlCULTURAL NEWS. 



E CULTIVATION. 



231 



Recovery from Injury by Wind. 



THE CONCENTRATION OF LIME JUICE. 



-Mr. (i. A. Joiie.s, As.si.staiit Cnnitor of the Butaiiical 

 Gardens, Dominica, lias foiwardei I through the Curator, 

 Mr. .Joseph .Jones, a meinoranduni in whieh the table of ivdcu- 

 latious made by Mr. Macintyre of Duniiniea in 1912 and 

 pulilislied in the West Indian Bulldin. A'ol. XII, in regard to 

 the economical point of concentrating lime juice at values of 

 £15 and £18 10,«. per pipe, has been extended in order to 

 inckide the price of concentrated lime juice ruling at present, 

 the highest quotation for which was £41 Ia«t month. 



In employing tlie table it should be rememljered that 

 these calculations are based on Mr. Macintyre 's deter- 

 minations of the loss of citric acid when concentration takes 

 place in tayches heated by direct fires. Recent information 

 obtained in the working of the steam concentrating plant 

 installed liy the Government of St. Lucia and worked by the 

 Agricultural Dejiartment, leads to the view that wlien concen- 

 tration is efiected in steam-heated vats, the lo.ss of citric acid 

 is oidy about 3 per cent, even when concentrating to about 

 107 oz., per gallon. At this concentration Mr. ilacintjre's 

 figures show a loss of 11 per cent, by destruction. These 

 figures are exclu.sive of mechanical losses in straining, handling 

 aufl storing. 



A\Tiile the following talile will be of great interest in 

 connexion \vith lime factories in Dominica where concentra- 

 tion is carried on in fire-heated tayche.s, it has no bearing on 



Fi. 



1. Healthy Llme Tree Developed fko.m Base 

 OF Old Tree Blown Do\\x by Wind. 



the position of the St. Lucia factorie.s where concentration is 

 performed in steam-heated vats. In these latter, a concentra- 

 tion to aliout 107 oz. still appears to be sound. 



Fig. 



Li.vE Trees Dyino from Too Close Planting. 



GrO"Wth of Lime Trees. — The illustrations on this page 

 (tigs. 1 and 2) show two interesting features connected with 

 the growth of lime trees. If a lime tree is loosened or caused 

 to bend over in the soil by wind, it can generally be righted 

 again by means of props and manuring. Occasionally a tree 

 completely Vilown down will recover itself as shown in tig. 1. 

 This is an interesting illustration of the great vitality of the 

 lime plant. 



Fig. 2 shows the eti'ect produced by planting lime trees 

 too close together. The distances at which lime plants should 

 be established vai-y according to the conditions of the 

 estate, but 15 feet by 15 feet may be taken as the average 

 distance, though when the soil is verj- good and the rainfall 

 is abundant, 20 feet by 20 feet will probably be found more 

 suitable. The trees in the illustration are as close as 6 to 

 10 feet together. 



