Vol. XIII. No. .SI 9. 



THE AOKICULTURAL NEWS. 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



The .suliject of the u.se of carliuu l.i.sulphide in einiil.sion 

 was asked about in the first question for preliminary candid- 

 ates in this column for last issue, because of the article 

 on this new idea of mixing carbon Insulphide with vegetable 

 oils, which appeared in the previous issue of the Agri- 

 cultural News. In a general way it will be rememliered that 

 carbon bisulphide is a \i>latile liquid, the fumes of which 

 have powerful penetrating powers and are poisonous to most 

 forms of insect and fungi. The second ipiestion for preliminary 

 candidates called for information on the part of the student 

 in regaid to the dispersal of .seeds in nature. It is not 

 necessary here to mention the many common observations 

 that might lie made, but the attention of the student may 

 be called to the interesting fruits of the Moringa tree, 

 which appear to be pods but are not, whilst the seeds are 

 provided with wings to allow of their distribution by w^ind. 

 As regards seed distributed by mechanical means, reference 

 may be made to the fruit of the sandbox tree, whilst coco- 

 nuts atiord an example of fruit distributed in nature by the 

 agency of water. 



The first c|uestiou for intermediate students asked for 

 infoiiiiation concerning the ojierations which will be carried 

 on during the coming month in connexion with sugar-cane 

 and cotton. The young cane crop will now be well estab- 

 lished, but with the rains .some attention will have to be 

 given to weeding. In all the islands cotton will have been 

 planted and be well up by this time. In .St. Vincent, planting 

 takes place later than in St. Kitts and Barbados, generally 

 About .June. In 8t. Kitts and Nevis cf>tton i.s planted some- 

 times as early as Feliruary so a.s to avoid the heavy rains at 

 the end of the season. Such cottton will .soon be in flower, 

 and during the past and coming month a watch will have 

 been kept for the ajjpearance of the cotton worm. In places 

 where the cotton is still young, singling and weeding will be 

 in progress and possibly the apjtlication of artificial manures. 



The second (juestion on the use of certain substances as 

 manures shfmld ati'ord the student considerable .scope for 

 displaying his knowledge of the composition and uses of 

 fertilizers. Seaweed as a manure, because of the cost of 

 collecting it, does not appear to pay in the West Indies, 

 though it is a substan(!e which is fairly rich in potash, and, 

 moreover, it is an organic manure. Saman pods are largely 

 used for mulching in Dominica and are rich in nitrogen. 

 The use of lime as a manure is fully discussed in this 

 issue of the Agricultural News, and we may therefore con- 

 <;lude a discussioii of this (juestion by calling the student's 

 attentifin to the composition of nitrolim, which is calcium 

 «yananiide and has been tried in manurial experiments in 

 the Leewaril Islan<ls and in British Ciuiana with unsatisfac- 

 tory results as regards its profitable employment as a manure 

 for ratoon or plant canes. 



Whilst di.scussing the question of mamires it will be con- 

 venient to consider the objects underlying the first question 

 that was set for final candidates. In this the views of the 

 candidate were asked on phosphatic and potash manures 

 generally for sugar-cane, and this question should have been 

 answered in a broad critical way on the lines of the article 

 published on the subject of potash manures for sugar-cane in 

 the last issue of the Agricultural News. The last question 

 set in the previous issue referred to the preparations that 

 would be made before the coming in of the lime crop. This 

 was to te.st principally the candidate's acquaintance with the 

 working of a small lime juice plant such as one finds e.stab- 



li.shed in St. Lucia and Dominica. In this connexion the 

 attention of the student is directed to an important article 

 a,ppearing in this number on the degree of concentration of 

 lime juice according to whether open tayches or steam roil 

 vats are employed. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMIXAEV QUESTION'S. 



1. Descrilie the distribution and function of stomata in 

 the sugar-cane. 



'1. Wliat substances go towards making up the soil on 

 the estate you are connected with? 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



1. Give the reasons for destroying all old cotton plants 

 at the end of the season. 



2. Write a short account of cacao budding in the West 

 Indies. 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



1. Write a short account of the loss in citric acid 

 during the concentration of lime juice. 



2. Give your view^s on the possibilities of implemental 

 tillage in the West Indies. 



THE PHILIPPINE EXPOSITION, 1914. 



.Vn interesting account of what has Ijeen an iijiportant 

 exhiliition appears in the April number of the Philippine 

 Agricultural Revieiu. The exhibition consisted of provincial 

 exhibits and bureau exhibits. Of the latter, those of the 

 greate.st interest to readers of this journal are the exhibits of 

 the Bureau of Agriculture. These consisted of fertilizers and 

 farm implements and .specimens of agricultural product.s^ 

 rice, fibres, coco-nuts, sugar, maize and tobacco. As regards 

 coco-iuits, specimens of several varieties were shown, and the 

 great contrast between copra produced by the different 

 methods of drying was demonstrated. The kiosk was divided 

 into sections, and in these were found steam-dried, sun-dried, 

 and taphan-dried (smoked dried) copra .side by side. A.s 

 regards sugar, specimens of refined crystals were shown 

 together with three grades of centrifugal sugar and muscovado. 

 Specimens of a number of varieties of sugar-cane were dis- 

 played on the walls of the section examples of the different 

 types, and sugar in various other forms were displayed on the 

 tables, together with bottles containing samples of .syrup, 

 sugar, etc. taken at different stages of the process of sugar- 

 making. Small quantities of the various kinds of material 

 used in the different stages of the process were also shown in 

 small bottle.s, making this table a magnet for those interested 

 in the sugar industry. Sugar and .syrup from the sugar palm, 

 together with a .specimen of this species of plant, were also 

 exhibited in this .section. 



Turning lastly to the exhibits of the Bureau of Health, 

 reference nuist be made to the huge models that were on 

 show having true proportion and colouring, which represented 

 flies, mosquitoes, bed bugs, cockroaches, tieas, etc. The.se 

 models, of which illustrations appear in the publication under 

 review, were also used in the carnival parade accompanied by 

 signs with appropriate catchy legends and rhymes. The 

 models of the insects were approximately 2 metres in length, 

 and were carried on the backs of men. Such a demonstration 

 has had an important inttueuce in bringing the dangers to 

 public health prominently before the eyes of the public. 



