314 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



September 26, 1914. 



GLEANINGS. 



Der Pflanzer for May 1914 contains an article describ- 

 ing a metliod of solidifying oils applicable to tropical oils and 

 fats, thereby increasing their valu§. In an article on tropical 

 forestry, the natural rejuvenation of teak trees is described. 



A communication received from the acting Agricultural 

 Superintendent, St. Vincent, shows that the usual routine 

 work is being conducted in the experiment station, liut 

 little of general interest appears to be happening as far as the 

 outside work of the department is concerned. 



It is stated h\ Der Pflanzer for April 1914 that the 

 yield of Manihot rubber is increased after scraping the bark. 

 In this number the present position of rubbei' standardization 

 is reviewed. Two important notes include the use of castor 

 oil as a motor luliricant. 



It is expected in England, according to the India 

 Ruhher Journal for August 22, 1914, that there wij be 

 a big reduction in rubber plantation supplies for 1914 and 

 1915. It is believed that the prices, especially fm- tir-5t 

 grade rubber, will range high. 



Two interesting Indian reports received leeently are 

 (1) that on the Dharwar Agricultural Station, and (2) that 

 on the Surat Agricultural Station, both for the year 1912-13. 

 These publications contain a considerable amount of infor- 

 mation on cotton growing and selection. 



According to the Grenada Government Gazette for 

 August 15, 1914, the exports of cacao and cotton from that 

 island for the .seven months ended July 31, 1914, show 

 a reduction on those of the corresponding period in 1913. 

 Fruits and .spices, on the other hand, exhibit an increase in 

 value. 



In the Bulletin Afjricole du Conija Behje iov .June 1911 

 is a very interesting article on mechanical labour in Katanga. 

 In this article a traction engine is described which comliines 

 the useful feature of draft with lifting. This is accomplished 

 by means of a crane carried iu front f)f the engine and worked 

 by the same. 



An importaiit .Iapane.se ])ublication to th"Se interested 

 iu the agricultural chemistry of rice is the montigraph puli- 

 lished in the Journal oj the Collerfe of A;/ricultu)-e, Sapporo, 

 entitled Influence of the .\^lkali Salts upon the Growth of the 

 Rice Plants. To each section of the paper a concise summary 

 of results is attached. 



Der Troji' iiildnzeT for July 1914 ciiutains several 

 interesting articles de<tling with the following subjects: the 

 geographical distribution of the oil palm; the ostrich feather 

 industry; a discussion as to whether the jjlanter .should giu 

 his own cotton ; a note on Manihot rublier, and a review of 

 ruliber and other cultivations in Ceylon, 1913. Attention is 

 given in this issue also to the use of bacterial disease against 

 ]ilagues of grasshoppers. 



Bulletin No. 11 of the Department of Agriculture, 

 I'eylon, deals with the import of manures into that colony. 

 It is interesting to observe that most of the nitrate of potash 

 used is imported from India, the import in 1908 being 

 287 tons of the i-efuse salt-petre, valued at Rs. 200 per ton. 

 This has increa.sed to 2,082 tons in 1912-13 valued at 

 Rs. 208 per ton. Sulphate of pota.sh has also increased and 

 in 1912-13, 5,082 tons were imported valued at R.s. 145 

 j)er ton. 



Reference is made in Nature for August 13, rjI4, to 

 a new text-book on agricultural bactei'iology entitled 

 ^'orlesungen iiber landwirtschaftliche Bacteriologie by Dr. F. 

 Liihnis. In this the author adopts the old Zopf classifica- 

 tion remarking that no better one has yet been formulated. 

 AVitli this Nature is in agreement. The text-book has the 

 usual range adopted under the subject for the study of .soils 

 and foodstnft's. 



A pulilication that should prove interesting to AVest 

 Indian planters is Bulletin Xo. 44 of the agricultural and 

 chemical series of the Experiment Station of the Hawaiian 

 Sugar Planters" Association. This is entitled The Imple- 

 ments of the Industry, and it gives an illustrated account of 

 the agricultural implements .suitable for employment in the 

 Tropics for the special ')bject of reducing jnanual labour on 

 the estate. This liulletin should l:>e examined by tho.se who 

 live under conditions where labour is expensive or scarce. 



The ipiestion of the origin of the nitre deposits in 

 Chili is di.scu.ssed in Nature (August 20, 1914). It has 

 lieen suggested that the beds have beer formed by the 

 nitrification of immense deposits of seaweed and guano, Ijut 

 it is more probable that they represent the concentrated 

 fertility of the thousantls of scjuare miles of land between the 

 watershed of the .Vndes and Coast Range, the nitrates 

 formed in these regions being washed out by the periodical 

 mountain floods which occur every seven or eight years, and 

 suljsecjuently recovered by the evaporation of the leacliings 

 iu the lower levels, where the nitrates are found. 



It is stated in The Board of Trade Journal for August 20, 

 1914, that a thirty years' concession has been granted for 

 the exploitation of coco-nut groves in the zone of the Pacific 

 coast of Co.sta Ri^-a to a company known as Coniijania 

 de Coeales del Pacifico. The company undertakes to preserve 

 and rejjlant the existing coco-nut palms and to plant coco-nut.s 

 in tho.se places where they do not already grow. The com- 

 pany is also to establish within a year a transport service 

 consisting of sailing vessels of at least 15 tons register, fitted 

 with auxiliaiy petrol motors of 20 h.]j. The conipajiy as 

 well undertakes to e.stalilish a factory in San .Jose for the 

 extraction of coco-nut oil. 



