Vol. XIII. No. 329. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



391 



Table Rabbit Breeding in England. 



The Journal of the Board of Agriculture, 

 August 1914, gives an intere.sting outline of the 

 movement being made in this direction by means of 

 co-operation. It seems that in the autumn of 1911 a 

 club was establislied by breeders who were interested 

 in the production of table rabbits. This chib was 

 called the English Table Rabbit Club, its main object 

 being educational. Tlie collection of names and 

 addresses of the members formed the nucleus of a 

 table rabbit society, and introduced the principle of 

 co-operation for the purpose of improving their stock. 

 At the annual general meeting of the club held in 

 the autumn of lill:}, the impirtant decision was made 

 to cimvert it into a trading society. The British Table 

 Rabbit Association, Limited, now incorporates the 

 older club, its main business being the breeding and 

 .sale of table rabbits (both carcasses and breeding 

 stock), and the sale of skins. The association assists 

 breeders by receiving carcasses, and dressing and 

 marketing these in London. It also purchases 

 i;ibbit skins both from members and the general 

 ptil)lic at current prices. Though breeders often 

 have a difficulty in obtaining even a penny or two for 

 their skins, it is believed, that by bulking and gi-ading 

 considerable profits can be earned in trading in skins, 

 Avhich profits will benefit the meiubers of the associa- 

 tion. There is little doubt that apart from the ques- 

 tion of rabbit.s as meat much may be done in improving 

 the sale of skin.s. 



The fact that for the three years 1911-18 

 rabbit meat has been imported into Great Britain 

 to the extent of 1,482, l(J9 cw6., representing a 

 \alue of no le.ss than £2,111,144, indicates that the 

 increased home production of table rabbits is a matter 

 of national importance. No further proof than these 

 figures is required to show than the association meets 

 a real need. 



Oil Products of Local Interest. 



There are some seeds very common in the West 

 Indies which few people would consider to be possible 

 sources of oil supply. From a paper in the Trinidad 

 and Tohago Bulletin (August-October 1914), by 

 Herbert S. Shrewsbury, F.I.C., F.C.S., Acting Govern- 

 ment Analyst, it appears that oil of some value may be 

 extracted from mahogany seeds. The oil has a clear, 

 dark, greenish-yellow appearance and an unpleasant, 

 liitter taste. It could be employed for the manufacture 

 v)f a soft soap, but not for purpose of hard soap produc- 

 tion. It is a very slow drying oil, but might be used 

 for paint mixing after extensive trials. A specimen of 

 the oil from Barbados in 1911 was valued at about 

 £26 per ton. 



The • seeds of Jatropha Gurcas, knowTi commonly, 

 as physic nut, yield a purgative oil of a yellow colour, 

 a faint peculiar odour, and a bland flavour, which is 

 used medicinally in India. Although this product can 

 be used in the soap aTid candle industries, it is only 

 valued at £14 to £15 per ton. It may be employed as 

 a lubricant, but it is not very suitable on account of its 

 semi-drying properties. 



The Jamaica Agricultural Department. 



In February last a Commission appointed by the- 

 Government of Jamaica enquired into the working of 

 the Department of Agiiculture in that island. The 

 report of the Connnission has now been published as 

 a supplement to the Jamaica Official Gazette. 



The report would seem to show that the Com- 

 mission had taken into account all the circumstances 

 of the case, and to have presented a report, which, 

 while criticising some of the defects of the work, at 

 the same time does not fail to express its appreciation 

 of the good work which has been carried out by 

 Mr. H. H. Cousins, the Director of the Department, 

 especially' in the management of the Farm, and those- 

 lines of development which have commended them- 

 selves to him. 



The report contains useful suggestions as to the 

 means by which the work of the Department may be 

 made more useful, and recommends the addition to the- 

 staff of an Assistant Chemist and an Entomologist. 

 This latter officer has, we understand, recentl}' been 

 appointed. 



The Commissioners in closing the report express 

 their appreciation of the assistance and advice given by 

 Dr. Watts, Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for 

 the West Indies, and give it as their opinion that it 

 would be of benefit if more advantage were taken of 

 .such help as the Imperial Department is willing to- 

 place at the disposal of the island. 



Coco-nut Nurseries. 



For a suitable coco-mit nursery a place moderately 

 shaded should be selected. A trench 12 to 18 inches 

 broad, 18 inches deep and 50 feet long should be dug; 

 then start another similar trench next to this; fill the 

 first trench with earth taken from the second trench; 

 repeat this till you have trenched and filled a space of 

 land 50 feet by 50 feet; fill the last trench with the 

 earth taken from the first; cover the plot with dry coco- 

 nut leaves four or five deep, and set it on fire. 

 You have now a nursery capable of starting 400 nuts. 



In selecting the seed nuts do not drop them on the 

 gi'ound from the tree, but lower them down with the 

 aid of a rope. Plants of too mature nuts are always 

 sickly. The nuts should be taken from trees that bear 

 well. Round nuts with less husk and more nut are the 

 most suitable. 



There are different opinions as regards the position 

 of planting the nut in the nursery. The writer thinks 

 that best results are obtained by placing the nut 

 upright. The nuts should be placed in the trenches 

 2 feet apart from each other, and three-fourths of the 

 nut should be under the earth. Water the nuts twice 

 a week if there is no rain. 



Such a nursery, the wiitor says, has given him 

 excellent results, the plants at the age of six months 

 being 4 feet high. 



Great care should be taken when removing the 

 plants from the nurscy. To pull the plant up by the 

 stem does much damage. 



The above is an abstract of an article in the- 

 Tropical Agriculturist, Ceylon, September 1914. 



