THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 8, 1910. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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Vol. IX. .sATUliDAY. .JANUARY t^, 1910. No. 201. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial of this issue gives information 

 concerning the mutual insurance of live stock, together 

 with hints in connexion with the formation of societies 

 for that purpose. 



An interesting and instructive report on the 

 subject of implemental tillage, especially in connexion 

 with conditions in Antigua and St. Vincent, is 

 abstracted on page 3. 



In this number, on page 4, and in the last 

 (No. 200) on page 404, accounts of recent experiments 

 with ground nuts in Montserrat, and in Dominica and 

 St. Kitts, respectively, are given. 



Some errors that are often made in respect to 

 poultry keeping are pointed out in an article on page 5. 



An interesting account of the present state of the 

 cotton industry in Uganda is given on page fi. Atten- 

 tion is drawn to the importance which is attached 

 there to the avoidance of mixed cultivation of different 

 varieties, and to the destruction of old cotton. 



Medicinal Extracts from Plants. 



The results 'of researches which were undertaken 

 for the purpose of finding the reason why i;xtracts from 

 fresh plants have* a different physiological action from 

 tho=e of dried pl.ints have recently been presented to 

 rAcademie de iledicine. The investigators have been 

 able to demonstrSite that many of the active principles, 

 if not all, are associated in plants in a special way 

 which gives rise to their particular physiological 

 action. The result of the researches has been to 

 establish the manufacture of plant products which 

 have exactly the same medicinal action as the fresh 

 extracts from the plants. An interesting example 

 of such a product is ' Kolatine', obtained from the kola 

 nut. 



The Insect Notes in this issue form a summary of 

 information in respect to the pests that came under 

 the special notice of the Department in the year 1909. 

 See page 10. 



An account of remedial measures for fungoid pests 

 of garden plants appears on page 11. 



The Exploitation of Jequie Rubber. 



The production of .Jecniie Manicoba rubber (from 

 Manihot dicli'itoma) is chiefly in the hands of the 

 Jequie Rubber Syndicate, Ltd., which owns estates, in 

 the district of Conquista, Bahia, Brazil, having an area 

 of about 80,000 acres, 690 of which are at present 

 planted in JIamihot dichotoma. The number of trees 

 in the cultivated acreage and cleared forest is said to 

 be about 420,000; in addition to these, 400,000 matured 

 trees and .500.000 saplings will probably be rendered 

 accessible when the forest growth is cleared away. It 

 is proposed to clear further, in the immediate future, 

 3,000 acres, on which trees to the number of 1,.500,00'J 

 will be planted; in addition to this, there is a large area 

 of forest where the rubber trees do not grow in laro-e 

 abundance. The syndicate is well capitalized. 



According to the India-Ruhber Journal, tree 

 specimens of Manihot dicliotoma, which have been 

 recently received in London, gave a fair amount of 

 latex. In addition, samples of the rubber were found 

 to be first-class in quality, the purity comparing very 

 favourably with rubber from plantations in the East. 



Cotton Growing in Ceylon. 



Progress Report No. XLVI (October 1909) of the 

 Ceylon Agricultural Society states that the want of 

 good seed has been one of the drawbacks in the encour- 

 agement of cotton cultivation in that island, and with 

 a view to meeting it, the Society has ordered a large 

 quantity of both Sea Island and Egyptian seed. Half 

 a ton of selected Sea Island seed has been received from 

 the British Cotton Growing Association. Local difficul- 

 ties have arisen in the matter of ginning, but satisfac- 

 tory arrangements are likely to be made, with the co- 

 operation of the British Cotton Growing A.ssociation. 



Encouraging reports in respect to cotton growing 

 have been received from the Eastern Province; and, 

 with the arrival of good seed, a fresh effort will be made 

 to interest the northern cultivators in the industry. 

 It appears that the conditions in the Jaffna Peninsula 

 are particularly favourable, and that cotton might well 

 take a place there in the rotation of crops. One of the 

 greatest drawbacks to the industry at present is that 

 there arc no local firms who purchase cotton. 



