68 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 5, 1910. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



USEFUL FACTS REGARDING THE 

 GROUND NUT. 



Useful i(iformation in connexion with the ground 

 nut has appeared from time to time in the Aijrl- 

 cultural Ncivs, more reoently in Vol. VIII, pp. 137, 

 206, 24.5, 31.5, 372 and 404, and Vol. IX, p. 4. An oppor- 

 tunity to supplement this has been afforded by the 

 publication ot Bulletin No. 21 of the Station Agrono- 

 mique of Mauritius, from which ihe following informa- 

 tion is taken. Special .-ittention is directed to the 

 tables, which should prove useful both to the grower of 

 the plant, and to those by whom it is exploited 

 commercial!}'. 



The suitability of the ground nut for a principal crop is 

 doubtful, in many instances, but it may be cultivated as 

 a catch i-rop with the certainty that it will be profitable. 

 Under ordinary conditions, when it is grown on exhausted 

 soil, with the aid of labour hired for the purpose— that is to 

 say, under circumstances in which its produce has to pay all 

 the expenses in connexion with its cultivation — the gains can 

 be, at least, only contingent. It is more especially suited to 

 be grown in this way on small holdings, where the family of 

 the proprietor can give the plant attention during such times 

 as its labour is not required for other purposes. 



This is not so when it is employed as a catch crop, for in 

 this case, part of its i reduce is not required to pay the rent 

 of the land, as that p: rt'.on of the latter on which it grows 

 ■would not otherwise be ct i^upied. To this is added another 

 consideration, namely that, in its absence, such land would 

 have to be kept clean, and in good condition, whereas once 

 the ground nut plant had attained a reasonable development, 

 it would cover the earth and prevent the growth of weeds. 

 Cultivated in this way, the only special attention that it 

 would require would be the preparation of the soil, the sow- 

 ing of the seed, and the gathering of the fruits, and even 

 these special attentions would improve the texture of the soil 

 and favour the growth of the principal crop. Not the smallest 

 among the benefits derived from its cultivation would be the 

 enrichment of the soil in nitrogen, for it possesses the jtower 

 to etlect this, in common with all other leguminous plants. 

 It is evident that, when the crop of ground nuts is harvested, 

 part of this nitrogen, together with mineral matter that it 

 has obtained from the soil, will be removed: but all these 

 constituents will be restored to the soil, for the greater part, 

 if the leaves and stems are returned as a green dressing, and 

 there will be the further benefit in that its condition will 

 be improved by the added vegetable matter. 



Considering, now, the chief product of the ground nut, 

 namely its oil, it is of great advantage if this can be used to 

 supply a local market. If this is to be done, means for 

 expressing the oil must be provided in, or near to, the districts 

 where it is grown, in order that the former may be fresh, and 

 thus not possessing the rancidity that it acquires on keeping, 

 and which would render it unacceptable for local consump- 

 tion. In this way, a better [irice would be obtained, for 

 exported oil becomes rancid, and is then only fit for indus- 

 trial purposes such as lubrication, the manufacture of soap, etc. 



In considering the products of the ground nut, the cake 

 which remains after the expression of the oil must not be 

 forgotten. This is among the best of similar foods for stock, 

 especially for feeding cows with a view to the production of 

 milk. Where it is produced locally in quantity, its price 

 varies with the amount that is on hand to be sold, and, weight 

 for weight, it has a food value that is greater than that of the 

 ground nut itself. Its commercial value serves to lower the 

 expenses of the expression of the oil, and tends to make the 

 cultivation of the plant itself more remunerative. In Europe, 

 ground nut cake, together with linseed cake, obtains higher 

 prices than all similar products. 



Ordinary ground nuts, such as are .sold by retail, h^ve 

 the composition shown in the following table. (In this and 

 subsequent tables, the term albuminoids is used in a broad 

 way, to include all nitrogenous substances, and starch, simi- 

 larlj', to mean digestible carbohydrates.): - 



Percentage Percentage composition of 



composition. unshelled nuts. 



Seeds. Shells. In seeds. In shells. Entire 



pods. 



76-90 23-10 



In the above example, the unshelled nuts contained 

 7690 per cent, of seeds. This proportion varies from 73 or 74 

 to 78 or 80 per cent.; 75 per cent, may be considered to be 

 an average proportion. This figure is the one that is usually 

 employed commercially, in order to estimate the quantity of 

 seeds that will be provided by a given weight of unshelled nuts. 



The mineral matter of the seeds is characterized by 

 a high content of phosphoric acid and potash; more than two- 



