Vol. IX. No. 206. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



91 



^J^ 



MANURIAL EXPERIMEXTS WITH SUGAR- 

 CANE IK THE LEEWARD ISLANDS, 1908-9. 

 Issued by the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the 

 West Indies. 



In the last number of the Ai/ricullura/ News, a review 

 was made of Pamphlet Xo. 63 of the series published bj- the 

 Inijerial Department of Agriculture, entitled Seed/in;/ a»d 

 other Canes in the Leeward Islands, lUHS-U. The pamphlet 

 complementary to this (Xo. 64), dealing with the corresponding 

 manurial experiments, is just being issued, so that a comj)lete 

 account, in pamphlet form, of the experiments with sugar- 

 cane in the Leeward Islands, during l'.)07-S, is now available. 



As is usual, the first part of the pamphlet is devoted 

 to a description of the manurial treatment given to the canes, 

 as well as of the rainfall and local conditions at the various 

 experiment stations. The trials consisted, as in for- 

 mer years, of the twelve-fold repetition of thirty-three 

 experiments with manures in different c: mbinations. During 

 the preceding season, a change was made, however, in the 

 direction of substituting ratoon canes that had not received 

 manure as plants for those which had succeeded plants which 

 had been manured. The reason for this change is the 

 desire to ascertain, by comparison with the results of former 

 experiments, what effect manure, applied to the cane as 

 plants, has on the ratoons which succeed. The experiments 

 under the new plan have not l>een continued sufficiently long 

 to give definite results, but there seems to be a probability 

 that some manures, at least, that have been applied to plant 

 canes have a residual action on the succeeding ratoons. 



The results of the ordinary manurial experiments are 

 presented in two tables, one of which contains the mean 

 yields of twelve plots for the period under report ( 190.'^-9) and 

 the other the mean yields of fifty-seven plots for five years. 

 In addition, information relating to the profit and loss on 

 manuring is given in each case. Both tables are illustra- 

 ted by diagrams which give their chief contents at a glance. 



In the report on similar experiments for 1907 8, a dis- 

 cussion on the tillage of ratoon canes was given, and in order 

 to gain information in connexion with the matter, a series of 

 experiments was devised during the season with which the 

 pamphlet deals. The first results of these have just been 

 obtained, but repetition to a fairly large extent is required 

 before definite conclusions can be given, and it is therefore 

 intended to effect this. 



Other new work is concerned with the use of molasses 

 for increasing the fertility of soil on which sugar-cane is 

 grown. An interesting account is given of the experiments 

 that have been initi.-ited in connexion with this matter, and 

 they have shown themselves to be of sufficient value to be 

 continued during future seasons. It would seem that the 

 beneficial effect of the molasses on the soil is not due so much 

 to the manurial value of its mineral contents as to the stimu- 



lating action of its presence on the nitrogen-fixing organism. 

 Axotohader rhroococcutn. The question of the advisability of 

 treating the land with molasses is, of course, intimately con- 

 nected with that of its value as a marketable product and, as 

 is pointed out in the pamphlet, exhausted vacuum pan 

 molasses is much more likely than muscovado molasses to be 

 used for the purpose. 



As regards the action of the molasses in increasing the 

 yield of .sugarcane, more particularly, it is shown by means 

 of a table that this increase was obtained at all except one 

 out of the five stations where experiments were made, but, 

 as has been indicated, further trials are required before 

 definite information can be gained. 



COMMON WEEDS OF THE FARM AND GARDEN. 

 By Harold C. Long, B.Sc, and John I'ercival, M.A., F.L.S. 

 Smith, Elder d; Co., London. 



The object of this book is to give detailed infonuation in 

 regard to the weeds that are found mainly in farms and 

 gardens in the British Isles, and to suggest means by which 

 they may be kept in check in the best manner. Its contents 

 fall naturally into eight .sections, as follows: (1) general 

 information as to the nature, eflfects, and classes of weeds 

 (Chapters I and II): (2) general preventive and remedial 

 measures for weeds (Chapter III): f3) information in relation 

 to special weeds and their habitat (Chapters IV, V, and VI); 

 (4) parasitic and poisonous plants (Chapters VII and VIII); 

 (.5) weeds in localities other than pasture and arable land 

 (Chapters I.\ and .\); (6) the principles of seed-testing 

 (Chapter XI): (7) bibliograi)hy:an(t (S) appendixes containing: 

 (a) illustrations of weed seeds, (b) a list of weeds and poisonous 

 plants, (c) legislation in regard to weeds, (d) birds and weeds, 

 (e) recoanition of the importance of seed-testing. 



The above list serves to show that the subject is dealt 

 with in a thorough manner. A perusal of the book 

 confirms this opinion, and demonstrates the fact that British 

 agriculturists are placed in possession of information, by it, 

 that should be of the greatest use to them. In the West 

 Indies, the chief interest will be taken in those parts of the 

 work where the subject is treated in the most general 

 manner, that is to say, with reference to the list given 

 aljove: sections (1), (2), (6), (7), and appendixes (c) and 

 (e>. That the subject is treated fairl^^ is shown by the 

 circumstance that the usefulness, as well as the harmfulness, 

 of weeds is given its duo recognition. The preventive and 

 remedial measures against weeds would seem worth}- of wider 

 trial, under West Indian conditions, than has so far been 

 given to them. The principles of seed-testing are now well- 

 known in this part of the world: attention may, however, be 

 drawn to a useful form of seed tester, made of porous ware, 

 of which a description is given. The bibliography is broadly 

 comprehensive, and contains references to more than one 

 hundred and forty works, pamphlets or periodicals in which 

 information relating specially to weeds may be found. As 

 regards the account of the legislation enforcing the destruc- 

 tion of noxious weeds in the chief agricultural countries of the 

 world, this is given in ac<pncise and useful manner, as is that, 

 also, on the recognition of the importance of seed-testing. 



In addition to three plates presenting illustrations of 

 nearly eighty different seeds of weeds, the book contains 

 more than one hundred reproductions of photographs and 

 sketches. The index is good, and the volume, altogether, 

 forms a useful model of what such a work should be. 



