108 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 2, 1910. 



The Colonial Reports — Aiiuual No. 630 contains informa- 

 tion that, notwithstanrling the partial failure of the cotton 

 crop for 1908, the total exports from the Western Province 

 of Nigeria during the year under review was 6,965,.5.36 R. of 

 a value of £147,000, made up as follows: cotton (including 

 seed) £.5.5,000; maize £52,000; and cacao £40,000. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Board of Trade Journal for February 1910, states 

 that the cacao crop of the Gold Coast for 1909 amoun- 

 ted to 45,277,606 tt). The similar amount for 1908 was 

 28,54.5,910 Tb. 



According to the Loidsiana Planter for February 1910, 

 the beet sugar production for continental Europe, is 

 6,270,000 tons, of which Germany produces 2,050,000 tons, 

 while Austria follows with 1,275,000 tons. Russia is third 

 with an estimated output of 1,175,000 tons. 



Agriculture is rapidly progressing in the Argentine 

 Republic as is shown by comparing the cultivated area in 

 1895 with that of 1908: in 1895 the area under cultiva- 

 tion was 4,892,005 hectares (12,230,013 acres) in 1908 it 

 was 1. "830,563 hectares (39,576,408 acres). 



The total trade of British Honduras for 1908 amounted 

 to §4,878,522; the value of the imports was .§2,676,723; and 

 of the exports .?2, 201, 799. During the preceding period, 

 the values were similarly, 84,626,759, imports $2,415,723. 

 exports !S2, 21 1,036, showing an increase for 1908 of 

 8261,000 on imports, aud a decrease of -89,237 on exports. 



Cocoa-nut plantations in British Honduras have been, 

 and continue to be, very profitable. Cacao doe.s well, and is 

 indigenous in the Colony. The rubber plantations are too 

 young for it to be possible to judge of the results: but, 

 except where the drought followed too closely after planting, 

 the trees have done well. {Colonial Rejxrt^ — Annual, 

 No. 631.) 



In a lecture on Egyptian cotton-growing delivered before 

 the Cairo Scientific Society, it was stated that the country is 

 waterlogged, causing a decrease in cotton production last 

 season to 550,000,000 lb., from an advance estimate of 

 700,000,000 lb. As an example of the decreased production, 

 it is cited that the best land on the state domains seven years 

 ago is now the worst. 



Rubber planters in Deli, Sumatra, have agreed to 

 establish an experiment station there for the purpose of invest- 

 igating the methods for controlling the diseases that attack 

 rubber trees. The work of the station will be directed by 

 a botanist learned in biology, who will enter upon his duties 

 after gaining experience in Ceylon, the Straits Settlement:, 

 and Java. The number of estates which the scheme will 

 affect is about eighty, occupying an area of approximately 

 30,000 acres, and each of these will subscribe toward the 

 expenses of the work, in amounts proportional to its area. 

 (The Straits Times, December 3, 190P.) 



An abstract of a paper in the E.rjieriment Station Record, 

 Vol. aXI, No. 2, of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, shows that napthalene may be used with success 

 for the purpose of protecting grafts and cuttings from the 

 attacks (;f the larvae of insects. It is also stated that 

 Vaporite has given good results when employed for that 

 purpose. 



The Pennsylvania Ai/ricidtui-al Ejperintent Station 

 Report for 1908 gives particulars of a chemical investigation 

 of the .soils of two adjoining fields, which were of the same 

 origin, but which had received ditierent treatment, so that 

 their productiveness was not the same. The results showed 

 that the less productive soil cmitained a smaller amount of 

 plant food, lost moisture more easily, and was more in need 

 of an application of lime than the more productive one. 



In the Afiricultural Xews for October 30, last, it was 

 stated that the rice crop of that year, in Japan, was 

 expected to reach 54,300,000 ' koku ', which is equivalent to 

 about 95,000,000 bags of 180 lb. It is now reported by 

 H. if. Commercial Attache at "\ okohama that the actual, 

 official figures for that crop are 52,423,979 ' koku ' (about 

 91,300,000 bags of 180 a.). Although this is lower than 

 the otticial estimate, the crop was a record one. 



A note on Spiroholua indicus and Sjdrobolus Jacque- 

 montii (hair grass; bed grass) appeared on page 46 of the 

 current volume of the Agricultural Keics. In reference to 

 this, ;Mr. J. H. Hart, F.L.S , has kindly supplied the 

 additional information that these grasses are known as ' hay 

 grass ' in .lamaica and Trinidad. This must not be confused 

 with the hay grass that has been accidentally introduced into 

 Antigua, which is Androjngon raricosus. 



Dealing with the experiments with sugar-cane conducted 

 at the Samalkota station of the Madras Department of 

 Agriculture, the Report on the Progress of Agrii-ulture in 

 India for 1907-9 states: 'Among new varietie.s, the Barbados 

 seedlings B. 208 gave a very good analysis.' In relation to 

 manurial experiments with sugar-cane, the same report states 

 that farmyard manure and castor cake have, as before, given 

 the best results. Increased outputs of canes have been obtained 

 by adding bone dust to the castor cake, and ammonium 

 sulphate to both farmyard manure and the cake. 



According to the diornale di Sicilia, 7,005 tons of 

 citrate of lime have been deposited in the warehouses of the 

 Sicilian Green Fruit Chamber (see Agricultural Neirs, Vol. 

 VIII, p. 377) since October 25, 1908, when a new export 

 tax came into operation; of this cjuantity, 500 tons was 

 carried over from the preceding season. Up to June 30, 

 1909, 1,500 tons of the amount deposited had been sold at 

 481 lire per cask, or 157 lire per 100 kilograms (6-8(i. per 

 lb.). In December last, a further quantity of 1,547 tons 

 was sold at the same price, less a discount of 4 per cent. 

 Thus 3,958 tons then remained in stock. It is estimated 

 that the production during the current season will be 4,500 

 tons. 



