124 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 16, 1910. 



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GLEANINGS. 



Experiments conducted at one of the Cuban experiment 

 stations in raising sweet potatos from cuttings of the vine, 

 and from pieces of the potatos themselves, have shown that 

 plots planted according to the latter method may give a crop 

 three and a half times as great as those jjlanted with cuttings. 



Four lectures on the Cause and Prevention of Tropical 

 Disease have been delivered by Dr. C. W. Daniels, Director 

 of the London School of Tropical Medicine, to employes of 

 firms connected with the tropics. These lectures will probab- 

 ly be published later in pamphlet form for general information. 



The amount of cotton exported from Uganda during the 

 period April to December 31, 1909, was 1,167,376 lb., of 

 a total value of £29,001. The similar figures for the same 

 period of 1908 were 1,126,272 ft., and £29,5-59. It will thus 

 be seen that the export of cotton from Uganda is increasing. 



With reference to the information that was given in the 

 last number of the Ayricultural J^en's, p. 101, in relation to 

 the candelilla plant, it should be stated that a description of 

 this plant and of its products is given in Diplomatic and 

 Consular Reports, Xo. 4,21-5, Annual Series. In this report, 

 the plant is described under the name Pcdilanthus pmvonis. 



The usefulness of the little fish known as 'Millions' 

 {Girardinus poeciloides) as a destroyer of mosquito larvae has 

 been proved at Carriacou. It is said that since they have 

 been introduced in that island, and placed in the swamps and 

 ponds adjoining the town, there has been a very perceptible 

 diminution in the numbers of mosquitos which used to render 

 Hillsborough almost uninhabitable at certain .seasons in the 

 year. (The St. Vincent Sentry.) 



The imports of sugar and molasses into the United 

 States from foreign countries for the year ending December 

 31, 1909, reached 1,908,000 short tons, of which 1,625,000 

 tons came from Cuba. Practically no beet sugars were 

 imported from Europe this season. Java was the next largest 

 shipper of sugar to that country, sending 157,000 short tons 

 during the year 1 909. (The Louisiana Planter and Sw/ar 

 Jfanufacturer, ^[arch 12, 1910.) 



Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc, Superintendent of Agriculture 

 for the Leeward Islands, writes to say that an iguana lizard, 

 about 3 feet 6 inches in length, has been recently captured at 

 Cades Bay, Antigua. The animal was brought to St. John's 

 and exhibited at the Botanic Station, for some days, as well 

 as before the Agricultural and Commercial Society. It was 

 subsequently liberated at Wallings. This is the first recorded 

 instance of an iguana lizard being seen in Antigua since about 

 1900, when one was found in the district of which mention 

 has just been made. 



In the Agricultural Netvs, Vol. YIII, p. 271, mention 

 was made of an Indian plant, under the name of ' Dainchu ' 

 (Seshania aculeata). The Rejxnt on the Pnyress of Agri- 

 culture in India, 1907-9, recently issued, makes mention of 

 this plant under the name of ' Dhaincha ', and states that, in 

 experiments where it has been tried as a green manure, it 

 has been found to grow vigorously and also to increase the 

 yield of leaf in tea. 



The Annual Rejxirt on the E.iperimental Vt'orJ.- of the 

 Bharwar [Iniia,] Agricultural Station, 1908-9, states that, for 

 the improvement of Guinea corn, general selection of good 

 sound heads has been conducted for several years on the 

 threshing floor with very satisfactory results. The improve- 

 ment of the appearance of the crop in the field, and of the 

 returns per acre, have shown the influence of the employment 

 of good seed, and there is a brisk demand for this on the 

 part of cultivirtors. 



Investigations have been recently carried out in Queens- 

 land in connexion with the supposed poisoning of cattle by 

 means of the wild passion flower vine {Passiflora alba) which 

 grows there. These have shown that poisoning does actually 

 take place when this vine is eaten by stock, but that this 

 action is of a cumulative nature. The discovery is of interest 

 in connexion with the question as to whether cattle in the 

 West Indies are poisoned bj' the wild ipecacuanha {Asclepiias 

 curassai'ica), to which reference has been made in the Agri- 

 cultural iXeios, Vol. YIII, pp. 222, 261, 363 and 415. 



A preliminary forecast of the oil-seed crop of Eastern 

 Bengal for 1909-10 has been issued by the Department of 

 Agriculture for Eastern Bengal and Assam. This shows 

 that the most important oil crops there are rape, sesame and 

 linseed, while castor and other oil seeds are also grown. It 

 appears that the season has been a favourable one, so far, 

 on the whole, for all these crops, and increases in yield from 

 the areas planted are expected. The area sown in rape is 

 estimated to be 1,234,500 acres, as compared with 1,195,300 

 acres in the previous season; the similar figures for linseed 

 are 85,100 and 86,000 acres. 



Enquiry has been made of the Department as to where 

 threshing machines for ground nuts may be obtained. For 

 general information, it may be stated that the Ellis Cham- 

 pion Grain and Pea nut Thresher, sold by George C. Burgess, 

 P.O. Box 182, Petersburg, Va., U.S.A., appears to be useful 

 for the purpose. It is claimed that this machine separates 

 the nuts from the vine on the same principle as grain is 

 threshed from straw, and that the nuts come from the machine 

 cleaned, ready for market, while the vines are broken up and 

 put into condition for feeding purposes. The machines are 

 made in three sizes, which require engines of 4 h.p., 6 h.p., 

 and 8 h.p. to drive them. 



With reference to the statement in the article entitled 

 'Implemental Tillage for St. Vincent', which appeared on 

 page 3 of the current volume of the Agricultural Xeu\% and 

 which contained the chief matters in the report made by 

 Mr. G. Fraser, Agricultural Instructor, St. Vincent, on his 

 visit to Antigua in connexion with the subject, Mr. I. E. D3'ett, 

 of Pitches Creek Estate, Antigua, has kindly pointed out that 

 the statement in paragraph 4 of that article: ' For cane 

 planting a shallow trench is run along the top of the banks 

 by means of a double mould-board plough' is not quite accu- 

 rate, for the furrow in question always runs as deep as the 

 water furrow, and often reaches a depth of 12 to 14 inches. 



