Vol. IX. Xo. 209. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ul 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



MAY. 



First Pkkiuu. 



Seasonal Notes. 



Lime jjlots that are in full growth should be well 

 manured with pen manure. This should be spread evenly 

 on the soil, after the weeding is completed: it must not be 

 heaped at the base of the trees. Wliat is the reason o( this 

 in relation to (1) the way in which the roots grow, (:.') the 

 changes that take i)lace in the manure, (.3) the effect on the 

 soil ? All dead branches should be removed from the trees, 

 placed in heaps, and burnt in an open space. What causes 

 are there for burning such material '. The ash that is left 

 may, with advantage, be scattered over the soil in which 

 the plants are growing. To what does this ash chieHy owe 

 its value as a manure .' 



A careful examination of lime trees for epiphytes and 

 parasitic plants should be made, and these should be removed. 

 What is the chief difference between an epiphyte and a para- 

 site, and huw niaj' plants of the former kind do damage to 

 the trees on which they are growing .' 



It is important that a careful look out for scale insects on 

 lime trees should be kept Useful information will be obtained 

 by making notes on the distribution and spread of these, 

 attention being given at the same time to the wteather condi- 

 tions, especially in relation to rainfall and the force and direct- 

 ion of the wind. ( )pportunities will be available, where Bengal 

 beans have been planted in lime cultivations, to observe the 

 effect of these in keeping scale insects in check. Note that those 

 scale insects that chiefly attack the stem, such as the purple 

 scale and the snow scale, are rarely followed by black blight, 

 but that those which are found mainly on the leaves are chiefly 

 responsible for the encouragement of the growth of this fungu.«, 

 examples being the common shield scale and the Lantana bug. 

 Observations on scale insects should not be confined to those 

 occurring on cultivated plants; the examination of wild plants 

 will prove of great interest, especially as it may afford some 

 clue as to a probable way in which the infection of the cultiv- 

 ated plants maj' take place. Look for examples of scale 

 insects attacked by fungi ^see Ai/i-iciiltiiral A^eit's, Vol. VIII, 

 p. 299; Vol. IX, p. 30). 



Provision for green dressing material may be made by 

 sowing seeds of some suitable plant, such as the horse bean, 

 when there is sufficient rain to ensure succe.ssful germination, 

 and cutting the plants back to about ^ inches above the 

 ground as soon as they commence to flower. A new growth 

 will be speedily obtained, and the ground will be covered in 

 a few weeks. If such a green dressing is grown in this way and 

 buried in the soil beneath, what does it add to the soil? What 

 effects have green dressings on: (1) the physical state of the 

 soil, (2) the i)lant food already present in the soil at the time 

 when they were applied.' For what kinds of soil is care 

 required in the matter of using green dressings, and what are 

 the circumstances under which the application of these may 

 result in actual harm ! (See A')rii>iltnral Neivs, Vol. VIII, 

 pp. 225 and 241.) 



Preparations should now be made for dealing with the 

 June crop of limes. These will consist chiefly in the over- 

 hauling of the mill, tayches, packages, etc., so that everything 

 may be in order for the concentration of the juice and its 

 .shipment, and the provision of a sufficient amount of fuel. 

 Why is lime juice usually concentrated before being shipped! 

 What other means of preparing the product for export is 

 employed, and what are its advantages/ (See West Indian. 

 Bulletin, Vol. VIII, p. 167; Vol. IX, p. 193: and Pamphlet 



No. 53, entitled ABC of Lime Gtdtivation.) 



On cotton estates, where ginning is in progress, the 

 opportunity should be taken to make observations on the 

 working of the cotton gin, and to become familiar with the 

 adjustinents that are required by this machine, which, if it is 

 to do its work properly, requires to be frequently overhauled. 

 Information in connexion with cotton gins is given in 

 Pamphlet Xo. 60 of the Department Series, entitled Cotton 

 dins, How to Erert nnd ]Vorl; 'Them. 



When the ginning of the present cotton crop has been 

 completed, it should be possible to ascertain the yields that 

 have been obtained from the different field.s, and the notes 

 that have been taken during the growing sea.son will attord 

 a means of gauging the efl^ects of manurial treatment, and of 

 insect and fungus pests on the produce of the plant. The 

 information that will be obtained in this way will show the 

 valiiB of careful and continuous iibs°rvation. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMIN.^^RY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What are the chief causes of fertility in a soil I 



(2) Give an account of the principal ways in which 

 .scale insects are distributed in nature. 



(3) What are the chief differences between monocotyl- 

 edons and dicotyledon.s, and how are some of these connected 

 with the possibility of grafting, in relation to a given plant I 



INTERMEDIATE QUE.STIONS. 



(1) What are the chief advantages to be obtained by the 

 early planting of cotton i 



(2) Under what conditions does the most successful 

 fermentation of pen manure take place '. 



(3) Give an account of the trees that may be used for 

 shading cacao, and indicate the special conditions under 

 which the use of each of them is advisiible. 



CATCH CROPS FOR RUBBER IN MALAYA. 



The Quarter Century Nundjer of the India Rubljer 

 Journal contains an article on the catch crops that are 

 employed in cultivations of Para rubber in Malaya. After 

 explaining that many planters were at first discouraged in the 

 matter of starting rubber plantations, on account of the fact 

 that .so long a time elapses before the plant becomes remuner- 

 ative, it shows how some attempted to ameliorate this condi- 

 tion by the employment of catch crops. 



One of the first of these to be used was coffee; in fact 

 the pioneers of rubber-planting in Malaya were coffee plant- 

 ers whose rublier trees were, in many cases, grown anicjng 

 coflFee plants. Cassava was shown by the Director of the 

 Singajjore Botanic Gardens to be a suitable crop for the 

 purpose, chiefly on account of the additional tillage of the 

 land that its cultivation induced. Sugar-cane has proved to 

 be valuable in this connexion; an instance is given in the 

 case, of an estate in Perak, where 2,000 acres of rubber has 

 been cultivated among canes as a catch crop, partly during 

 two, and partly during three, years, while the revenue from 

 the sugar has more than covered the expenditure on the 

 estate. Bananas have proved valuable, whether the fruit was 

 exploited or not, for in the latter case, the cultivation is use- 

 ful in keeping down weeds, and on light land, the texture of 

 the soil was improved. Indigo has also been employed with 

 success, as a catch crop. 



It is stated that, in order that the full benefit may be 

 derived from catch crops among rubber, the rows of trees 

 should be about 30 feet apart, and that there should be 

 a space of 3 feet on each side of the stems in the row, where 

 nothing should be allowed to grow. 



