Vol. IX. No. 212. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



187 



Lac/mostermi. It should be stated, however, that where 

 insects belonging to the .same group as the hardbacks are 

 known as pests, it is usually the larva that causes the damage 

 acd not the adult, the abundance of the adult generally being 

 significant of large number.s of the grubs rather than the 

 actual cause of serious injury to cultivated crops. As the 

 grubs of these beetles live underground, they are capable of 

 doing great damage before their presence is detected, and this 

 is especially true when they feed entirely on the roots of 

 cultivated plants. 



CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT SOCIETIES IN 



INDIA. 



Attention has been drawn by the author, Mr. C. S. K. 

 Rao, to an article in the J/imldstan Reriew for November 

 1909, which deals with the present position of co-operative 

 credit societies in India. In thi.s, the objects with which the 

 Government of India began the e.xperiinents of co-operative 

 credit are stated first: they are: (1) to provide cheap capital 

 to the agriculturist, (2) to release him from his dependence 

 on the money lender. For these purposes the Co-operative 

 Credit Societies Act was passed in March 1904, and although 

 little impression has been made on the great burden of 

 agricultural indebtedness in India, which hcis been estimated 

 to be over 500 million pounds .sterling, marked progress has 

 been made in the experimental stage. Three kinds of 

 societies are registered under the Act; ( 1 ) Central Societies 

 lending to other Societies, (2) Urban feocieties, (3) Rural 

 Societies. On .July 1, 1907, the total working capital of these 

 was £1.58,112; at the same date in 190.S, it was £29.3,802. 

 The scheme has not been followed in the same way in all 

 parts of India, and the article gives an account of it in its 

 diflFerent modes of application. 



It is .shown that future progress depends entirely on the 

 removal of certain di-sabilities, which are, broadly sueaking, 

 legal, financial and educational. In connexion with the 

 legal difficulties, a sub committee was appointed at the last 

 Conference of Registrars of Co-operative Credit Societies, 

 held at Simla, for the purpose of dealing with suggested 

 amendments to the Act. A similar sub-committee, convened 

 to deal with financial difficulties, came to the conclusion 

 that too great dependence by the societies on the Covern- 

 ment should not e.xist, and passed resolutions in connexion 

 with the matter to the effect that Government assistance is 

 justifiable and desirable in the early stages of the movement 

 and that the Government should aid in the matters of audit 

 and inspection until such time as the societies themselves 

 could provide these. 



The most important subject which engaged the atten- 

 tion of the Conference was that of the establishment of 

 Agricultural Hanks for the pur|)ose of helping Co-operative 

 Credit Societies, and of advancing loans directly to agri- 

 culturists, at reasonable rates of interest. The ways in 

 which the place of such agricultural banks is filled at the 

 present time are described, and it is pointed out that, as the 

 essential principle of co-operative credit is mutual self-help, 

 it will only confound the issues if the .subject of agricultural 

 relief is confused with the work of co-o[ierative credit 

 societies. 



In relation to the educational difficulty, that is to the 

 dissemination of information relating to the principles of 

 co-operation, it is shown that this is met in .some parts of 

 India by efforts to interest the teaching staff, and through 

 "this the students, of various educational institutions. In 



others, notes on co-operative credit societies have been publish- 

 ed from time to time in the press. Lastly, the Madras 

 Government has sanctioned the publication of a quarterly 

 bulletin which fulfils the object of assisting co-operative 

 credit societies and of providing information for the use of 

 .societies and persons interested in the movement. 



SOME EFFECTS OF MANURES ON 

 THE SOIL. -■ 



A paper entitled .S'<5«W' Secondary Actions of 

 Manures on the Soil, by A. U. Hall, M.A., F.R.S., 

 appears in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural 

 Soriety of EnijlamI, YolLXX, p. 12. The following 

 interesting summary is taken from this: — 



(1) The long-continued use of sulphate of ammonia on 

 .soils poor in lime results in the soils becoming acid. 



(2) The acidity is caused by certain micro-fungi in the 

 soil, which split up the sulphate of ammonia in order to obtain 

 the ammonia, and thereby .set free sulphuric acid. 



(3) The infertility of such soils is due to the way all the 

 regular bacterial changes in the soil are suspended by the 

 acidity: in.stead, fungi permeate the soil and seize upon the 

 manure. 



(4) The remedy, as may be seen upon the Woburn plots, 

 is the use of sufficient lime to keep the .soil neutral. 



(5) From the Rothamsted .soils, carbonate of lime is being 

 washed out at the rate of 800 to 1,000 lb. per acre per annum, 

 the losses being increased by the use of sulphate of ammonia, 

 but le.s.sened by dung or nitrate of .soda. 



((j) Nitrate of soda, when applied to heavy soils in large 

 quantities, destroys their texture. 



(7) Some of the nitrate of soda gets converted into 

 carbonate of soda by the action of plants and bacteria; and 

 carbonate of soda, by deflocculating the clay particles, destroys 

 the tilth. 



(8) The best remedies are the use of soot or superphos- 

 phate: the best preventive is the u.se of a mixture of nitrate 

 of soda and sulphate of ammonia, instead of either separately. 



(9) Soluble potash manures and common salt may also 

 injure the filth of heavy .soils throiigh the production of 

 a little .soluble alkali by interaction with carbonate of lime 

 in the soil. The remedy is to apply such manures in the 

 winter, or in conjunction with superphosphate. 



Rice in British Guiana. 



The last fortnightly report of Messrs. Sandbach, 

 Parker & Co., of Georgetown, on the rice industry of 

 British Guiana, dated May 27, 1910, gives informa- 

 tion as follows : — 



The weather during the early part of the fortnight has 

 been showery, but tlie last few days have been very hot. 



Very little paddy now remains in growers' hands, and 

 most mills have shut down. 



Local demand is brisk, and the price is steadily advanc- 

 ing: and we look for still higher prices shortly. Export to 

 West Indian Islands during the fortnight amounted to 

 1,240 bag.s. 



We quote to-day, for good quality Demerara brown 

 rice: — 



Nominally, I9«. 9d. to 20s. dd. per bag of 180 ft. gross. 

 17s. to 18s. ,, ,, ,, 164 BE). „ 



