Vol. IX. No. 215. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



237 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AUGUST. 



First Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



Among the different varieties of cane, some are difficult 

 to establish; that is to say, tliey do not grow readily after 

 they have been planted, and there is a necessity to supply 

 many of the holes. In what way is this important, in relation 

 to the working of an estate .' Again, the rate of growth, 

 among different varieties of cane, varies to a considerable 

 e.xtent. How may use be made of this fact in attempting 

 to obtain a good stand of cane > Discuss the characters of 

 different varieties of cane, in this relation, with especial 

 reference to H.U7, B. 208 and Red liibbon. Discuss care- 

 fully the essential differences between raising a plant from 

 a sugar-cane cutting and from a cutting of a dicotyledon, such 

 as the hibiscus. 



Observations on cotton stainers should be made (see, 

 especially, Af/ricultural Ktiv», Vol. VIII, p. 3.30). At this 

 time, they will most generally be found in such places as 

 cotton stores and ginneries, and on other host plants, besides 

 cotton, such as the silk cotton tree. What kinds of damage 

 are done by these insects ? Describe the best measures 

 that can be taken against them. A useful experiment in 

 connexion with these insects may be conducted as follows: 

 Six dry plates are taken and are placed, over water, on some 

 suitable form of support, each plate having its own stand. On 

 each plate, one hundred cotton seeds, taken at random from 

 a supply of good, undisinfected .seed, are placed. Three of 

 the plates are selected and about twenty cotton stainers are 

 put on each of them. On the next day but one, these are 

 removed, and a fresh supply put in their place. The experi- 

 ment is continued in this way for eleven days, care being 

 taken that no cotton stainers are able to reach the three 

 plates on which they were not i)laced at first, as these are 

 intended to act as controls. At the end of eleven days, the 

 seeds in all the plates are washed quickly in water that has 

 just been boiled and allowed to cool, and are placed in six 

 different gorminators, care being taken that the seeds in the 

 different lots are kept separate from one another. The 

 differences in the percentages of germination will indicate 

 whether or not the insects are in the habit of attacking and 

 •damaging cotton .seed, and the results obtained in this way 

 will be suiiplemented by careful observations that were made 

 on the behaviour of the insects, during the course of the 

 experiment. In addition, on the larger scale, other observa- 

 tions will show if these insects spread from cotton stores and 

 ginneries, and (in some cases) if old cotton plants that have 

 been left in the field, instead of being destroyed, give them 

 favourable conditions for existence, until the new cotton has 

 reached a stage at which it is likely to be attacked by them. 



When cotton seed is being sown, dig up some of the soil, 

 from place to place, in the field, in order to ascertain if it 

 contains the large, fat grubs that are most commonly found 

 in rotted stable manure and in gardens. Xote, as far as you 

 can, whether these grubs do any damage to the young plants. 

 To what insect, or insects, do these grubs belong? Are there 

 any other animal ]iests in your district that are likely to 

 attack the part of the cotton plant that is below the surface 

 of the soil? 



Among the observations that may well be made on cotton 

 seedlings at the present time is that of taking notice as to 



whether any of them are rotting at the collar; this is espec- 

 ially to be looked for if the seedlings appear to be wilting and 

 dying. To what is this rot most likely to be due, and what 

 conditions are most liable to lead it to attack young plants? 

 The end of the cacao crop has been reached, and at thi.s 

 tune, the trees are losing their leaves. What are the chief 

 reasons why trees shed their leaves. In what way is the loss 

 of the leaves from a plant brought about? The dead leaves 

 will be collected and, together with other waste vegetable 

 matter (but not the remains of disea.sed pods), will be applied 

 as a mulch to the soil around the trees. What is the primary 

 use of a mulch.' State what a mulch of leaves adds to the .soil 

 which grew the plants on which they were borne. What im- 

 provement is effected by adding leaves to a soil ? 



A careful, practical study should be made of the methods 

 of budding and grafting cacao; for an account of the latter, 

 consult Pamphlet 61 of the Department series, entitled The 

 Gi-afttnij of Cacao. Remember that a proper knowledge of 

 these subjects cannot possibly be obtained by merely reading 

 books; actual practical work is necessary before useful acquain- 

 tance with the methods can be obtained. 



Xote the usefulness of bedding the soil under nutmeg 

 trees with dead leaves and^ other waste vegetable matter, in 

 order to prevent the loss of nuts when they are dropping. 

 A\ hat part of the fruit body is (a) the nutmeg, (b) the mace ? 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What is meant by the texture of the soil? Give 

 methods by which this may be maintained in good condition. 



(2) Draw up a .scheme showing how the quality of 

 a piece of land may be judged by the kinds of wild plants 

 growing on it. 



(3) Describe the root hairs and root cap of any plant 

 that you have examined. What are the uses of these 

 structures ? 



INTERMEDIATE QITESTIONS. 



(1) Discuss the advantages of possessing an analysis of 

 the artificial manures that are to be used on an estate. 



(2) Give a general account of the structure of an ovule. 



(3) In what ways will the soil and trees benefit, in an 

 insufficiently drained cacao orchard, by the deepening of 

 the drains ? 



Tuberculosis in Fowls.— -A^ccorJing to liulktin 



Xo. 161 of the California University Experiment Station, 

 tuberculosis in fowls, a serious pest in Europe, seems to be 

 rare in America, or at any rate, has not been reported fre- 

 quently. The bulletin goes on to show that the disease is 

 distributed, in California, to a suflicient extent to demand the 

 serious attention of poultry rai.ser.s. It is of an insidious 

 nature, for it fails to attract much attention at any given 

 time, but takes a steady toll of the Hocks, which causes a fair 

 degree of financial loss in the long run. The disease does not 

 seem to occur in young chickens, but as far as has been 

 observed, attacks grown fowls, only. 



The remedies suggested are; (1) the destruction of fowls 

 showing symptoms of the disease; (2) isolation of affected 

 flocks; (3) disinfection of fowl hou.ses; and (4) the keeping of 

 pullets away from diseased stock or infected land. 



