Vol. IX. No. 216. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



253 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AUGUST. 



Skcoxi) Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



The time has arrived at which yMuig lime plants may be 

 moved to the places to be occupied permanently by them 

 in the plantation. The holes for the reception of these should 

 have been made some time previonsly. Why? If this has not 

 been done, the soil should be forked, at the positions chosen 

 for them, within a circle which is from 2 to 3 feet in 

 diameter, and in places where the rainfall is heavy, some of 

 it should then be drawn in from the circumference, so that 

 when the plant is put in, the upper part Of the root system 

 may be raised slightly above the level of the ground. In 

 choosing the distances that the holes will be made, from one 

 another, several considerations will have to be taken into 

 account, the chief of these being the general conditions of the 

 island in which the plantation is .situated, the nature of the 

 soil, the slope of the ground and the elevation above sea-level. 

 Before they are moved to their permanent positions, the plants 

 will require to be cut back to some extent. What is the 

 reason for this? Care will have to be taken that the soil is 

 well drained, in order that the plants may develop i)ro[)erly, 

 be free from disease, and give good crops. Discuss the ways 

 in which the want of good drainage is harmful to plants. It 

 is best that all material used in mulching .should be well rot- 

 ted. Why is this? During the present season, suckers are 

 most likely to be produced. What .should be done with 

 these, and why is the procedure adopted? Why are lime 

 suckers usually found in the wet .season, and not during the 

 dry time of the year? Distinguish between the 'suckers' of 

 the lime tree and those of the banana and pineapple. What 

 is the chief use of the latter kinds? Xote that the lime crop 

 is commencing, and that the present time forms a good oppor- 

 tunity for making observations on the pests and diseases of 

 this plant. Take .special account of scale insects, and make out, 

 as far as you can, the extent to which these are infested by 

 parasitic fungi, and what are the best conditions for this para- 

 sitism. Why is it that, although these scale insects can be 

 parasitized, and destroyed, in tliis way, they sometimes 

 increase to such an extent as to become serious pest.s and to 

 cause a great amount of loss? 



Make a revision of whatever information you have in 

 jour possession concerning other citrus fruits. Note that, in 

 planting out budded stocks of oranges and grape fruit, a pro- 

 cedure similar to that for limes is observed. Why is it that, 

 in wet districts, the soil is left under these so that its highest 

 part is situated near the collar of the plant, as was described 

 above in the case of limes? 



With the end of the cane-reaping season, attention will 

 be given to the cultivation and care of ratoons, more 

 especially. Where these are tilled in different ways, particu- 

 larly where mechanical tillage is employed, careful note should 

 be taken of the effect, in the various instances, on the growth 

 of the canes. The interest of such observations will be all 

 the greater where the banks are ploughed, in ratoon 

 cultivation. 



Opportunities will be afforded for gaining information 

 in connexion with the application of nitrogenous manures, 

 such as sulphate of ammonia, nitrate o/^soda, and in some 



cases, nitrate of lime. How do the effects of calcium cyanam- 

 ide and nitrate of lime, as manures, compare with those of 

 sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda? What are the 

 sources of these manures? 



Make careful observations in^connexion with the root 

 disease of the sugar-cane, especially in relation to ratoons. 

 Such observations will be undertaken with particular refer- 

 ence to the character of the preceding and the present season; 

 the previous treatment of the fields; the crops grown in them, 

 in the immediate past; the pre.sent condition of the .soil; the 

 kind of cane growing (plants or ratoons); and the varie- 

 ties of cane, in connexion with the extent of the attack of the 

 disease. What do you know abotit the life-history of the 

 fungus which produces root disease, and what preventive 

 measures, if any, are suggested by a consideration of it? 



Where the soil is being prepared for onion-.sowing, note 

 how this is done. When the seed has been sown, ants often 

 give trouble by carrying away a certain amount of it. Where 

 onions are being grown on a small scale, as in garden beds, .ir, 

 for planting out, in boxes, these insects may be kept away by 

 sjirinkling the .soil with water containing one tablespoonful 

 of kerosene to the gallon; the sprinkling should be done just 

 after the water and the kerosene have been well shaken 

 together. Watch the germination of the onion seed, and com- 

 pare it with that of other monocotyledonous seed.s, as well as 

 with that of such dicotyledonous seeds as you have studied. 

 What parts of the plant does the onion of commerce include? 

 Explain what is meant by 'onion sets'. How are they obtained, 

 and what are the special advantages in using them for the 

 propagation of the onion? Compare the structure of the 

 onion with that of other food storing parts of plants, such as 

 the tuber and the corm. Discuss the suitability of the onion 

 as a catch crop with sugar-cane. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) In what ways is the presence of trees in pastures 

 beneficial ? Mention any tree.s, that you know of, which are 

 suitable for growing in pastures. 



(2) State in what way the soil .should receive special 

 attention, before artificial manures are applied to it, giving 

 reasons for your statement. 



(3) Give an account of the ways in which weeds are 

 capable of injuring cultivated plants. 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



(1) What is meant by a ' beneficial insect'? Give a list 

 of such insects, and state in what way each of them is bene- 

 ficial. 



(2) Why is it that, although soil is seen to be washed 

 away by rain, its thickness usually remains fairly constant, 

 and even increases in some jjlaces ? 



(3) How do non-leguminous crops, used as green dress- 

 ings, benefit the soil ? 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture re- 

 turned to Barbados on Thursday, July 28, by the 

 SS. ' Sobo', from an official visit to the Leeward 

 Islands. 



