Vol. IX. No. 221. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



333 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



OCT( )BER. 



Second Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



Notes have been given already in the Students' Corner, 

 from time to time, on the preparation of the soil for the 

 coming sugar-cane crop. Thi.s work is now receiving special 

 attention, and in some places it will present an opportunity 

 to compare the effects of the different tillage implements on 

 the soil, especially those of the motild-board plough as con- 

 trasted with those of the cultivaiors. What is the eventual 

 difference between the results required from ploughing and 

 those for which cultivation is employed? What are the 

 possible kinds of harm from ploughing the heavier soils too 

 deeply? Those whose knowledge of the subject has reached the 

 proper stage may well discuss the conditions that are bringing 

 about the extended emploj'ment of implemental tillage in 

 some parts of the West Indies. 



Careful observations, having for their object the ascert- 

 aining of the extent to which the root disease of sugar-cane 

 is prevalent, should be made, both on plants and ratoons. 

 Can you suggest any reason for the fact that, although the 

 fungus naturally grows best during wet weather, yet its 

 effects are most readily seen at times when the rainfall is 

 insufficient? The consideration of disease serves as a reminder 

 of the care that is required in the selection and prepara- 

 tion of material for planting. This is preferably raised 

 siiecially in a nursery, in which varieties are produced 

 that show a special power to resist disease. In any case, 

 cuttings should be treated with Bordeaux mixture. Those 

 who have not witnessed the making of this useful fungi- 

 cide should do so, on the first opportunity. For the 

 purpose of showing the efficiency of this, one or two rows of 

 cane might be planted with untreated material, when the 

 time for sowing arrives, .so that the germination in the.se may 

 be compared with that in the rows of treated cuttings. The 

 reports issued by the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 should be consulted for the purpose of ascertaining, in an)' 

 given district, what are the best varieties of cane to plant. 



The sugar-cane will have commenced to arrow. Seed 

 and seedlings are obtained from the arrow.s, in the following 

 way. Fart of the arrow, before the flowers on it open, is 

 enclosed in a paper bag, in which it is kept until there has 

 been time for fruits to form. The arrow and the contents 

 of the bag are then put on fine earth, contained in boxes or 

 pots, and covered with a thin layer of soil. This earth 

 should have been treated previously over a coal or wood fire 

 for the purpose of destroying any seeds of weeds, and insects 

 and fungi, that it may contain. The boxes or pots should be 

 watered carefully; they are generally kept in the shade, in the 

 West Indies — a procedure that, it is interesting to note, is 

 very different from that followed in .Java. In the latter 

 country, the seeds (fruits) are sown in boxes, in a heavy, 

 fertile soil; the boxes are placed in the sun, and the soil is 

 kept wet. Cane seedlings are usually planted out when they 

 are about a foot high. 



Cotton will have now reached a stage, where it was sown 

 early, at which indications may be obtainted ns to whether it 

 was planted at proper distances, or not. It is evident that, on 

 the heavier soils, the spread of the roots will be smaller than 

 in the lighter ones, so that it may be planted more closaly 

 together, on the former Similar considerations, in relation 

 to the fertility of the soil, will show that there is much less 

 likelihood of interference taking place among the roots in 



poor soil than when the plants are growing in one which is 

 rich. What bearing has the effect of light soils on the growth 

 of the roots of this plant, in relation to the comparative 

 maintenance of the apparent fertility of cotton soilsl (See 

 West Indian BullHiii, Vol. XI, p. 6S.) 



The flowers of cotton form fruits, even if they are 

 enclosed in a paper bag before they open. What does this 

 show? Describe the way in which you would cross-pollinate 

 the flowers of different cotton plants. For what purpose is 

 such pollination employed? Cut open several cotton bolls of 

 different ages, and study the development of the lint and the 

 seeds. How does cott<jn lint obtain its natural twist? Make 

 observations on the growing bolls for the purpose of finding 

 out to what extent diseases of these are present; at the same 

 time, find out the degree to which the leaves are being 

 attacked, and see if it is possible to trace any connexion 

 between the two cases. When the time comes for the .select- 

 ion of plants in the field, great care must be exercised to ensure 

 that due attention is given to the extent to which the.se show 

 the power to resist disease. It is of much importance that 

 this character is given its proper place in any scheme of 

 selection. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What elements are lost when vegetable matter is 

 burned, and which are left behind ? 



(2) Why is it that a strong, dry wind will often cause 

 the ' scorching ' of the leaves of young plants? 



(3) AVhat are the special uses of nitrogen, potassium 

 and phosphoru.s, respectively, in relation to the life of the 

 plant? 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



(1) How may insects be classified, in relation to the 

 ways in which they feed, and how does such a classification 

 give indications as to the methods to be used for their 

 control? 



(2) What breeds of cattle are chiefly used in the West 

 Indies for work, for providing milk, and for general purposes? 



(3) Give an account of the employment of temporary 

 wind-breaks in cotton fields, naming the plants that are most 

 suitable for forming these. 



FINAL liUESTI0N.S. 



(1) Discuss the employment, for planting, of grafted 

 cacao, in the place of cacao raised from seed. What advan- 

 tages and disadvantages attend the adoption of either course? 



(2) Can horses be raised profitably in the district in 

 which 3'ou live? If so, how should the business of raising 

 them be conducted ? 



(3) Of what u.se, to the agriculturist, is the existence 

 of different varieties of the same plant? 



The Journal d] Agriculture Tropicale, No. 108, p. 188, states 

 that the Bulletin de la Societi' des Agricidtmirs Italiens, for 

 August 1 5, 1 909, makes a note of the possibility of utilizing 

 the prickly pear for the purpose of destroying mosquito larvae. 

 The method of use is to throw the fleshy stalks into the water 

 containing the larvae, where they disintegrate, forming a kind 

 of mucilage, which rises to the surface. The effect of this 

 mucilage is said to be similar to that of kerosene, when it is 

 used for the same purpose: it prevents the larvae from reach- 

 ing the air, and they are destroyed in fifteen to fifty hours. 

 The mucilage is also stated to prevent the mosquito from 

 laying eggs on the water, or at any rate, to stop the develo})- 

 nient of these. 



