Vol. IX. No. 223. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



365 





STUDENTS' CORNER. 



NOVEMBER. 



SKCOxn Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



The cotton crop will have become sufficiently advanced, 

 at the present time, to admit of the commencement of selec- 

 tion in the field. It has been proved completely that selection 

 en the basis, merely, of the characters shown by the lint and 

 .seed is insufficient, in the case of cotton, to ensure that the 

 liest types of plants bearing the liest kind of product shall be 

 obtained in the next crop. The planter, or his assistants, must 

 visit the fields, and mu.st pick out, and mark, the plants that 

 appear to be most useful for his purpose, in such a waj' as to 

 enable the seed-cotton from these to be collected separately, for 

 the special examination of this that will be conducted later. 

 For particulars and illustrative examples in connexion with this 

 selection, reference maybe made to the West Indian BulUtin, 

 Vols. IV, p. 208: Vll. p. l.->3; X, p. 79; as well as to the 

 A'jricullural Ntirs, Vols. VII, p. 134; VIII, p. 374. It will 

 be useful, before carrying out such selection for its definite 

 purpose, for those who are engaged in the work to give 

 themselves some preliminary practice in the matter. One of 

 the best ways of doing this is for two or more of those inter- 

 ested to meet together and afford assistance to one another 

 in the following way. Fifty plants, growing alongside 

 each other in one row, are chosen for the purpose of 

 making the observations. Each observer passes separ- 

 ately and independently down the row, and carefully 

 choo.ses what he considers to be the si.x best plants, at 

 the same time making notes of the reasons which lead him to 

 select those particular plants. He should not mark the 

 plants selected, or in any way leave signs w-hich may indicate 

 the objects of his selection ; he can most usefully arrange for 

 identifying them later by noting their numbers, in order, 

 from one end of the row. After the independent selections 

 have been made, the plants that have been chosen are visited, 

 when the observers compare notes, and criticize each other's 

 reasons for making those selections. It is easy to see that, 

 under ordinary conditions, the smaller the total number of 

 plants selected, the more likely is the choice of each of the 

 observers to be a good one, when he comes to do the serious 

 work, later. In any case, an e.tercise of this kind affords 

 good practice in selection, and will help to prevent the giving 

 of a disproportionate amount of attention, by any one observ- 

 er, to some special characteristic of the cotton plant, when 

 he is making a choice of the best kinds. 



Shipments of fruit, in quantity, are now being made 

 from some of the ^Vest Indian islands. As much information 

 as possible should be gained in connexion with the picking 

 and curing of fruit for export, as well as in relation to 

 the grading, wrapping and packing of this product. What 

 is meant by the grading of fruit, and why is it necess- 

 ary that this should be conducted with caref Give 

 an account of the most suitable fruits for export that 

 are [)roduced in the district in which you live, and 



state how each of these should be packed. Mention any 

 difficulties, of which ycju have knowledge, that are connected 

 with the export of fruit from the West Indies. 



Parts of sugarcane fields often consist of soil that has 

 lieen placed in depressions such as ponds and water-holes, 

 for the purpose of filling them up. A matter of 

 interest is to compare the growth of canes in such places 

 with the ordinary growth of those in the field. It is 

 especially the case, where the soil is generally thin, that this 

 growth will be better than that of the other canes. Consider 

 the [lossible rea.sons for this, in the light of the larger water- 

 content and thickness of the .soil, in such places, and the 

 chance that the existence of such a circumstance gives for the 

 greater presence of nitrifying and nitrogen-fixing organisms 

 there. Discuss the question, also, in view of the possible larger 

 plant food content of the soil, and in regard to the eflfeot of its 

 greater thickness, in relation to the growth of roots. 



In some parts of the world, molasses is applied, to a fairly 

 common extent, to soils on which the sugar-cane is grown, 

 when it is found that increased yields of cane are obtained, 

 which are out of all proportion to any nianurial value that the 

 molasses may [wssess. By this is n:eant that the application, 

 in the ordinary way, of the same amounts of nitrogen, potash 

 and phosphoric acid as there are in the mola.sses, would not have 

 given anything like the same increase of cri>ji. Is there any way 

 of accounting for the action of the molasses, and of explain- 

 ing its influence <>n the fertility of the soil? If so, describe 

 it, and state what light the matters that have to be con- 

 sidered throw on the causes of soil productivity. Information 

 in connexion with the subject may be found in the last 

 number of the Agriculturnl Xiws, and in Vol. VIT, p. 227, 

 cf this publication, as well a.s in Pamphlet 64 of the Depart- 

 ment Series, in which a description is given of experiments 

 that are being carried out in Antigua, in relation to the 

 matter. I'.seful collateral information is also contained in 

 the West Indian Bulletin, \o\. VIII, p. 94. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINAKY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What are the chief causes that influence the direc- 

 tion taken by the roots of plants in the soil! 



(2) How is a certain amount of water retained in the 

 soil, in spite of drainage? 



(3) If it liecame necessary to ap(jly manure to lime 

 trees at the time of full bearing, what would you use.' 



INTEEMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



(1) What general objections are there to growing more 

 than one crop on the same piece of land, at the same time? 

 Undtr what conditions is it permissible to do this? 



(2) What is the eft'ect of a[i[ilications of nitrate of soda 

 to heavy clay soils? How would you try to remedy the 

 harm done by such applications? 



(3) Give an account of the chief fungus pests of cotton 

 in your district. 



FIN.\L QUESTIONS. 



(1) What useful purposes are served by the taking of 

 periodical inventories on estates? How would you arrange 

 for this to be done, under conditions with which you are 

 familiar? 



(2) Give an account of the way in which the various 

 manures are provided, and used, on a sugar estate, including 

 in your answer: pen manures, artificial manures and green 

 dressings. 



(3) What kinds of ploughs are most suited to the 

 district in which you are employed, and what circumjtances 

 render them particularly useful in that district? 



