Vol. IX. No. 226. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



409 



to anything like the extent that has been reached by 

 matters ot gennral agiicultiiial import. 



In German West Africa, a Biological and Agri- 

 cultural In.«titule has been founded at Usambara, for 

 the purpose of assisting cultivators in .igricultural 

 matter-s developing ihe native resources, introducing 

 new plants, .ind for mnking whatever researches are 

 possible in relation to the plant and animal life of the 

 colony. As regards forestry-, the work is confined to 

 watching over the forest reserves, and to introducing 

 new kinds of trees; a stafi of seventeen forest officers is 

 made responsible for this. 



As regards Togo, two stations exist, in one of which 

 experiments are being conducted with over 150 varieties 

 of useful plants, more especially fruit and forest trees. 



In South-west Africa, the work is chiefly concerned 

 with the raising of live stock, and with forestry. In 

 (Jerman New Guinea, the Botanic Garden at Simpson- 

 hafeii has been dependent largely on that of Berlin for 

 supj>lies of plants, with which investigations are being 

 conducted. 



In Samoa and Kiao-Chao, agricultural experiments 

 are not carried on at present by the Government to any 

 extent: although in thi- latter j)lact' there is a certain 

 amount; of distribution of plants, under official respon- 

 sibility. 



existence of the suction which the leaves exert on the 

 water in the wood that the pumping action is brought! 

 about. 



The Ascent of Water in Trees. 



Recent woik undertaken in Australia in connexion 

 witli the ascent of water in trees is described in the 

 Annals of Botany, Vol. XXIV, p. 85. The jiurpose 

 of this was to gain information as to the rale of trans- 

 piration, the rate of the ascent of saj), the state of the 

 conducting tissue during transpiration and the resist- 

 ance to the flow of water by stems. 



The investigations showed that the rate of loss of 

 water from the leaves is lessened when portions of the 

 stem on which they are borne are cut off, and placed 

 in water, as well as in ordinary cases, when the air is 

 hot and dry. In regard to the first, it was found 

 that cut trees absorb water at a smaller rate than that 

 at which this liijuid is evaporated by living ones. 



The rite of transpiration is also reduced in branch- 

 es containing air, being much higher than that when 

 they are saturated with water. The experiments show- 

 ed that a head of water from two to ten times the 

 length of the stem may be required in order to bring 

 about on ordinary amount of transpiration: in fully 

 saturated stems, however, in vvhich the vessels were 

 large and long, a head one-fifth the length of the stem 

 may be sufficient. 



The abstract from which these matters are taken 

 (Experiment Station Record, July IfUO, p. 27) states 

 that an experiment showed that a coloured li(|uid would 

 rise slowly in a saturated stem kept in a saturated 

 atmosphere. If the stem was killed, however, the rite 

 was somewhat smaller, so that it is indicated: 'that the 

 phenomenon is not the result of any vital pumping 

 action that is not capable of a physical explanation.' 

 When trees were deprived of their leaves, the rise of 

 sap was found to be inappreciable; it is only owing to the 



Trade of the Society Islands, 1909. 



It is shown in Diploiaativ and Consular Reports, 

 No. 4502 — Annual Series, that the total trade of the 

 Society Islanils for 1903 was £880,550, which is an 

 increase of £100,029 o\er that of 1908: the former 

 value is greater than that of any previous year. Of 

 the ex))()rts, copra came first, with a value of £107,404, 

 while vanilla was next with £41,331. The chief among 

 the other agricultural exports were cotton, c.icoa-nuts 

 and oranges, having a value of £4,319, £3,055 and 

 £2,336. Of such products, an increase has been exper- 

 ienced with regard to copra, vanilla, oranges, pine- 

 apples, cotton and cocoa-nuts. 



The vanilla industry of the colony has shared in 

 the recent depression, with the result that the natives 

 have largely ceased to cultivate the plant, and, what i.s 

 more, few efforts are being made by those who still 

 grow it to improve the quality of the product. 



Prize-Holdings Competition in Jamaica. 



In the issue of the Jamaica Telegraph and 

 Guardian for October 22, 1910, an account is given of 

 a piize-holdings competition that was held recently in the 

 parish of St. .^Iiry, .Jamaica. The judging in the com- 

 petition took place from September 12 to 20, and from 

 .September 27 to October 10. The number of holdings 

 entered for competition was forty-seven, as follows: 

 Class 1, twelve; Class II, thirteen; Class III, twenty- 

 two. The reasons given for the moderate number of 

 entries are the exceptionally bad weather conditions 

 experienced during the season, and the fact that 

 no cultivator was encouraged to enter the competi- 

 tion unless he had a reasonable chance of gaining 

 a j)rize. This policy has been found worthy of adoption, 

 because it does not seem ihat the usefulness of the 

 competition is increased by the entr^' of candidates 

 who are not likely to (|ualify fcjr a jn-ize; this is on 

 account of the discouragement consequent on their 

 failure. 



In a general way, the tw(j matters that were 

 brought most strongly to the n<itice of the judges were, 

 firstly, the increased attention that is being gi\en to 

 cultivation in the districts affected by the competition, 

 as well as the greatly improved method of taking care 

 of the cacao and banana cultivation. The second matter 

 was the existence of well built cottages in a district 

 where building materials are acquired only with diffi- 

 culty. In the latter connexion, suggestions are made 

 for the imiiroveiuent of the domestic conditions of the 

 cultivators by an increase in the extent to which stock 

 is kept by them. 



Consideration is being given to a suggestion to 

 offer prizes during the next season for the best kept 

 cacao fields; special attention being paid to the 

 thoroughness of the measures adopted for treating 

 canker, and for the ijeneral sanitation of the orchards. 



