Vol. XV. No. 364. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



1-21 



Vitamines. 



As explained in the Agricultural News, Vol. XI^ , 

 p. 34.5. vitainines are complex substances of indefinitely 

 known composition, which in minute quantities 

 regulate the processes of life. Their action is supposed 

 to be connected with the production of some of the 

 essential hormones, internal secretions, enzymes, etc., 

 upon which metabolism depends. Lime juice contains 

 an antiscorbutic vitamine, hence its value as a preven- 

 tive against scurvy. 



Knowledge of the chemical nature of vitamines 

 has progressed slowly: but quite recently an important 

 contribution to knowledge has been made by Casimir 

 Funk (BiochemicaL Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 17, January 

 1916), in which he describes a method of isolating the 

 vitamine from yeast. Briefly it appears that phospho- 

 tungstate precipitate from alcoholic extract of yeast can 

 be divided by means of acetone, into two fractions: 

 a small insoluble fraction, which contains the bulk of 

 the vitamine: and a large soluble one, which is totally 

 inactive. 



Fibre and Cotton in the Belgian Congo. 



Since the occupation of most of Belgium by the 

 Germans, the official organ of the Dep.irtment of Agri-^ 

 culture for Belgian Congo, the Bulletin Agricola du 

 Congo Beige, has been published provisionally in London. 

 From the issue of this publication for March-June 191.5, 

 it would appear that an industry in fibre at some 

 stations in that huge territory gives promise of good 

 results in the future. 



At the experimental station of Congo da Lemba, 

 which is situated on a plateau of some elevation in 

 the province of Bas Congo, various species of Agave have 

 been tried. The soil is deep and permeable, while the 

 rainfall only amounts to an average of about 40 inches 

 per annum. The two fibre plants which yielded good 

 returns were Agave rigida, var. sisalana (Sisal hemp), 

 which gave a little more than 2 per cent, of clean fibre 

 on the weight of leaves; and Agave ca'nta/a(another Sisal 

 hemp), which gave a little less than 2 per cent, of fibre. 

 The Director of Agriculture, M. Droussie, thinks them 

 worthy of attention. 



From another station, Nyangwe, in the Eastern 

 Province, a report is published of experiments with 

 various kinds of American and Egyptian cottons. 

 Previous to the cotton planting, the fields had been 

 under cultivation for some time. The rainfall would 

 appear to be about 42 inches pei annum. Samples of the 

 various cottons were submitted to a cotton expert, who 

 reported very favourably on them, especially with 

 regard to Egyptian Sakellarides. 



The cottons experimented with were the following: — 

 Mit-Afifi yielding 4.5()-5 kilos per hectare of lint. 

 Sunflower „ 234"4 ,, „ „ 



Triumph „ 2745 



Simpkins „ 2.59'2 



Nyassaland „ 123'9 ., „ ,, 



Abassi „ 32 7 ., „ 



Sakellarides „ 982 „ 



A kilo = 21 lb., and a hectare = 2| acres. 



History of the Ceylon Botanic Gardens. 



In The Tropical Agriculturist (January 1916) is- 

 given an interesting sujnmary of the history of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, Ceylon, the 

 most famous tropical Botanic Gardens in the world. 



It would seem that as far back as 1799, three 

 years after the permament occupation of Ceylon by the 

 British, the advisability was recognized of establishing 

 botanic gardens there, not only for the observation of 

 the native trees and plants, but also for the introduction 

 and acclimatization of desirable foreign plants. A 

 trained horticulturist from Kew, Mr. Kerr, was 

 appointed superintendent, and a botanic garden started. 

 The first two sites selected did not prove suitable; and 

 it was not until 1821 that the present site at Peradeniya 

 was selected by Mr. Moon, the superintendent who 

 had succeeded Mr. Kerr. Mr, Moon did not long sur- 

 vive to direct the progress of the new gardens, and 

 after his death, until 1844, the gardens were compara- 

 tively neglected. 



In that year, however, on the appointment ot 

 Dr. Gardner, an enthusiastic botanist, the gardens 

 entered upon an era of activity, which may be said to 

 have increased up to the present time, with no signs 

 of diminution. 



Dr. Thwaites, another distinguished botanist, suc- 

 ceeded Dr. Gardner in 1850, and held the post for over 

 thirty years. During his tenure of office two new 

 developments took place: two branch gardens were 

 opened, one at a higher elevation for experimenting 

 with cinchona, and other products suitable for growth 

 under such conditions, and another for the introduction 

 of the Hevea rubber tree, and for experimental culti- 

 vation of low-country tropical products. It is not too 

 much to say that these two departures of the Ceylon 

 gardens have had very far-reaching effects on tropical 

 ao^riculture. It is fitting that a monument to Dr. 

 Thwaites now occupies a prominent position in the 

 Peradeniya Gardens. 



In 1880 Dr. Trimen succeeded Dr. Thwaites, and 

 held office until 1896, when he died, practically in the 

 midst of his work. Like his two immediate predecessors 

 he was a botanist of world-wide fame, and in addition 

 to his scientific work, he took a lively personal interest 

 in the gardens, where he inaugurated many improve- 

 ments in the appearance of the grounds. 



On the death of Dr. Trimen in 1896, Dr. J. C. 

 Willis was appointed to succeed him. The work of the 

 Director had so increased that it was found necessary to 

 appoint a start" of expert assistant officers. When in 1911 

 Dr. Willis resigned to become Director of the Botanic 

 Gardens at Rio de Janeiro, he left the Ceylon Gardens 

 in a position of increased utility and efficiency. 



In 1912 the Government of Ceylon determined to- 

 form a Department of Agriculture, and Mr. R. N. Lyne 

 was appointed Director of Agriculture at the head of 

 seven separate Divisions, each under a responsible and 

 experienced head. The result of this arrangement has 

 been to extend the scientific and practical work 

 immensely, the last development being the opening of 

 an Agricultural School. 



