140 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 22, 1916. 



According to the Gardeners' Chronicle for March 4, 1916^ 

 the Council of the Royal Society have recommended Mr. 

 Maiden, Director and Government Botanist, Botanic Gardens, 

 Sydney, and Professor I'earson, Honorary Director of the 

 recently established Botanic Gardens of the Union of South 

 Africa, for election into the Royal Society. The journal 

 referred to expresses satisfaction at the itoyal Society showing 

 its appreciation of Imperial scientific effort. 



GLEANINGS. 



It is stated in the Port-of-Spain-Gazetle of March 29, 

 that quite recently a shipment of 1,281,001 gallons of 

 Trinidad crude petroleum and .51,5fil gallons of Trinidad oil 

 fuel, was made to Perth Amboy. This shipment was 

 made by the new Trinidad Lake Petroleum Company at 

 Brighton. 



It is stated in the Bulletin of the Department of Agri- 

 rulture of Trinidael and Tola(jo, Vol. .\V, Part 1, 1916, 

 that the Agricultural Creilit Societies Ordinance, the draft of 

 which has already been noticed in the Aijricullural Netrs, has 

 been passed as Act No. 30 of 1915. Its operation will be 

 followed with interest. 



Considerable enterprise is being shown by a producer of 

 Jioney in Barbados who is advertising his produce by means 

 of handbills. These contain some twenty-four recipes 

 involving the use of honey in cooking. The great variety of 

 Wishes in which honey can be an ingredient is shown in these 

 TBcipes, and should tend to extend the use of this article of 

 diet in many households 



An interesting paper on a method of correcting for soil 

 irregularities in the testing of varieties in field plots appears 

 in the Journal of A</r>rultHral Reseurch, Vol. V, js^o. 2. 

 The method is based upon what is known as the contingency 

 method of Karl Pearson. This consists in obtaining the 

 probable yield of each plot by subtracting the 'calculated' 

 yield from the observed yield. 



A ccording to the Trinidad .l/m or for April 1, limes 

 have been included in Trinidad under the category of licens- 

 able produce. This was the result of the Attorney General's 

 opinion that the lime industry in Trinidad is likely to develop 

 into large proi)ortions. A clause has been inserted which 

 exempts small dealers in limes which are to be used for 

 domestic purposes, goniewliat on the same lines as green 

 coco-nuts are exempted in the coco-nut industry in Trinidad. 



According to a note in the International Sugar Journal, 

 jiHgar added to a photograiihio neveloper produces a restrain- 

 ing effect similar to that of tUc conunonly used potas.«ium 

 bromide. I'or example, the time of development of a normal 

 metol-hydro(|uinonc developer of 100 c.c. was increased from 

 five seconds to five minutes by the addition of 60 grammes of 

 sugar, without fogging the clear parts of the plate or injuring 

 the i(uality of the black <lepiisit. 



In tlie i)ast, tlie chief British sconrces of logwood supply 

 have been Jamaica and British Honduras. According to the 

 London Chamber of Cotnmeire Jonrtud for March 1916, a 

 trial slii|)ment was made in 1912 from Mauritius, and though 

 at that time the prices offered were not high enough to 

 encourage the export-, there is every possibility that the higlier 

 value at present ruling will induce Mauritius to send supplies 

 to the I'liited Kingdom, 



A leaflet has been issut-d by the St. Lucia Agricultural 

 Department on bay oil and bay rum as an industry capable 

 of development in that Colony. The leaHet contains useful 

 suggestions. Ill connexion witli tliis subject, it may be inter- 

 esting to point out that the value of bay tree products 

 exported during 1914-15 have been, in the islands mentioned, 

 as follows. Dominica £461, Montserrat £160, St. Lucia 

 £74. A large part of the Dominica produce consisted not 

 of oil but of leaves. 



According to tlie Juiiriial of the Royal Society oj Arti 

 for March 3, 1916, there are large deposits of potassium salts 

 in Alsace. Should Alsace again become Frencli, they will 

 form an inhaustible supply of chemical fertilizers. It is 

 estimated that the beds contain some 3 million tons of pure 

 potash, which at present rate of consumption would supply 

 the world's demand for potash for neavly five centuries. The 

 most important ('onstituent of the Alsacian deposits is 

 silvenite, a mineral in which chloride of potassium jiredom- 

 i nates, which can be used as a fertilizer ilirectly after 

 pulverizatiou. 



An article on exhibition onionsappearing in the Gurdenen' 

 Ohronicle for January 15, 1916, states that the best exhibition 

 bulbs are grown with only a moderate supply of manure, but 

 with thorough cultivation. It is stated that a sprinkling of 

 salt and soot over the surface to be forked in, is useful at 

 planting time. (!reat care should be taken when lifting not 

 to bruise the bulbs. The loose skin should be carefully 

 removed ami the bulbs sponged over. The conditions of pro- 

 duction differ in temi)erate countries somewhat from those 

 in the tro|)ics, but extreme care in cultivation, handling, 

 grading aiul packing hold good universally. 



As a record of the constitution, botli chemical and 

 mechanical, of the chvef soil ty{)es in Fiji, Bulletin No. 9 of 

 the Department of Agriculture, Fiji, is of value. The 

 principal soils appear to be of the clayey type. These are 

 found at the Nasinu Exi>eriinent Station, at Suva, and at 

 Galoa. The soil at Laucala appears to be typically sandy. 

 All the soils contain a fair percentage of potash and, in nearly 

 every ease, of phosphoric acid. The soil at Navua is of 

 interest on account of its high nitrogen content (0'92 per 

 cent.). This soil is of the blaclc peaty type. Tlio work 

 referred to has been carried out by Mr. C. H. Wright, B.A., 

 the Agricultural rhemist, who was formerly a member of 

 the staff of the Trinidad 1 department of Agriculture. 



