204 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Juke 17. 1916 



GLEANINGS. 



It is stated in iV^<(<M>r for April 13, 1916, that a series 

 «.f popular lectures on 'Our Tropical Industries', describing 

 the production of rubber, tea, coffee, cacao, sugar, etc. in the 

 tropical Colonies, and illustrated by collections of the Imper- 

 ial Institute, will be delivered at that institution on Wednes- 

 days in April, May and .Tune. Adnussion is free by ticket. 



An announcement has been made by the Colonial Secre- 

 tary of Barbados to the effect that, in view of the shortage of 

 muscovado sugar, as soon as 13,0(J0 tons of this sugar shall 

 have been exported, a proclamation under the Exportation 

 of Foodstuffs Act, 1914, will be issued by the Governor 

 prohibiting all further export of such sugar except under 

 special license. 



lieference is made in the Durban Agricultural News 

 lor February 191(1, to the standard maize grades adopted by 

 the Department of Agriculture. It is stated that the 

 standard grades in force are mixed samples of the principal 

 kinds of maize grown in the country, and indicate the (quality 

 necessary to obtain the relevant grading certificates for 

 export purposes. They do not cover only one variety of 

 maize: mixture of varieties does not necessarily mean a poor 

 commercial sample. 



The editoiial in the Agriculttiral Netoi^ for February 12, 

 71916, dealt with the measurement of .soil tilth, and called 

 uttention to the fact that this might be done by using an 

 appliance devised by Mr. C. A. LeClair and figured in the 

 Journal of Agricultural Rcxearch. Mr. LeC !lair has written to 

 say that he considers the appliance could be used for this 

 purpo.se, and i.s in agreement with the general views put 

 forward in the editorial. This Department is having con- 

 structed an apjiliance of the kind described. 



In discussing the subject of cattle insurance in India, 

 the Monthlij Bulletin of Economic <ind Social Intelligence 

 points out that an insurance society in India has to count on 

 many more factors and risks than a similar society in Eng- 

 land. In India, premium rates would have to be so high as 

 to be prohibitive for the average Indian small holder. Eng- 

 lish experience does not apply in India, first because the- 

 normal risks of cattle are much greater than in India, and 

 secondly, because the abnormal risks due to famines and 

 epedemics are practically unknown in England. 



Trenching machinery is the subject of Farmers Bulletin 

 No. 698 of the United States Department of Agriculture. 

 This has reference to the construction of drains, and i-t of 

 great interest: but West Indian areas are too small to afford 

 application of such machinery. The ploughs and scoops 

 described, however, might be found useful. In one of the 

 ditching ploughs described a U-shaped knife does most of the 

 cutting; the side knives just hehind the .scoop keep the sides 

 of the trench vertical. The Bulletin is profusely illustiated. 



In view of the results of various experiments that have 

 been carried out in Trinidad, there .seems no doubt that silk- 

 worms can be reared successfully in that island. From 

 a report on the subject in the Bulletin of the Department 

 of Agriculture, Trinidad and Tobago, it would seem advisable 

 that attention -should be first directed to the mulberry silk- 

 worm, and the eri silkworm. It is stated that these varieties 

 have the advantage that their respective food plants grow well 

 in the island, and could readily be planted in any desired 

 quantity. It is suggested that the silkworm industry in 

 Trinidad might make a valuable village industry, which could 

 be carried on chiefly by the coolie women and children. 



More might be done in the West Indies in regard to the 

 cultivation of the avocado. It should be possible to raise 

 strains of good keeping quality which could be placed on 

 the American market before the Californian fruit. Two 

 pamphlets by Mr. Wilson Popenoe on the avocado have come 

 to hand. One of these says that the supply of avocados 

 never meets the demand in America. In the second pam- 

 phlet, a valuable list is given of the diflerent varieties, of 

 which there are no less than eighty-six, together with the 

 characteristics of the fruits. These pamphlets comprise papers 

 which were read before the Avocado Growers' Association of 

 California. It is worth noting that such an association 

 exists. 



Some suggestions for city persons who desire to farm 

 ■are given in Circular No. "24 of the Cornell University Agri- 

 cultural Experiment .Station. It is admitted that farming 

 tinancially is a slow business, but farming investments are, 

 on the other hand, safe, ll is pointed out in another section 

 that large crops do not necessarily pay. The beginner nearly 

 always over estimates the importance of large returns per 

 acre. Economy of land is usually much less important than 

 economy of labour and other <osts. 



The Salisbury Oil Factory is descrided in the Jihodesia 

 Agricultural Journal for February 1916. The nominal 

 capacity of this factor^' is between 7,000 and 8,000 bags of 

 oil seed per annum. The actual receipt sr> far has been 

 appro.ximately : ground nuts, 10,000 bags: sunflower seeds 

 .300 bags: castor beans, 100 bags; and 3 bags of linseed. 

 It is evident therefore, that there is need for extension, and 

 that it will be difficult for the factory to handle the coming 

 season's largely increasing production unless th*e plant i& 

 augmented. 



