Vol. XV. No. 370. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



221 



PRODUCTIVE FARM CROPS. By Professor E. O. 

 Montfiomiiiery (Cornell University). ./. B Lippincott Co., 

 Philadelphia and London. Pp. 512, Figs. '203. Price 7s. (3d 

 net. 



This book gives a goo 1 practical account of the char- 

 acters, cultivation and harvesting of the principal crops growQ 

 in the United States. Several of these are also produced in 

 the West Indies, and from this point of view, the book under 

 review is of interest to the West Indian planter. In Chapter I, 

 a diagram shows that by far the most valuable crop 

 produced in the States is Indian corn; it is worth over twice 

 as much as the American cotton cro)), which, in itself, is of 

 greater value than the American wheat crop, and vastly 

 greater than the value of the potato or tobacco crop. 



INDIAN (,'OEN. 



As regards the crossing of corn it is pointed out that 

 tlie effect of crossing on vigour and yield is very marked. 

 When seed has been fertilized by pollen from the same plant 

 it usually produces smaller plants than hybrid ears. It is 

 stated that the yield is usually reduced about one-half 

 by inbreeding. In nature, most of the corn is pollenized by 

 other than its own pollen, but at least some kernels must be 

 self-fertilized on each ear. These .self-fertilized kernels prob- 

 ably account for many of the small or barren stalks in fields. 

 A useful feature of this book is the provision of e.xercises 

 at the end of each chipter; thus in connexion with corn 

 selection, instructions are given for class selection from 

 100 seed ear.s, and for the study of the germinating 

 quality of corn. In dealing with the preparation of land 

 for corn, it is .stated that there is no object in planting 

 corn deeper that' is necessary to ensure good germination: 

 2 or 3 inches is generally enough, but much depends upon 

 the physical character of the soil and the rainfall. In 

 colonial days, corn was an important article of food in iNorth 

 America and was generally used. It is stated, however, that 

 with the development of wheat culture corn has been almost 

 entirely superseded in all but the Southern States. In the 

 South, corn bread is still used extensively. The more exten- 

 sive employment of corn as fo'id, particularly in the 

 form of vegetables, is to be encouraged. Chapter XIV, which 

 is the last one out of eight dealing with this important crop, 

 concerns the judging of corn. Fancy ears are illustrated 

 and special points enumerated. Tliis chapter should prove 

 of interest in the West Indies in connexion with maize 

 shows. 



COTTON. 



The next crop dealt with in this book that requires 

 consideration from a West Indian point of view is cotton. 

 It is pointed out that cotton is the leading cash crop of the 

 country, being one of those which are converted directly and 

 entirely into money. In the description of the cotton 

 plant some space is devoted t'. the characters of the 

 fibres. It is statefl that the tensile strength is usually repre- 

 sented by 6 to 8 grammes, but extreme breaking weights of 

 4 to 14 grammes have been found. The author classifies cotton 

 into unripe, half ripe, and ripe, each condition being judged 



by the amount of twist, the ripe cotton having most twist. The 

 author states somewhat crudely, that the value of cotton fibre 

 is determined by its colour, length, tensile strength, ripeness, 

 finenes.s, and uniformity. Next is discussed the utilization 

 of cotton by-products, and in this connexion it may be noted 

 that cotton-seed hulls are used in the manufacture of paper 

 and fibre-board. In the United States it is apparently the 

 case that cotton culture requires the application of large 

 amounts of fertilizers, a condition which does not hold good 

 in the West Indies. As a matter of fact it is characteristic of 

 the book under review rather to over emphasize the value 

 of fertilizers in the production of crops. The remunerative 

 use of manure is almost everywhere to a large extent a matter 

 of speculation, and it would seem that more is written con- 

 cerning fertilizers than is desirable, considering that every 

 estate has to decide for itself what it requires, by the condi- 

 tions existing at any one time. The author states that the 

 enormous increase in the production of cotton in the United 

 States is due chiefly to the use of commercial fertilizers; we 

 should have thought that it has been due rather to the 

 effective control of the cotton boll weevil — a subject on 

 which the author has very little to say. 



In regard to the picking of cotton it. may be of interest 

 to record the fact that in the States, the cost of this operation 

 varies from .50c. to 75c. per 100 S). of seed-cotton, this being 

 equivalent to about 1 J to 4jc. per lb. of lint The amount 

 of seed-cotton which one person can pick in a day varies 

 usually from 100 lb. to 5(.>0 lb., depending on the skill of the 

 labourer, and the yield of the plants. 



SORGHUJIS, SWEET POTATOES, PEANUTS AND TOBACCO. 



A class of crop which might be more widely utilized in 

 dry districts in the West Indies is the Sorghums. Their 

 cultivation, etc., are dealt with in this book. It is explained 

 that the reason why sorghum is more drought-resistant than 

 Indian corn, is because the sorghums can stand short periods 

 of drought and immediately become revived on the receipt 

 of rain. Corn, on the other hand, would often be killed 

 by these spells of drought. Sorghum is grown for four 

 purpo.ses: grain, forage, syrup and broom bu.sh. 



" C.'hapter XXXII deals with sweet potatoes, and a map is 

 given to show the range of production in the Southern States, 

 running right round from California through Southern Texas, 

 up to Virginia. It appears that in the States the crop is 

 sometimes planted from the smaller sized potatoes sorted 

 from the m tin crop. Special storage houses are used for 

 curing the root. 



A large amount of information is given in this book 

 regarding forage crops, but apart from the references to 

 Bermuda grass, .Johnson grass and Sudan grass, the crops 

 dealt with are not grown in the West Indies. Similarly 

 a detailed account is given of leguminous crops many of 

 which are of interest only in connexion with agriculture 

 under temperate conditions Cowpeas, however, form 

 a valuable crop in the States, as do also ground nuts or pea- 

 nuts as the Americans call them. These latter, after harvest 

 are 'shocked' on stakes in the field to dry and cure. There 

 is a large consumption d peanuts in the United States 

 in the form of baked nuts, and in the form of oil which is 

 expressed. 



The last chapter deals with tobacco. An account is given 

 of the cheese— cloth shade method of production, and an 

 illustration is given to show how seed beds may be sterilized 

 by means of steam from a traction engine. Other interesting 

 features of this chapter concern the care of the growing crop, 

 and its curing — a matter which has been an obstacle to the 

 production of small quantities of marketable tobacco in some 

 of the smaller West Indian islands. 



