Vol. XY. No. 377. 



THE AGRICULTURAL iS'KWS. 



32'J 



Insects as a Source of Human Food. 



Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology of the United States I)epartment of Agriculture, 

 contributes a short note to the Jourval of Ecovomic 

 Entomology for August 191(i on Lachnosterna larvae 

 as a possible food supph', and states that these larvae 

 have been made into salads and soups at the Depart- 

 ment and found to be agreeable. Lachnosterna spp. are 

 represented in the West Indies by the hardbacks, the 

 grubs of which may at times do considerable damage 

 to the roots of sugar-cane and corn. It would cer- 

 tainly be a distinct offset to the damage occasioned 

 by the grubs if they could be collected and used as food. 



Dr. Howard says, speaking generally, that there 

 is rather an extensive literature concerning the edibil- 

 ity of insects and p. complete bibliography is being 

 prepared in the library of the Bureau. 



As regards the trials with Lachnosterna referred 

 to, the salad which was prepared was eaten by several 

 men in the Bureau and was found to be very palatable. 

 Another lot of grubs were dealt with in the same way 

 as is employed in making oyster stew and the grubs 

 were taken as well as the broth. It was considered to 

 taste very much like boiled crab meat and not much 

 different from lobster. 



Concerning the edibility of insects in a general 

 way, many species are very abundant under certain 

 conditions, and if methods of collecting them and 

 preparing them for food were well understood, it would 

 mean much for many in moderate circumstances, and 

 there is the possibility that studies along this line 

 ■would not be without significance for the epicure. 

 There is not only an opportunity to take advantage of 

 the unusual numbers of insects which now occur under 

 natural conditions or at least without intentional 

 assistance from man, but the short life-cycle and the 

 great prolificacy of certain insects suggests the possibil- 

 ity of using some forms as an agent in rapidly trans- 

 forming comparatively worthless materials into a food 

 possessing not only nutritious, but appetizing (qualities. 

 In other words, there are possibilities in rearing insects 

 for food as well as for the production of honey, dyes or 

 silk, deserving careful attention. 



Agricultural Returns in England, and Wales. 



A very interesting memorandum has been received 

 from the English Board of Agriculture which consists 

 of a statement of the area of land under different crops, 

 and the number of stock maintained at June 1916 

 ■when the returns were collected. The figures show an 

 increase of 20,7GO acres in a total area umler crops 

 and grass in England and Wale.s. In arable land there 

 ■was an increase of N.t,190 acres, largely in the place of 

 permanent grass, which shows a decline of (i-t,-1.80 acres. 

 These changes are significant in regard to the demand 

 for produce in connexion ■with the conduct of the war. 



As was expected after the very large increase last 

 year, the area under wheat shows a reduction, the total 

 area 1,912,000 acres, being a quarter of a million acres 



less than in 191.5. The total is, however, much greater 

 ■ than in recent normal years, and (except for 1915) is 

 the highest since 1889. This sudden fall in wheat area 

 is significant in regard to the recent high prices for 

 this commodity. The memorandum goes on to saj- that 

 barle}- shows a recovery of 100,000 acres from the 

 low record of 1915: but oats show scarcely any change. 

 Beans and peas show considerable reductions, the area 

 under these two pulse crops being about seven-eighths 

 of that returned in 1915. Potatoes and mangolds have 

 both fallen off by some .'>5,000 acres, but turnips and 

 swedes increased slightly. Among minor crops the 

 chief alteration is in the acreage of mustard (whether 

 for seed or fodder) whicli is more than double that of 

 1915. Although the area under permanent grass- 

 shows a decline, that portion reserved for hay shows 

 a large increase, viz., of 175,000 acres: clovers and 

 rotation grasses show an even greater increase, the 

 total under this crop being 228,000 acres more than 

 last year. Taking all categories of clover and grass, 

 the increase in the area for mowing, as compared witb. 

 1915, is 400,000 acres. 



All classes of horses show an increase, the total 

 being over 72,000 more than in 1915; the greatest 

 relative change is in the young stock under one year 

 of age. Cattle show arise of over 151,000, and the 

 total number is the largest ever recorded in England 

 and Wales. The increase is chiefly among the heifei-s- 

 in calf and the fattening cattle; cows in milk shoi\r 

 a small decrease. All categories of sheep are more 

 numerous than last 3'ear, the augmentation being 

 429.000. Pigs, on the other hand, show a drop of 

 about 10 per cent., and are practicallv at the level of 

 1913. 



The Cultivation of Cacao. 



In referring to the remarks made by the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture in an address before the 

 Agricultural and Commercial Society of Grenada, the 

 Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society fully 

 agrees that 10 bags per acre should not be considered 

 an exceptional yield of cacao. That journal agrees witb 

 Dr. Watts that 1,000 lb. or 1,200 lb. per acre are more 

 frequently obtained on good estates. The journal 

 above goes on to say that a yield of 1,200 lb. would 

 bring about £80 per acre. The average yield in 

 Jamaica is, however, about £1 per tree. Some estates,, 

 it is said, average a good deal more, which means that 

 there are trees that give a great deal le.ss. The waste 

 of land occasioned by maintaining poor yielding trees 

 is pointed out, and the journal referred to urges cacao 

 growers to aim, by means of good cultivation and manur- 

 ing, at an average of 4 to 5 lb. per tree of dried cacao- 

 per annum. The maintenance of humus is important, and 

 this can be done by mulching or by growing such green 

 dre.ssings as will grow under .shade. The general 

 sanitation of the orchard must also receive systematic^ 

 attention. 



