Vol. XI. No. 254. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



25 



Calcium Cyanamide and Nitrate of Lime. 



Several references to these manures have been 

 made from time to time (see Agricultural Neics, Vol. 

 IX, and Vol. X, pp. 57, 168, 232, 828, and Ui). Fur 

 ther information concerning them is contained in an 

 abstract of a paper presented in the Journal of the 

 Board of Agriculture for July 1911, p. 328. 



The manures mentioned were compared experi- 

 mentally with nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, 

 the ((uantities applied being such that each manure 

 afifor<led an ecjual amount of nitrogen; the crop eiiiiJoy- 

 ed was oats. 



The results obtained were very similar with all the 

 manures, though nitrate of lime appeared to cause 

 a greater formation of grain, while sulphate of ammonia 

 seemed to bring about an increase in the weight of the 

 straw. 



Agricultural Conditions in Samoa. 



A short note on Samoa, contained in the Bulletin 

 of tlte Bureau of Agricultural Intelligence a7id of 

 Plant Diseases for June 1911, p. 1213, points out that 

 the average temperature in this tropical island is 

 25-7° tl, with an annual rainfall of 137 to 240 

 inches, precipitation being received on or about 200 

 days in the year; the climate is, on the whole, healthy. 



The nature of the soil and climate would enable 

 all tropical products to be raised, but the best success 

 has been obtained with cacao, cocoa-nuts, and rubber 

 from Herea hrasiliensis and Ficw elastica. The must 

 useful products, next in order, are bananas and pine- 

 apples. Very good timber for use in buildings is ob- 

 tained in the island. 



Cattle are raised, and are descended chiefly from 

 Hereford stock originally obtained from New Zealand. 

 Hurse-brecding is carried out successfully on a small 

 scale, good stud animals, chiefly of English blood, being 

 obtained from New Zealand and Australia for the 

 purpose. Pig-raising also forms a small industry. 



Changes in the Arsenic in Dipping Fluids. 



The observation has been made recently in the 

 United States that when arsenical fluids, used for dip- 

 ping cattle, are mixed and allowed to stand, a loss of 

 arsenic from the solution takes place. Enquiry has 

 been made into the subject, and the results are contain- 

 ed in Circular 182 of the Bureau of Animal Industry of 

 that Department. 



The investigations have shown that the sodium 

 arsenite in the fluids is oxidized to sodium arsenate 

 through the action of bacteria, whose identity has not 

 been established. The process of oxidation often takes 

 place (piickly, the rate being dependent on the number 

 of organisms present or being produced. 



It is suggested that the bacteria responsible for the 

 change may gain access to the fluids through the water 

 used in making the mixtures, through the air, or through 

 excrementitious or other matter brought in by the 

 treated cattle. 



SufHcient information is not yet available for set- 

 ting a limit to the time which dipping fluids may be 

 kept. It is advised that, under the circumstances dealt 

 with, any that hare been mixed should not be used 

 after a few weeks have elapsed, unless there is posi- 

 tive evidence that there has been no loss of sodium 

 arsenite. 



The St Vincent Handbook, 1911. 



A copy of this has been received, through the Agri- 

 cultural Superintendent, St. Vincent, by the courtesy 

 of its editor, Mr. Robert M. Anderson. Although it is 

 not an official publication, the fact that the information 

 has been obtained from Government and other authentic 

 records makes this reliable. 



In its 342 pages, the book presents a calendar, with 

 summaries of events; an account of the island itself with 

 its history, geography and geology; a descrijition of 

 places of interest; information as to the i^olitical consti- 

 tution, and civil and other establishments of the Colony; 

 agriculture in St. Vincent; information of the usual 

 nature concerning postage, duties, fees and other similar 

 matters; a description of variou.s parts of the island and 

 of the Grenadines; an account of the various institutions 

 in St. Vincent; professional and business information; 

 and concludes with the presentation of other equally 

 useful matter, followed by an index. 



The Handbook is produced in an attractive style, 

 which makes reference easy; and contains a number of 

 good illustrations. 



Cacao and Cotton in the Congo. 



Agricultural matters in the Congo have received 

 attention recently, in the last volume of the Agricul- 

 tural Neu-s, pp. 341, 344 and 37.5, and on p. 11 of this 

 volume. Further details are contained in the Board 

 of Trade Journal for September 21, 1911. Success is 

 being obtained with cacao, which has been cultivated 

 experimentally since 1908, in the Mayumbe; the 

 exports from this district increased from 646 metric 

 tons in 1908 to 769 metric tons in 1909: it is readily 

 sold in Antwerp. The area in cacao cultivation is to 

 be increased with the aid of a railway. 



In the district of the Equati^r, which is supposed 

 to be better suited for cacao-growing, an important 

 plantation has been started on a large scale, and atten- 

 tion is also being given to smaller trials. 



The cultivation of cotton by the natives is being 

 encouraged by the distribution of seed and the supply 

 of information concerning cultivation; the result has 

 been, so far, that a small number of villages has profit- 

 ed by the growing of the crop. The matter is merely 

 in its initial stages; but further trials are to be made, 

 especially as it is considered that cotton-growing on 

 a large scale would become a remunerative enterprise. 

 In order that assistance may be given, the Government 

 Botanic Stations in the Lower Congo have been 

 instructed to conduct experiments in cotton-growing, 

 and for the purpose seeds of the better-known Ameri- 

 can varieties are being imported. 



