Vol. XI. No. 255. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



47 



' 2. ( iinger should not be grown on the same land for at 

 least three years 



' 3. The seed should be got from a place that is free 

 from disease. Great care should be taken tf) ensure that the 

 seed is healthy. Vet it is not always possible to recognize 

 liy the naked eye alone the early stages of disease in a rhizome. 

 If any of the buds are bad, the whole piece should be suspect- 

 ed and discarded. ' 



■ 4. Whenever disease occurs in a field, the affected 

 plants should be dug out whole with the larger roots attached 

 and should be destroyed by fire. It is not enough to pull 

 the shoot off by the collar The rhizome must be got out 

 too. By breaking the shoots otF at the collar or by detaching 

 the larger roots an opening is given for liberating the infec- 

 tion into the .soil. Infected plants should never be thrown 

 down in the lield to rot but removed to the edge of the field 

 and burned. 



' -3. Water should never be allowed to lie or stagnate in 

 a ginger field. Air and water should be able to move freely 

 in the upper layers of soil, surrounding the tubers.' 



AGRICULTURE IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA, 

 1910. 



The area of land cultivated with crops for export is small 

 compared with the enormous areas under native food crops. 

 This is amply exemplified by the imports of food stuffs into 

 the country, the total value of which works out at about \s. 

 per head of the population. 



Cotton, cacao and maize are the three most important 

 crops exported. 



i.OTToN. The cotton harvest has fluctuated considerably 

 during the last five years. The exports of ct^ton lint and 

 seed were 21,604 cwt. and 4.'?,300 cwt., in 1910, as comi^red 

 with 4.3,686 cwt. and 90,971 cwt. in 1909. 



The exports of cotton lint during 1910 were 16 per cent, 

 lower than the airrage export of this staple during the last 

 five years. This decrease is attrilnited l>y the native grower 

 to adverse climatic conditions in the shape of a deficient rain- 

 fall and strong harmattan winds. It is, however, considered 

 that the area of cotton planted was less than in the preceding 

 years. More than 400 tons of cotton seeds were distributed, 

 a quantity sufficient to plant about 36,500 acres of land. 



c.\c.\o. The cacao industry shows steady improvement; 

 the e.\ports of this product were 30 per cent., greater than 

 those of the previous year. 



The exports of cacao in 1910 amounted tg,6,567,lSl lb ; 

 in 1909 they were 5,019,149 lb. 



At present the e.\pi)rts are mainly supplied from the 

 Western Province, but the farmers in the Eastern Province 

 are being encouraged to take up cacao cultivaJ;ion. During 

 1910, 1,112 cacao fruits were distributed Jto intending 

 planters. 



M.\izE. Less maize was exported than during any of 

 the preceding four years. This decrease the farmers likewise 

 ■state was due to unfavourable weather obtaining during the 

 growing season. An enormous amount of damage was, 

 however, caused by weevils and other grain eating insects. 



Maize amounting to 5,096 tons was exported in 1910; 

 in the previcjus year the quantity was 10,163 tons. 



KUBBEii-TAi'i'ixc EM'EKi.MENTs. Tapping experiments 

 were conducted by the Agricultural Department on Para rub- 

 ber trees in three different districts, and on Ceafa' ruliber trees 

 in two different districts. The trees forming the subject of 

 the investigations were I/ivea hrasiliensis and Manihot Glas- 



iovii, and the best yields were usually obtained with the 

 former. 



ENTOMOLOOY. The Kntoniologist was able to get a large 

 portion of his collection of insects named at the South Ken- 

 .sington Mu.seum and these will form the nucleus of the 

 collection it is proposed to maintain for reference purposes. 



A<;iu(ULTUR.\L SHOW, L.^oos. A most successful Agri- 

 cultural Show was held in Lagos during December. Sam- 

 ples of crops from all parts of the Colony and Protectorate 

 were entered for competition; the friendly rivalry thus engen- 

 dered must tend to encourage agricultural development. 

 (Information taken from Colonial Reports— \nnwa.\. No. 695, 

 p. 1.5.) 



RAT DESTRUCTION 



The following infdriiiatiim regarding this interest- 

 ing subject is contained in the Annual Report of the 

 Director of Agriculture, Cyprus, for 1910-11. Some of 

 the conclusions are similar to those given on page 139 

 of Vol. IX of the Agriciiltaral Xi'u.-f!, in a review of 

 The Rat Problem, by W. R. Boelter. 



The rat problem yet remains ufis'olved. Complaints are 

 general throughout the carob districts of the damage and loss 

 caused annually by these rodents, a loss which it is difficult 

 to estimate but which cannot be inconsiderable. The danger 

 of the indiscriminate use of the common rat poisons is obvious, 

 and limits the field of experiment to some three or four 

 special preparations which are now regarded elsewhere as the 

 most effective for use on a large scale. Xo preparation, how- 

 ever, no matter how excellent, would be employed by tlie 

 peasantry unless extremely cheap, and herein lies the greatest 

 difficulty of all. Danysz Virus, Ratin, barium carbonate and 

 I'ropical Ratin are all well known and are highly recommend- 

 ed by their respective supporters whether public bodies or 

 private individuals. 



Danysz Virus is a bacteriological preparation of which 

 great things were expected, but the hopes raised do not appear 

 to have been entirely realized. Its virulence is said to be not 

 very stable, and its effect is therefore uncertain. While hav- 

 ing the advantage of being harmless to all but rats and mice, 

 it has the disadvantage that rats which survive the infection 

 of the virus are rendered immune. 



Ratin is also a bacteriological preparation, highly recom- 

 mended by leading authorities. It has become the Danish 

 State remedy and is used by the German Government. This 

 Department has imported small quantities for experimental 

 purposes for the last three years, but so far it has not been 

 very successful. It has the drawback of not retaining its 

 strength beyond three months. After many fruitless enquir- 

 ies the Department succeeded last year in obtaining from 

 ilunich a small packet of ' Pain Baryte ', a preparation based 

 on barium carbonate. It is one of the most recent products 

 of science for the destruction of rats; but the reports to hand 

 of the trials made in the island are not very encouracint'. 

 Tropical Ratin, being a poison, is thought to be too expensive 

 for field use. 



A bacteriological preparation causing a fatal epidemic 

 among those creatures and harmless to all others, at a price 

 within the reach of the villagers— if such can be found— is 

 the great desideratum, and the Department will continue to 

 experiment with those named and with any new preparations; 

 but there seems good reason for the belief that the most effec- 

 tive method, although the most expensive for the Govern- 

 ment, is that of offering a price per tail. 



