56 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



February 17, 1912. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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^Orifi^lti^i^^^' (lleuni 



Vol. XL SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 17. 1912. No. 256. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The present number contains the first of a series 

 of editorial articles, in which it is intended to present 

 broadly the matters of chief importance that were under 

 consideration at the recent Agricultural Conference. 



Page 51 contains an abstract of a recent interesting 

 article, which dealt with the Java sugar crop in 1911. 



Information of interest, concerning new varieties 

 .of macgoes that have been introduced successfully into 

 •Dominica, is presented on page 52. 



On page 55 will be found an article in which is 

 i3Ut forward the most recent information arising from 

 investigations as to the necessity for phosphorus in 

 nutrition. The work that is dealt with has been carried 

 out chiefly in regard to beri-beri, and neuritis in the 

 lower animals. 



The Insect Notes, on page 58, include two articles. 

 These have respectively for their subjects the New 

 Zealand Grass Grub, and Formalin as a Poison for the 

 House-Fly. 



In the Students' Corner, which appears oa page 

 61, is given the conclusion of the questions set in the 

 examinations in connexion with the Courses of Reading 

 of the Department, of last year. 



Australian 'Salt Bushes as Food for Stock. 



In view -pf experiments that are being carried out 

 under the Iiflperial Department of Agriculture, parti- 

 cularly by the Agricultural iJepartinent of Antigua, 

 with Australian salt bushes, with relation to their use 

 as foiMgp, the following infunuation, abstraqted from 

 the Bidletiii of the Imperial Institute, 1911, p. 277, 

 is of interest. 



The pli^nts have become acclimatized in Asia, 

 Aineiica and Africa, where they are highly \alued as 

 auxiliary feed for stock. Most of the plants in the 

 natural order to which the salt bushes belong (Cheno- 

 podiaceae) may be used for feeding cattle, but some of 

 them are to be avoided, because they produce balls of 

 cotton-like ujiaterial, during protracted drought. 



In a general way, it is considered that the best 

 kinds of salt bush, when freshly cut, contain the follow- 

 ing: water, about 75 per cent.: fat, 4 to ti per cent.; 

 protein, about 2 5 per cent.: digestible carbohydrates, 

 10 per cent.: fibre, 3 to 4 per cent.; ash, 5 to 10 per 

 cent., of which about one-half is common salt. An 

 advantage of the inclusion of a high proportion of salt 

 bushes in the diet of animals has been stated to be 

 a power to cure them of certain intestinal parasites. 

 There is the additional advantage that their succulence 

 renders thenj j)articulaily useful where water is scarce. 



Among the most important species of salt bushes 

 are AtriplfX SPinUiaccaAa and A. nummularia. Of 

 these, the former is a perennial which responds readily 

 to cultivation, and is deeply rooted so that it withstands 

 drought well. A. vummidarla grows well under 

 a wide range of conditions; it i.s more suited to cattle 

 than to sheep feeding, on account of the fact that it 

 may grow to a height of as much, even, as 15 feet. 



On page i]2, the Fungus Notes have for their sub- 

 ject the latest information available concerning the 

 causes of the occurrence of spots on Para rubber. 



Prize-Holdings Competitions in Grenada, 1911. 



The results of these are dealt with in the Minutes 

 of the Proceedings of the Committee of Management of 

 the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Grenada, 

 on the occasion of a meeting held on October 27, 1911; 

 a copy of the minutes was received recently. 



The judges in St. George's Parish, Messrs. J. B. 

 Wells and D. G. Alexander, state that some of the 

 work was fairly well done, pen manure and artificial 

 manure being used in most cases. Advice was requir- 

 ed by the peasants, particularly in regard to cacao- 

 pruning. 



In St.i Mark's parish the judging was done by 

 Messrs. W. Malins-Smith and A. H. B. Gall, who state 

 that the standard of work was very creditable. Visits 

 by the Agricultural Instructor, during the period of 

 working, are reijuired, and there should be greater 

 efforts to ol*ain entries; while the competitors should 

 be kept in close touch with the Agricultural and Com- 

 mercial Society. A certain amount of suspicion as to 

 the objects of the competitions still e.xists; this should 

 be dispelled if greater attention is given to the 

 compctitorsi*!. 



Messrs. W. H. Mignon and W. H. Alexander, who 

 judged the holdings in St. Patrick's parish state that 



