THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 2, 1912. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Interiuttioiial Sugar Journal for January 1912 

 states that, during the crop season ending August last, Argen- 

 tina produced 1,485,666 tons of cane; in the previous season 

 the production was 1,175,231. It was expected that the 

 output of sugar would reach 160,000 tons. 



The average yield of cotton during the past season in 

 St. Vincent has been somewhat low, prices for the tirst 

 shipments, as has been shown in the Ai/i'icnltural News, have 

 been about 20d. to 2 Id. per tt>. The prices for arrowroot 

 have continued firm in both the English and Intercolonial 

 markets. 



The annual report of the Porto Rico Experiment Station 

 for 1910 gives the results of trials of chloride of lime, potas- 

 sium permanganate, tri-cresol and carbon bisulphide, in cases 

 where lilies were being grown in so-called sick soil. The 

 best results were obtained with the cheapest of these sub- 

 stances, namely chloride of lime. 



The values of the chief exports from the Federated 

 Malay States during the year 1910 were as follows: tin and 

 tin ore, .?57,154,89'i ($1 = 2s. 4rf.);Para rubber, .?38,441,610; 

 copra, SI, 194,226; sugar, .$679, 794; rice, 8655,085; tapioca, 

 $516,252. There were increases over the amounts for 1909 

 in all cases except those of sugar and tapioca. 



It is expected that, mainly owing to the unfavourable con- 

 ditions at the commencement of the season, the yield of cot- 

 ton throughout Nevis will be small; in some districts, how- 

 ever, the retrrns are good. Trouble has been experienced 

 Avith cotton s'.ainers and caterpillars, and there is likely to be 

 some increase in the quantity of stained cotton. 



It is reported by the Agricultural Superintendent, 

 St. Kitts- Nevis, that, up to January, little progress had been 

 made in regard to the old sugar-cane crop in the Basseterre 

 rlistrict; in the northern districts, the prospects of the crop 

 were more promising. The j'oung cane crop was stated to 

 be healthy, and more regular growth than usual was being 

 made. 



Information has been received from the Secretary of the 

 British Cotton Growing Association that the sorting of cotton 

 on arrival at Liverpool will be greatly facilitated if planters 

 will in all cases send s-pecifications of their shipments to the 

 Association, when advising that a consignmernt is being sent 

 forward. The specification note should show the number of 

 bales, together with weights, marks and numbers of each 

 bale, whenever a shipment is being advised. 



It is announced that the following report.*, presented 

 to the International Congress of Tropical Agriculture 

 in May 1910, have now been published : Report on 

 the Present Position of Cotton Cultivation, by Professor 

 Wyndham R. Dunstan, M.A., L.L.D., F.R.S., price Is.; 

 Papers and Reports on Cotton Cultivation, supplemen- 

 tary to the above, price 5.«., post free (abroad) 5s. Id. These 

 are to be obtained from the British Section of the Interna- 

 tional Associ.ition of Tropical Agriculture and Colonial Devel- 

 opment, Imperial Institute, South Kensington^ S. W. 



f he CentralUatt fur Balder iologie for February 4, 1911, 

 contains an account of experiments that have been conducted 

 on the peaty high moors of Sweden, in growing leguminous 

 crops with the aid of such inoculating substances as Azotogen 

 and Nitragin, and with natural soil. Past results had shown 

 that the best effect was obtained by the use of natural soil, 

 and the new experiments formed a confirmation of these. Of 

 the artificial preparation.?, Azotogen (prepared by Dr. Simon 

 of Dresden) was shown to be superior to Nitragins obtained 

 from Dr. Kuhn of Cologne. (See also Agricultural News, 

 Vol. A, p. 408.) 



In the E.rperiment Station Record for July 1911, p. 17, 

 attention is given to the continuation of experiments that are 

 being conducted in France in order to find if there is any 

 truth in the popular superstition that the moon exercises an 

 influence on the growth of plants. In the latest trials, plant- 

 ing at the time of the new moon gave the greatest yield in 

 twenty-eight cases, planting in the fii^t quarter in twenty- 

 nine, planting at the time of the full moon in twenty-eight, 

 and planting in the last quarter in twenty-seven. This 

 shows that no material difference ia the yield could be 

 attributed to the influence of the moon. 



The Nd'-hriihten tar Ilnndel unci Industrie (Berlin) of 

 November 29, 1911, states that the Russian Alinister of 

 Agriculture has caused experiments in cotton growing to be 

 carried out in Bessarabia, Kherson, Ekaterinoslav, Taurida, 

 the Black Sea district and North Caucasus. Altogether, about 

 800 acres were sown with cotton seeds, The results were very 

 .satisfactory; the cotton ripened well, and produced a good 

 workable staple. The Moscow Cotton Committee .submitted 

 the South Russian cotton to a thorough examination, and 

 declared it to be as good as Turkestan cotton. Experiments 

 with early varieties of cotton will be continued on a larger 

 scale. {The Board of Trade Journal , December 14, 1911.) 



According to the Bidlctin of the Btn-eau of Agricultural 

 Intelliiiencc and of Plant Diseases for June 1911, p, 1209, 

 the Government of Siam has made a commencement of 

 repairing the irrigation and drainage works which had been 

 allowed to fall into ruin, and numerous attempts have 

 been made in jute cultivation, without much result, so far. 

 Agricultural exhibitions were held in 1910 and 1911. In 

 the former of these years, the values of the chief exports, 

 rice and teak, wel-e respectively £7,437,565 and £625,672. 

 The teak industry has brought about a large amount of 

 deforestation, and the effects of this are beginning to be 

 felt, so that the Government has made stringent regulations 

 regarding the removal of timber trees. 



