Vol. XI. No. 260. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



11'; 



When the young plants are 18 to 24 inches high, they 

 are ready for transplanting to the fields; theyare dug up and 

 made into small bunches; these are set out after cutting ofFthe 

 top of the stalk, care being taken to bury the root thoroughly. 

 The distance between each bunch is 4 to 8 inches. 



After planting, the rice field is left dry fpr three to four 

 days. It is then once more flooded. If the rice is yellow in 

 appearance, the field is dried for some time, and, about 

 seventy-five days before the crop, it is left dry for good. The 

 attentions required consist in keeping the banks in good 

 repair and weeding two or three times. It is advisable to 

 clear away plants growing on the bank, to get rid of vermin. 



EicE GROWING IN WET FiELD.s. This method is applied 

 where there is not enough water for regular flooding. The 

 field is flooded at the start of the rainy season. When the 

 soil is soaked the water is run off. The soil is then ploughed 

 deeply two or three times and harrowed down. The rice seed 

 is sown in the plough furrows and immediately covered by 

 harrowing. The soil is kept cool by surface cultivation. If 

 the weather is dry and water is ac hand, the field is flooded 

 from time to time. During the heavy rains the rice grows 

 very rapidly. By means of well designed banks the water is 

 then kept as long as possible on the field; it is however 

 necessary to provide for a slight current in the water, because 

 in stagnant water rice is largely attacked by a caterpillar 

 which gets inside the stalk and makes the plant wilt. 



CULTIVATION OF ERE IN DKV FiELns. This method is 

 only practical in mountain regions. The soil is tilled with the 

 plough or spade, or sometimes not at all. For sowing, all 

 that is done is to dig holes with a hoe or spade 6 to 8 inches 

 apart, and put down a few grains. 



Ovy.a montaiia and 0. sativa are the two species gener- 

 ally grown. The former is used for dry rice fields and the 

 latter for flooded or wet rice fields. The most frequent 

 diseases of rice are caused by Leplocorisa acuta, an insect 

 which attacks the young ears and thus prevents the forma- 

 tion of the grain; Tylenchus oryzae, a nematode which attaches 

 itself to the roots; the caterpillars of Numji/iula stngnalts, 

 Hesperio philior.a, etc., are likewise very frequent; to prevent 

 their metamorphosis, it is recommended to leave the field 

 flooded. 



For harvesting the rice, the ears are cut one by one and 

 then tied up in bundles. These bundles are stacked and 

 conveyed to the store-houses. After the crop, the land is 

 very often allowed to lie fallow for six months, or earth-nuts, 

 sweet potatoes and other quick-growing vegetables are 

 cultivated. 



Under native cultivation, the average yield per acre is 

 900 to 1,080 H). of paddy. With improved methods, yields 

 of 2,700 to 3,600 D). per acre are obtained, producing about 

 80 per cent, of dry rice. 



OoflEee-Growingf in Madagascar.— Coffee-growing 



in Madagascar is beginning to take an important place 

 amongst the agricultural industries of the island. In the 

 Mananjary district there are no fewer than twenty coffee- 

 growing estates, containing at least 700,000 plants, produc- 

 ing at the present time about 120 tons annually. It is 

 estimated that the yield from these plantations will in a few 

 years' time be increased to at least 500 tons. The Liberian 

 variety of coffee is chiefly grown in Madagascar, but many 

 planters are introducing a quality resembling East Indian, 

 ■with small berries and thin husks. Madagascar coffee is 

 beginning to find a market in France. (The Journal of the 

 Hoyal Society of Arts, March 8, 1912.) 



SILK COTTON IN COMMERCE. 



Recent references to the product of the silk cotton 

 tree {Eriodendron anfractuosum), which is most 

 generally known as kapok, have appeared in the Agri- 

 cultural Neu-s, Vols. VIII, pp. 130, 279, 393; IX, 

 pp. (JO, 93, 239; and X, p. 308. The following addi- 

 tional information is taken from the Chamber of Com- 

 merce Journal for February 1912: — 



The tree which yields -Java kapok is Eriodendron 

 anfractuosum, D.C. The kapok exported from India, Cochin 

 China, etc., is derived from Jioi/iba.r malabaricum, and other 

 species of Bombax. In Java, the kapok tree is met with in 

 the fields and by the roadside; it is cultivated only by a few 

 Europeans. The fruit is gathered when ripe and the fibre is 

 separated from the seeds and debris either by hand or by 

 machine. The seeds are pressed for the oil which they con- 

 tain. The kapok is pressed and packed in jute sacks. For 

 the Australian market these contain 60 to 80 ft).; for America 

 or Europe they are pressed more closely, so that the sacks 

 weigh 99 ft). Owing to the care which is given to the 

 preparation of the kapok in the Netherlands Indies the fibre 

 can be used immediately without further cleaning. The 

 most important markets for kapok are Holland and Australia, 

 but the imports to America, France, Italy, and Spain have 

 increased considerably in recent years. The other European 

 countries are supplied from the Amsterdam market, Ger- 

 many being the principal customer. England, Russia, 

 Denmark, Sweden and Norway use comparatively little 

 kapok. Horsehair is nowadays being gradually supplanted 

 by kapok which, it is stated, is more hygienic for use in stuff- 

 ing mattresses. Kapok is also preferred to other vegetable 

 fibres for this purpose. It has the great advantage of 

 being extremely elastic and of retaining this quality for 

 a long period. JIattresses stuffed with kapok, therefore, last 

 longer than those stuffed with horsehair or vegetable fibres. 

 They are also light and easily handled, and, since a smaller 

 quantity of fibre is necessary, they cost less than horsehair 

 mattresses. The statement that kapok mattresses are not 

 cool seems to be unfounded, since the material is used in 

 tropical countries both for this purpose as well as for use in 

 upholstering chairs, etc. Kapok possesses various other 

 advantages. For example, it does not readily absorb moisture 

 and dries rapidly without losing its elasticity. It can also be 

 repeatedly submitted to sterilization by heat without losing 

 its qualities. Kapok is used for surgical dressings on account 

 of its properties mentioned above, and also because it does 

 not become matted. It may be used for making life-belts and 

 life-buoj's, since it has great buoyancy and retains this quality 

 after being immersed in water for several days, which is not 

 the case with cork or reindeer hair. Kapok, after immersion 

 in water for thirty days, loses only 10 per cent, of its buoy- 

 ancy, which it at once regains on being dried. A company 

 has been formed in Germany for spinning yarn from kapok 

 either alone or in admixture with cotton. Kapok is also 

 used by hat makers and in the manufacture of guncotton. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Mr. F. W. South, B.A., Mycologist on the Staff of 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture, left ^for 

 St. Lucia by the S.S. 'Parima', on April 9, for the 

 purpose of making investigations in connexion with 

 plant diseases in that island. 



