Vol. XI. No. 262. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS, 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



MAY. 



Second Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



Work with the sugarcane during this quarter includes 

 the planting and the making of supplies where this is neces- 

 sary. In your experience, what canes are mostly employed 

 for the purpose of supplying, and why are these used in pre- 

 ference to others? State why cuttings for planting should be 

 treated with Ijordeau.x mixture, and give an account of any 

 trials with which you are acquainted that were conducted for 

 the purpose of showing that a better stand is obtained from 

 planting material that has been treated with this fungicide. 

 Why is it important that the canes should spring early and 

 regularly, and what are the .sources of loss if this does not 

 ■occur? 



After the reaping of the old canes, What is the exact 

 process by which new canes are produced in their place I 

 Explain why it is that the yields from ratoons are usually less 

 than the returns from plant canes. Where the central factory 

 system has been adopted, it is a simple matter to ascertain 

 the weights of canes that are being obtained from different 

 fields, from different varieties, and from plants and ratoons, 

 as well as from different methods of manuring and cultivation. 

 The possession of such information should be particularly 

 useful in deciding how far ratooning is profitable in any given 

 case, and to what extent it may be carried on. 



What are the best means of combating the spread of the 

 root disease of sugar-canes, on an estate? Do you know of 

 any kinds of cane that appear to show an increased resistance 

 to this disease? During the whole of the time that canes are 

 ■being cut, observations should be made on their state as they 

 come from the field, particulary for the purpose of detecting 

 the presence of fungus diseases and damage from rats. Ex- 

 plain the importance of the careful selection of material for 

 planting, with reference to the incidence of fungus diseases. 

 Give an account of the insect pests of sugarcane with which 

 you have had experience, and describe methods that have 

 been tried for their control, indicating any improvements that 

 may have occurred to you. In what ways does loss occur 

 when canes are kept for some time before being dealt with 

 at the factory? How may quantities of juice be held over for 

 a time without undergoing loss from fermentation? 



Questions for Candidates. 

 Preliminary Questions. 



(1) State briefly how improved varieties of sugar-cane 

 are obtained. 



(2) In what way does mulching decrease the loss of 

 water from the soil? 



(3) According to what methods is sele^jtion carried out 

 for the purpose of the improvement of plaijjfi? 



Intermediate Questions. 



(1) State what are the six best varieties of sugar-cane 

 for growing in heavy soils. 



(2) Jlention the chief sources of material for mulching, 

 under conditions with which you are familiar. 



(3) What are the main characters that it is intended to 

 obtain when selection with cotton is carried out? 



Final Questions. 



(1) Give an account of the chief characteristics of seed- 

 ling sugar-canes with which you are familiar. 



(2) How would you devise an experiment in order to 

 show that, under given conditions, mulching is of benefit to 

 the soil, with regard to its employment in plant production? 



(3) State how far selection may be employed for the 

 improvement of plants, and supply an account of other 

 methods that exist for such improvement. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE STRAITS 



SETTLEMENTS, 1910. 



The information given below, on agricultural 

 industries in the Straits Settlements during 1910, is 

 included in Colonial Reports— Aannal, No. 70ft, issued 

 recently: — 



The cultivation of Para rubber trees in Singapore showed 

 no sign of decrease, but on the contrary, more and more land 

 was cleared and planted, so that the area under cultivatioa 

 was, at the end of the year, about 14,000 acres. 



The planting of this tree in every corner, even in quite 

 unsuitable localities and in small patches, caused a remark- 

 able diminution in the supply of vegetables, fruit, poultry, 

 and even pigs, many Chinese abandoning other occupations 

 to plant rubber. The fruit crops during the last few years 

 have been very poor, probably from the dying out of the old 

 trees and the failure to plant fresh ones, and there are no 

 signs of any improvement. This is regrettable, as most of 

 the fruit trees take from seven to twelve years to produce 

 a crop. There has been a little improvement in vegetable 

 cultivation, but supplies are still short. 



Gambler has increased a little. Indigo and pine-apples 

 have also increased a little. Ground nuts are again coming 

 to the front, and there has been a distinct increase in this 

 formerly neglected cultivation. There is a small increase in 

 flower cultivation, roses, jasmines and tuberoses being the 

 favourites. The water hyacinth (Eichornia), originally intro- 

 duced as an ornamental plant, has been found by the Chinese 

 to be quite suitable for pig-feeding, and is now much used 

 for that purpose. 



There is no increase in pepper, nor in coco-nuts. In 

 the latter case, this is perhaps due to the ground suitable 

 being already planted up. The red beetle, formerly so injuri- 

 ous to this industry, seems now to be nearly extinct, but 

 occasionally a few trees are killed by the black beetle. 



A very successful agricultural exhibition was held during 

 the year. 



In Penang, the fruit and padi [rice] crops were good, 

 and in Province Wellesley coco-nuts were very successful, 

 and large areas of rubber are coming into tapping. 



In Malacca, the planting of rubber proceeded apace, .and 

 several blocks of lalang land were taken up for this cultiva- 

 tion. The fruit and padi crops were fair. The decrease ia 

 tapioca [cassava] cultivation continues. 



