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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 25, 1912. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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Vol. XI. 



SATURDAY. MAV 25, 1912. No. 263. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this number is entitled The Inter- 

 pretation of the Results of Field Experiments. It is 

 written in continuation of the editorial article on the 

 same subject, in the last number of the Agricultural 

 News. The intention -is to give further attention to 

 the matter in the next issue of this iournal. 



On page 16.5, an interesting account is presented 

 of experiments that have been conducted for the pur- 

 pose of investigating the vitality of Para rubber seeds. 

 A subsequent opportunity will be taken to present the 

 further results of the same investigation. 



Page 167 contains a re\ievv of the Reports on the 

 Botanic Station, Agricultural School and Experiment 

 Plots, St. Lucia, for 1910-11, issued recently. 



Under the heading Insect Notes, on page 170, 

 articles ai'e presented dealing with a disease of grass- 

 hoppers and the banana weevil borer. There is also 

 a note on the cotton boll weevil. 



Page 171 contains on article presenting useful 

 information regarding agricultural co-operative credit 

 societies in England and Wales. It would appear to 

 be of special interest in relation to developments in 

 the same direction that are foreshadowed and are 

 taking place, at the present time, in the West Indies 

 and British Guiana. 



A short account of recent agricultural progress in 

 Dominica is presented on page 173. 



Agricultural Conference Picture. 



There is issued as a loose supplement, with this 

 number of the Agricultural News, a full page repro- 

 duction of a photograph of the delegates to the West 

 Indian Agricultural Conference, held in Trinidad from 

 January 23 to 30, last. The photograph was taken 

 on the steps of the Princes' Building, on Monday, Jan- 

 uary 29. It includes most of the delegates: though it 

 is to be regretted that a few were unavoidably absent. 

 If it is desired, the picture may be bound in, when the 

 present volume of the Agricultural News is complete. 



Index and Title Page. 



The Index and Title Page of Volume X, of the 

 Agricultural News are also published as a supplement 

 to the present issue, so that the opportunity is now 

 given, for the numbers of that volume to be bound 

 together. 



As in the case of the last index, it has been endeav- 

 oured to make that of Volume X more detailed in 

 nature than those issued for the first eight volumes. 

 This, again, applies particularly to the portion dealing 

 with Insect Pests and Plant Disea.ses, so that this 

 part may be employed as a dictionary of common and 

 scientific names, as well as an index. 



The Fungus Notes, on page 174, deal with rose 

 mildew and iminortel canker. 



The Value of Rat Exterminators. 



In relation to this subject, a note was given in the 

 last number of the Agricultural N'ews on work that 

 has been carried out in Indo-China. The interest of 

 the matter is further increased by experiments that are 

 described shortly in the Report of the Agricultural 

 Researcli Institute and College, Pusa, 1910-11. 



It is stated that experiments were made with 

 fresh samples of Ratin and Trope Ratin received from 

 England, and that a report on the results was furnished 

 to the Inspector General of Agriculture in India. It is 

 explained that Ratin is a bacterial culture of a rat 

 disease, prepared in Copenhagen. In the trials at Pusa, 

 although the cultures were alive when they were re- 

 ceived, as was proved by transfers, it was not possible 

 to effect the transmission bj- them of any disease when 

 they were given with food to captive rats. The sug- 

 gestion is made that the virulence of the cultures 

 might be regained by re-culturing in Indi i. 



It is further explained that Trope R itin is not 

 a bacterial culture, but a vegetable poison, whose prin- 

 cipal characteristic is that it readily kills rats and mice, 

 but is harmless to other animals. The trials carried 

 out with it in India proved that its usefulness in that 

 country depends upon its employment within a limited 

 period of time after its preparation, for it deteriorates 

 rapidly when kept, and loses its poisonous property, 

 The cost is said to preclude any possibility of its use 

 by cultivators on a large scale, but it is suggested that 

 it may be employed in special cases, such as in granaries 

 or warehouses. 



