Vol. XL No. 275. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



365 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



AGRICULTURAL EXAMINATIONS. 



The Preliminary Examination of this year, in connexion 

 ■with the Courses of iieading of the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, was held on Monday, October 28. Three hours 

 were allowed for the written paper, which consisted of 

 thirteen questions, of which not more than nine were to be 

 attempted, and among these either question 11 or 12 had to 

 be included. Simple diagrams were required, for illustrating 

 the answers, and for these additional credit was to be given. 

 The questions set were as follows: — 



(1) What gas do green plants give off in quantity, in 

 sunlight? How would you show, by a simple experiment, 

 that they give off this gas? 



(2) Give the chief reasons why plants require a supply 

 of water, and state how the water is taken into them. 



(3) Describe with sketches, any observations that you 

 have made on germinating seeds. 



(4) State the chief reasons for cultivating and tilling 

 the soil, and write a description, with diagrams, of any kind 

 of plough that you have examined. 



(5) What is the effect in a soil of a large proportion of 

 (a) clay, (b) sand.' How may heavy soils be made lighter? 



(6) Give a full account of the way in which any plant 

 that you choose may be budded. 



(7) Describe the chief parts of an ordinary leaf, mention- 

 ing their uses. 



(8) Explain five of the following terms, giving examples 

 ■where this can be done: (a) abomasum, (b) xylem, (c) radicle, 

 (d) atmospheric pressure, (e) evaporation, (f) stamen, (g) arti- 

 ficial manure, (h) proteid, (k) astragalus, (1) ruminant. 



(9) Give a list of the ways in which the amount of 

 nitrogen in the soil is increased, in nature. 



(10) Make sketches and describe what is seen when 

 a thin section of a young root is observed under a microscope. 



(11) Describe the structure and action of the heart of 

 a mammal, and state the uses of the blood in such an animal. 



(12) What organs of a mammal are concerned in diges- 

 tion? Give a general account of this process. 



(13) Writs a description of the parts of .some common 

 ^flower, and say how fruits are formed. 



Sugar in Argentina. — Argentina has a compara- 

 tively temperate climate, but the northern part of it reaches 

 up within the limits of the southern tropic and quite a large 

 cultivation of sugar- cane has been developed. The sugar crop 

 for the current year is estimated at 180,000 long tons and this 

 grown on about 180,000 acres of land producing sugar cane. 

 The chief seat of sugar production is the Province of 

 Tucuman, where 156,250 acres are reported as being in cane 

 culture. The other provinces of Jujuy, Santa Fe and 

 Misiones are estimated altogether at 23,750 acres in cane 

 cultivation. 



In the neighbouring republic of Paraguay there is 

 ■ a sugar factory known as La Azticarera of Terbicuary. This 

 is said to be one of the finest sections of Paraguay, the lands 

 being located on that vast area known as the Chaco, or low- 

 lands. This factory is equipped with modern machinery and 

 'has tramway connexion with adjacent cane fields along the 

 river. The factory is located about 100 miles from the 

 federal capital and is one of the most thriving and pros- 

 perous regions of Paraguay. (The Louisiana Planter, 

 August 24, 1912.) 



THE LIME JUICE INDUSTRY OF THB 



VIRGIN ISLANDS. 



The following is taken from a i-eport by the Agri- 

 cultural Instructor on the lime juice industry of the 

 Virgin Islands, during 1911-12. As with cotton in 

 this Presidency, lime juice is shipped and sold by the 

 Agricultural Department, and this is done on behalf of 

 those who sell the fruit at the Experiment Station, 

 ■where the juice is extracted and concentrated: — 



I have the honour to forward a report on the working 

 of the Lime Purchase Industry for the crop season 1911-12. 



Messrs. Gillespie have advised me of the payment by 

 them of the sum of £112 4«. 3d the proceeds of the sale of 

 the two last consignments of lime juice; this completes the 

 transaction for the last crop year. 



During the period under review, 1,580 gallons of raw and 

 404 gallons of concentrated juice were shipped to London, the 

 net amount realized from its sale being £150 3s. 3d This 

 compares with £140 14s. lOd, similar receipts for the 

 year 1910 11. 



It is much to be regretted that the climatic conditions 

 last season were so unfavourable; but for this circumstance 

 the export of juice would have been considerably more. 

 There is undoubtedly an awakening of interest in the 

 industry and I think we shall see more rapid advance during 

 the next few years, provided of course that climatic con- 

 ditions are more suitable. 



INCREASED SUGAR PRODUCTION IN THE 



PHILTPPINES. 



An article giving information on this appeared in 

 the Louisiana Planter for October 5, 1912, and is 

 reproduced below. It may be mentioned that an 

 account of the sugar industry of Negros, under the old 

 conditions, appeare<l in the West Indian Bulletin^ 

 Vol. XI, p. 207. 



The increase of Philippine sugar exports from 110,604 

 tons in 1909 to 183,077 during the fiscal year ending June 

 30 last, is given additional interest by the reason of the fact 

 that for the first time even a small part of the crop was the 

 output of a modern mill. In the past all sugar produced ia 

 the islands being the output of old-style mills has beea 

 handicapped in the markets, usually grading 88° or lower 

 and bringing approximately Ic. per lb. less than centrifugal 

 sugars testing 96°. 



There was in operation near La Carlota, Occidental 

 Negros, during a portion of the last grinding season, a small 

 mill -with a capacity of 150 tons of cane per day. Its 

 product met a strong demand, bringing 4|c. per R. at whole- 

 sale in Iloilo. Another mill of this type installed neap 

 Muntinlupa, Rizal Province, met with similar success. 

 A number of similar mills are now being constructed ab 

 other points. 



The first large mill in the Philippines has recently beea 

 completed on the San Jose estate in the southern part of the 

 island of Mindoro, but until the next grinding seasoa 

 commences it will only be used for reboiling some of the 

 lower grade article and making marketable sugar from it- 

 On this estate some 800 acres are already in cane and there 

 are about 200 to 500 labourers at work preparing land and 

 planting cane. At the da'e of the last report, contracts were 

 being let for a similar mill on the San Carlos estate on the 

 north-east coast of the island of Negros. 



