2o6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1882. 



crop on the land checks this outpour of nitrates, first 

 because miioli more water is evaporated from the soil 

 and the plants together than from the bare soil, so 

 that the amount in the drainage will be diminished, 

 and because the roots greedily take up the nitrate 

 from the soil, so that the drainage waters collected 

 from a Wheat field in June — July were found to con- 

 tain little or no nitrates — all, or nearly all, had been 

 taken up by the plant. The Wheat, however, ceases 

 to take up nitrates after its season of growth is over, 

 and there is, tlierefore, the risk, the certainty rather, 

 that the remaining nitrogen will be drained out from 

 the soil. But in the case of root crops the gi-owing 

 period goe.s on much longer, so that the roots get 

 the benefit of the summer production of nitrates and 

 obviate much of the loss and waste in the autumn. 

 Permanent pasture, where there is a crop on the land 

 all the year round, obviates the loss of nitrates even 

 more effectually. With reference to this waste of 

 nitrogen (valued at about Is. for 7 lb.) the practical 

 question is, whether it is cheaper for the cultivator 

 to buy nitrates at a high price (the present value is 

 £16 a ton) or to take more or less expensive means 

 to prevent tlie waste. 



It may, liowever, be within the bounds of possi- 

 bility that even as we have now the means of effect- 

 ing oxidation and consequent solubility, so chemists 

 and microscopists may some day be able to tell us 

 how to reverse the process. There are many kinds of 

 Bacteria, and we already know that tlieir life habits 

 are very varied. Mr. Waringtou himself tells us that 

 while one will ensure the formation of nitric acid, 

 another will only form nitrous acid, an acid contain- 

 ing a less proportion of oxygen than the nitric. There 

 is, then, nothing inconceivable in the suggestion that 

 as some of these organisms are now knowm to act as 

 cooks and dish up good food to the plants, others may 

 be found to stop or counteract the process. When we 

 have reached that happy stage we shall turn on the 

 nitrogen just when we want it, and turn it off when 

 it is of no more service, just as we have done for 

 years in the case of gas, and we are now doing with 

 the electric light. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



THE MUNGOOSE AND EATS ON SUGAE, 

 COCOA AND COFFEE ESTATES IN JAMAICA. 



While collecting information for a report on the 

 agiicultm'al products of Jamaica, I was lately led to 

 investigate the results of the introduction of the muugoose 

 (Herpestes ichneumon) into the island for the purpose 

 of destrojing the plague of rats, which have always 

 more or less infested sugar estates and caused considerable 

 loss by their ubiquitous depredations. As a consequence, 

 rat-catching has been an important item in all sugar 

 estate expenses not only in Jamaica, but in all the 

 West Indian islands, and for the last two hundred 

 years numerous suggestions have been made to cope 

 with an evil which, in spite of rat-catchers, dogs, trai>s, 

 baits, and poisons, has remained as gi-eat as ever. 



The rat-catchers on estates are mostly Africans (negroes) , 

 who pursue their calling accompanied by a troop of 

 dogs, and use traps of a very primitive fashion. These 

 consist of a bow made of tough wood, with a small 

 basket at one end to hold the bait, and just large 

 enough to admit a rat's head. The string, attached 

 to the bow, is formed into a loop inside the basket, 

 and held ready for action by a small peg, on which 

 the liait is iixed. The rat, on touchiug the bait, 

 loosens the attachment of the string, which suddenly 

 tightens round its tlu-oat and kills it. liesides traps, 

 poisons prepared from pliosphorus are largely used. 



The common browu and l/hick rats <if J')iirope. in- 

 truduceil, no doubt, by ships, are comm'in e\ orywliere ; 

 but the most destructive to the sugar cane is the 

 "cane-piece rat," which Gosse has named Mus saochari- 



vorus— distinguished by its large size and white belly 

 a truly formidable creatm-e (di-awn by Robinson in his 

 MS. volumes, iv. , 13), measuring 20iu, in length, of 

 which the taU measm'es one-half. This rat is also 

 known as the "Charley Price rat," from an impression 

 — proved, however, to be en'oneous — that it was in- 

 troduced by Sir Chai-les Price for the purpose of 

 destroying the black and brown rats. Natm'aUy, one 

 of the fh-st thoughts of an Englishman plagued by 

 rats, and beyond the power of cats and dogs, would 

 be the introduction and naturalisation of the European 

 fen-et.* It appears, however, that the ferrets when 

 introduced were rendered useless by then' inability to 

 overcome the attacks of the Chigoe flea, which infests 

 the lowlands and becomes a serious pest to most 

 imported animals. "Under these cii'cumstauces, Sii- 

 Charles Price bethought him that, it he could find an 

 animal in the counti7 of the Chigo, corresponding to 

 the weasel of Europe, he would aecomphsh the natm-alis- 

 ation of a rat destroyer with instincts capable of 

 counteracting the plague of the parasitical insect. He 

 accordingly jn'ocured something from South America, 

 that, m the eyes of the negi'oes, had strong rat 

 characteristics, but which was no rat. It was of 

 large size. Sevei'al were set at lai'ge about the house 

 at the Decoy in St. Mary's and at Worthy Park, 

 to •stablish themselves how they might. It would 

 seem that notlung came of the scheme, for no animal 

 allied to the musteline gi-oup quachupeds has been 

 found in the colony."! The appearance of the large 

 " cane-piece rat " in the island about this same time was 

 no doubt connected by the natives mth the animals 

 introduced by Sir Charles Price, hence his name remains 

 associated with the rat instead of its destroyer. 



The introducer of the native ant of Cuba (Formica 

 omnivora) was more fortunate. This is said to have 

 been Thomas Rafifles, who, in 1762, brought over this 

 foiTuidable hymenopteron to prey on the young rats ; 

 and, strange as it may appear, the "Tom Raffle ant" 

 has remained to this day a firm friend to the sugar 

 planter and a foe to all pests of rats and vennin.J 

 To aid the "Raffle ant,'' another foe to rats was 

 adopted in the "Agua toad" — an enormous South 

 American amphibian, some seven inches from the 

 muzzle to the coccygeal extremity^ and as broad as 

 long. This was introduced by Mr Anthony Davis in 

 l8ii. These gigantic toads had been considered in 

 Martinique and Barbadoes very unportant auxiliaries 

 to the planter by then pursuit and destruction of young 

 rats. They had no doubt been introduced in the tu'st 

 instance from Cayenne and the intertropical parts of 

 South America, where they are said to be indigenous, 

 and to aboimd in great numbers. The dispersal of these 

 strange animals in Jamaica caused at fu-st considerable 

 commotion. The oldest inhabitant never heard such 

 hoarse beUowings from the poiuls and pastures as suddenly 

 saluted then ears when this "BuU frog" became common. 

 Its note, to use the words of the late Mr Richard 

 HUl, is a "loud sort of modulated snoring noise" and 

 he evidently thought little of it as a rat catcher, for 

 he adds, " they are now (1847) eradically established 

 among us, and are to be added to the miscalculating 

 delusions which gave us ' big rats ' to devour ' little 

 rats,' and the ant of Cuba to rid us of the accumulated 



* Although cats have been intri)duced and encouraged 

 on estates, it appears that they have not contributed 

 largely to diminish the plague of rats. There is an 

 impression in the island, which I give for what it is 

 wor h, that the negroes are addicted lo eating cats, and 

 thus frustrate the ett'orts of the planter ; but whether 

 from choice or as an antidote. to Obeahisni is not s'ated. 



t Gosse "Naturalist's Sojiurn in Jamaica," 1851, p. 447. 



X In some districts where special y abundant, the "Raffle 

 atit" has been known to atiack the yoimg of both cats 

 and dogs, and to severely injure them, especially in the 

 eyes. Calves have also been similarly aft'acted. 



