Vol. IV. No. 75. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



51 



generally used tlian any other. The land is furrowed, on an 

 average, about 5 feet apart. 



The general method of planting is to place the seed in 

 the furrow by hand, butt to butt, and covered to a depth of 

 from "2 to 3 inches. It is considered tliat, wherever it is 

 practicable, cultivation between the rows should be done 

 ■with cultivators drawn by mules. In the matter of 'hilling 

 mi' there np[)ears to be considerable difference of practice : no 

 doubt this is due largely to difference in climatic conditions. 



"\'ery careful attention appears to be paid to the 

 mauurial requirements. On some piantatioiis a most 

 commendable .system i^ followed of modifying the com- 

 position of fertili/cis to suit the re(piirenients of 

 different fieMs. One planter states : ' Our regular plant 

 cane mixture is composed of superphosphate, suljihate of 

 potash, nitrate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia. We have 

 each field we plant analysed, and vary the proportions of the 

 above ingredients to suit the analysis, so that, as a rule, 

 every field has a different fertilizer to suit its requirements. 



Susar can be produced at a profit in Hawaii only when 

 cultivated and manufactured on a large scale. More than 

 two-thirds of the cane grown in Hawaii is produced by 

 artificial irrigation, and the water for this jiuriiose can be 

 obtained only from surface streams or by pumiiing from 

 su'iterranean sources. Owing to the nature of the formation 

 of the islands, ditches of many miles in length are required, 

 as well as dams and reservoirs to impound the water. This 

 entails enormous expense. Undoubtedly, however, the soil 

 is productive, and the yield is comparatively large on most 

 of the plantations. 



Mexico. 



According to a correspondent of the Louisiana 

 Planter, Mr. Parsons the American Consul-General in 

 the City of Mexico is undertaking :in investigation of 

 agriculture in tropical Mexico. This trip is stated to 

 be the direct result of a report furnished to Washington 

 more than a year ago in which the condition of agri- 

 cultural industries was adversely reported upon. The 

 follov.'ing is an extract from the letter referred to : — 



It is a fact that the sugar industry in southern Mexico 

 is in a flourishing condition, and the sugar growers intend 

 to make this fact plain to Mr. Parsons. Cane in tropical 

 Mexico reaches lull maturity, having an entire year's growth, 

 and requires no fertilizing and no cultivating to produce 

 at least 2.5 tons to the acre. It has been demonstrated 

 that by cultivation alone an average of 40 tons per acre 

 can be easily produced. The soil and climatic conditions of 

 tropical Mexico are ideal for sugar growing, and given 

 energetic and capable management, adequate transpoi-tation 

 facilities, and a modern sugar house, preserving the by- 

 products by the aid of improved economical devices, few 

 safer investments can be found than sugar in that section of 

 Mexico. It is believed that Mr. Parsons' report will bring 

 these facts to general public notice in the U'uited States, and 

 result in the investment of much additional American capital 

 in sugar lands in the tropics. 



The sugar situation in ifexico at the present time is 



brighter than for some time past, and the sugar planters, in 



e.xpectation of steadily increasing demand and good prices, 



■ are planning many improvements and additions to sugar 



plants. 



The most improved sugar machinery in ^Mexico is to be 

 found in the little state of Morelos, where the greater part of 

 the sugar manufactured is produced in accordance with 

 fccieutific principles. 



EXTRACTION OF PARA RUBBER. 



In the Agricultural Neu-s (Vol. II, p. 2G5) brief 

 mention was made of a new tool for extracting Para 

 rubber which had given good results in Ceylon: 

 Mr. \V. H. Johnson in his new work, Tlw Cultivation 

 and Preparation of Para Ruhher, which is reviewed on 

 p. of this issue of the A<irivultural A^env, quotes 

 the following specification of the patent taken out for 

 this instrument, and as this gives a detailed descrip- 

 tion it IS reproduced here for general interest: — 



It is well known that India rubber is the exudation of 

 a tree, and is u.>ually obtained by ' tap[iing ' or ' bleeding' 

 the tree by making slits, grooves, or cuts in the bark, 

 generally in a .slanting condition. As the gum exudes from 

 the tree and flows down to the lower end of each incision, it 

 is received into a small can or other vessel attached to the 

 tree for that purpose. 



It is most important that the ' tajiiiing ' or ' bleeding ' 

 operation should be carefully and properly performed, or the 

 health and producing properties of the tree might be affected, 

 or the tree might be killed. For e.xample, the depth of the 

 slits, grooves, or cuts should not be excessive, and the lower 

 ends of two adjacent incisions should not meet or intersect, 

 but should be stojijied short before forming a complete V at 

 the point of attachment of the collecting can or other vessel. 



The implement forming the subject of this present 

 invention enables the ' taiijiing ' or 'bleeding ' operation to be 

 performed with facility and expedition without endangering 

 the life or health of the tree. 



Fig. 2. Tool for incising Rubber Tree. 



In the accompanying drawing Fig. 2 illustrates the 

 inqjiement in side elevation ; n is a wooden or other handle 

 of suitable size and shape, preferably famished at one end 

 with a stabbing or piercing point b* for the purpose of 

 making an initial incision in the bark of the tree before 

 employing the cutting device which is mounted in the other 

 end of the handle a, and consists of a haft or stem c prefer- 

 ably of a curved .shape, its cutting end standing at an angle 

 to the haft or stem c. The cutting device proper is of 

 a hollow wedge or triangular shape as shown, the cutting 

 edge being at d and e. 



It has been found that this implement may be placed 

 in the hands of natives and unskilled labourers with much 

 less danger of the trees being damaged or killed than when 

 knives or cutters of other known shajies are employed. 



It is obvious that the above-described implement is also 

 applicable for ' tapping ' or 'bleeding ' other trees than those 

 yielding India-rubber. 



It may be mentioned that this instrument has 

 been proved at the Botanic Station at Dominica to be 

 well suited also to the tapping of the Central American 

 rubber tree (Castilloa elastica). 



For a detailed account of the extraction and 

 preparation of rubber readers are referred to an article 

 in the M^est Indian BiUletin, Vol. V, pp. 210-23. 



* The above figure does not show this piercing point, but 

 its pi.>sition is indicated at b. [Ed. A.N.] 



