r^S-. 



iROPlCAL AG-KlCULTURfST. 



459 



husk, which checks the tenrteney to scour, so common 

 witli cows at those ptriotls. Ahout 3 lb. per heail per 

 day of the last-iiapieil cake, or 2j lb. of decorticated 

 cake, have been recommended, ft seems rather ped- 

 antic to duide a poraid of cotton cake into two 

 p.irtfi, as well make two bites of a cherry. 



Sir John Lawes has laid down a great deal of 

 grass land at Eothamstead, and he attributes, the 

 comparatively rajjid formation of good turf to the 

 free use of decorticated cotton cake given to his large 

 dairy cows at the rate of 3 lb. to 5 lb. each daily. 



In using cotton cake in yards and stalks, without 

 an nbuudance of succulents, it should be ground into 

 meal, and nii.^;ed with ground maize or barley meal, 

 grains which are rich in starch and other nou-nitro- 

 gcnous compounds and comparatively poor in albu- 

 minoi.ls; and with this hint, which is particularly 

 applicable to the present season, these remarks must 

 be concluded.— H. E.— Field. 



CULTIVATION OF STEAWBEERIES. 



Sir,— Would you mind publishing (in reply to " R.- 

 I,. S." 26lh iustant) the following, extracted from 

 an old Indian work in my possession ? "Strawberries. 

 Frmjnriii. — Thi.s pl«ut multiplies itself from runners 

 anil suckers ; the old plant, after it has ceased bear- 

 ing, throwing them out. As soon as the rains have 

 set in, these ruuuers may be remored into a nursery- 

 bed, for their being more easily looked after, and 

 should have the space of nine or ten inches allowed 

 between them ; they will throw out other runners, 

 the whole of which may be separated, and transplanted 

 at the proper season. 



Soil. — They thrive best in a light soil, witli good 

 old stable manure, as well as vegetable manure at 

 first; and as soon as they show a disposition to 

 (lower, may have old goat's or sheep's manure added 

 around each plant, a couple of double-hand.iful be- 

 ing suflicicut. 



l.'iiltuif. — In no parts of the Ueccan should the 

 plants be put out for fruiting before the close of 

 the rains ; the latter part of September being qxiite 

 early enough. Suckers that I planted out for experi- 

 ment at the commencement of August grew to very 

 fine bushes, and did nothing for ten or twelve weeks 

 but throw out suckers, which were continually re- 

 moved, and, after all, fruited badly; the finest and 

 most prolific crop were got from suckers put out in 

 the beginning of October. Some strawberries were 

 gathered in >;overaber from the plants put out in 

 A\igust, but they were so few as in no w.iy to induce 

 me to try the experiment again. Varii-ties can only 

 be procured from seed ; and to procure the seed, 

 select the finest ripe fruit, rub it on a sheet of paper 

 and tlry it. When the rains commence, soak the 

 seed in water, reject all that float; the remainder, 

 sow in baskets in a light loam, when they will be 

 fit to remove in about six weeks, and ;thould be fit 

 to remove into other baskets five or six inches apart, 

 and taken care of until ready to be transplant<?d 

 into beds, where they are to remain. As these 

 plants throw out suckers very fast, they must be 

 constantly looked after and removed, unless you 

 have a scarcity of plants. They will coramenco 

 bearing in six months from the time of sowing the 

 seed You may, as soon as the rains have ceased, 

 put your suckers that have rooted, into square beds, 

 each not hss than ono foot apart five in a row; 

 this will give you twenty-five in a bed — as many as 

 can be easily looked after and gathered without 

 trampling on the bed and thereby iujuring the plants. 

 AVhere the earth is of a clayey consistence, T have 

 seen the strawberry cultivated on ridges. Some think 

 this is a good pl.>n; however it can easily be tried. 

 It is sometimes necessary, in consequence of flood- 

 ing your beds, to put tiles under the fruit to keep 

 it clean, but this also attracts the notice of birds; 

 if straw or grass is used then the chances are that 

 white ants destroy your plants. This it is that makes 

 the ridge system of growing preferred by some, as 

 they 6»j tUo fruit is clettuer in consfiiuunce. All I 



know is, that fine fruit may be grown either way 

 and if ou ridges, tb.c same distance must bo allow- 

 ed between the plants as in beds — and, even in 

 the latter, the plants may be put in raised cones 

 of earth. The common vegetable manure is all that 

 is required at first, till near flowering, when a hand- 

 ful of i-'^at's or sheep's dung should be put around 

 the plaui, I pening the earth and scraping it togetlier : — 

 water the plant during the evoniug, and very early 

 in the morning. 



I have known finely powdered sulphur, tied in a 

 little muslin bag, and used over the plants, beii.-- 

 fical against the ravages of the catei-pillars, white 

 ants, grubs, &c. Another plan is to have a pair of 

 English bellows, with the' nozzle fitted with an affair 

 like the rose of a watering pot. Taking off the 

 rose, and putting into it a little lighted charcoal, with 

 some tobacco, begin to puff away at your plant-;, 

 as much underneath as you can, and you will sonn 

 clear out your objectionable visitors, A tln'rd plan 

 is to lay a few cabbage leaves in the paths between 

 the beds: then after the dew comes, late on in The 

 evening or very early in the morning, examine yniu- 

 leaves and you will most probably find a few score 

 to extinguish. One more is the use of the " Sarco- 

 stemma ViniinaH' (Hind, name, " Seom"). "Tako 

 a bundle of the twigs of that jjlaut ; put it into 

 the trough or jjot by which the Led or field is 

 watered, along with a bag of .salt, hard packed, so 

 that it may onlj' dissolve gradually, \rater so 

 impregnated destroys insects without injuring the 

 plants. Dry twigs answer as well as green. It abounds 

 in the Decoan, and all Gogah, and the coast of 

 Kattywar." — Jxo. Davidson. — Afad,-us Times. 



CULTIVATION UF THE OLIVE AND WATTLE. 

 Two reports furnished recently to the Legislative; 

 Council of South Australia by Mr. J. E. I'.rown, the 

 Conservator of Forests in that colony, contain sumo 

 suggestions which are worthy of much attention from 

 Australian farmers. It will be remembered that the 

 International Exhibition of 187i) in this city afTordeil, 

 by the completeness of the South Australian Court 

 and the courtesy of the commis-sioner in whose chiirge 

 it was placed, a comprehensive idea of the suitableness 

 of the olive for culture in Australia. 31r. Brown, in 

 a clear and concise style, shows that such culture 

 should afford good returns for the labour bestowed 

 on the trei'. Accuding to his experience, the climate 

 and soil of many parts of .Vustralia arc highly suited 

 to its rapid and successful growth, and from the 

 excellent oil which has alreaily been produced in 

 South Australia from the fruit there is every re.-i.son 

 to conclude that a highly remunerative and permanent 

 industry could be established in our midst by the 

 extensive cultivation of the tree. It is no exagger- 

 ation to state that both the climate and soil of 

 Australia are in many respects more generally suited 

 to fhe growth an.l fecundity of the olive than are 

 these physical teatures of lis indigenous habitat. 

 AVhere land is already fenced and cleared the planting 

 of olives would cost, ordinary farm, labour being 

 employed, about -lOs. per acre. The trees, planted 

 2') fei t apart, would give TO trees per acre. They 

 should come into full bearing between the tenth and 

 twelfth years' growth, from which tinio the net 

 yearly proceeds would be about £3 per acre. It is 

 said that the olive, tree reaches maturity between 

 the fiftieth and sixtieth year. It, however, continues 

 to bear prolifically after that period, and has been 

 known to live until the age of 300 years and more. 

 There is a great variety of oHves. Some grow success- 

 fully oidy in moist ami temperate climates, while 

 others again do best wi'h less moisture .ind a compara- 

 tively high solar heat. Again, some varieties are 

 disposed 10 favour soils of a fairly rich charnct.T. 

 but whici) are free in consistency ; while other vaiietii-s 

 peter sites where the s.iil is of a warm calciferous 

 character. From these fact-, therefore, it will b. 

 seen that in the predilections of the vaiious varieties 

 of the olive tree, both as ri'gards soil and c'imate, 

 tbere could b? selected kinds to suit the variouu lo;«I 



