THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



March 4, 1911. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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^flncul tural jlriu!) 



Vol. X. SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1911. No. 231. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The subject of the editorial is The Practice of 

 Economy on E.states. The matter could not, of course, 

 be treated in a complete manner; the article is rather 

 intended for the purpose of suggesting lines of thought 

 that may be pursued in connexion with the question. 



It is followed by an abstract of an account of the 

 experiments that have been made in the United States, 

 in extracting sugar from sugar-cane shredded in Cuba, 

 and exported after being dried. 



An interesting article uu sponge culture appears 

 on page 69. It shows that compensation for the de- 

 pletion of the sponge banks that is threatened in most 

 parts of the world may be made, to a large extent, by 

 the employment of judicious planting. 



Page 71 presents an abstract of a j)aper of much 

 interest, read recently by Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., 

 late luqierial Commissioner, and dealing with the 

 Imperial Dejiartment of Agriculture in the West Indies. 



Some useful facts in connexion with the legumin- 

 ous plant Scshania acidcatn. used as a green manure, 

 are given on page 73. 



The Insect Notes, on page 74, present facts of 

 interest concerning the moth borer of sugar-cane, in its 

 special relation as a pest of Indian corn, in the United 

 States. 



Index and Title Page. 



The Index and Title Page of Volume IX of the 

 Agricidtural Xewn are 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. 



It has been endeavoured to make the index 

 more detailed in nature than has been the case in the 

 past. This applies particularly to the portion dealing 

 with Insect Pests and Plant Diseases, with the result 

 that this possesses the nature of a dictionary of the 

 coimnon and scientific names, in addition to being use- 

 ful as an index, in accordance with the first intention. 



Postponement of the Agricultural Conference, 

 1911. 



A note was given in the Agricultural News for 

 January 7, 1911, p. 8, announcing the postponement, 

 until the middle of April, of the Agricultural Conference, 

 originally proposed to be held in January of this year. 



Since the matter has been given fresh atten- 

 tion, the Imperial Commissioner ,of Agriculture 

 has received information from His Excellency the 

 Governor of British (Juiana to the effect that it will 

 not be found convenient to that Colony to hold the 

 Conference in April, as was suggested. 



It is probable, therefore, that the Conference will 

 take place toward the end of tlie year; the question is 

 being given further consideration, and this is as 

 definite a statement as can be made at present, under 

 the circumstances. 



On page 78, the Fungus Notes summarize the 

 most recent information concerning some diseases that 

 are known to attack both rubber and cacao trees to 

 a serious extent. 



Machines for Gathering Stones. . 



A short note on trials with machines for gathering 

 stones, presenting information from the Natal Agri- 

 cidtural Journal tor August 1910, p. 207, was given 

 in the last volume of the Agricultural News, j) 348. 



Further information is contained in the i.ssue of 

 that Journal for December 1910, p. (i85, in which it is 

 stated that the inventors of the machine found best 

 for the purpose, Messrs. Ji & R. Forgan of Port Pirie, 

 South Australia, are prepared to sup](ly the machines 

 in anv quantities for .i;.50 each (fo.b. Port Adelaide). 



The following description of the machine is given 

 in the latter-mentioned issiu' of the Natal AgriruUiind 

 Journal. "Vhe machine is built on a V-frame of 

 T-section steel. 'I"hi^ bodies or tines are fitted with 

 our patent automatic spring relief draft, this being 

 a close-coiled expansion spring 14 inches long by l-i 

 core by Ji steil, which is adjustable to any tension, and 

 has a roller attachment that works iij) and'down on the 

 body, taking the tension off the tines when jumping, 

 thereby 2>reventing strain on the implement or horses. 

 In addition to being a gatherer, this machine is easily 

 converted into a cultivator of thirteen tines, cutting 

 7 feet, bv taking out two bolts in each body, removing 

 the gathering attachments, and fixing on ;i cultivator 

 share. 'I'he machine clears 10 feet when used as 

 a stont>-gatherer, is very strongly built of s'ecl through- 

 out, and is light of draft.' 



