Vol. X. No. 2.30. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



61 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



FEBRUARY. 



Last Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



Discus.? the advisability of the formation of nurseries for 

 the propagation of planting material for the sugar-cane. Note 

 that, among other advantages, the possession of such nurseries 

 gives the planter comparative independence, for a time at any 

 rate, in relation to other sources of supply. Nurseries 

 may also prove useful because the plants in them will give 

 hints as to the presence of diseases and the comparative sus- 

 ceptibility of different kinds of sugar-cane to these. The 

 possessor of such a nursery, too, is afforded the best chance of 

 selecting and planting exactly the kinds of cane that may 

 appear to him to be best for the conditions in which he has 

 to work. A nursery forms a place that can be kept always 

 ready for the reception and growing of propagating material 

 for new canes, and the common possession of such an aid to 

 estate work in an island or district enables the planters to 

 co-operate towards the improvement of the varieties grown, 

 especially in that it facilitates the interchange of planting 

 material among them. 



The present time is suitable for taking note of the vari- 

 eties of cane that are specially adapted to the conditions in 

 which you live, and together with this there is the consider- 

 ation of the best means to employ for cultivating tho.se 

 varieties in that district. Observation should not be confined 

 to the practices on the estate with which one is familiar; 

 others should be visited, and careful notice should be taken of 

 any modification of methods which may be possibly adopted 

 with advantage on the estate on which the observer works. 



The various means which may be employed for the pro- 

 duction of a soil-conserving mulch in sugar-cane and other 

 cultivations are of much importance. They include the use 

 of plant remains such as trash, the thorough breaking up of 

 the uppermost layer of the soil to form what is called 

 a dust mulch, and the spreading of pen manure on the 

 soil so that it will not only form a source of plant food, 

 but will prevent much of the water in the soil from 

 being drawn to the surface and evaporated. In Barbados, 

 more particularly, a special kind of mulch is often form- 

 ed by taking the fine soil from the drains and spreading 

 it over the areas between them. It is obvious that, where 

 different kinds of mulches are employed, useful opportunities 

 will be given to the student to observe and compare the 

 effects of the different methods. 



It is commonly recognized that, at this period, in regard 

 to cotton cultivation, a matter of much importance is the 

 destruction of the old plants, particularly in the effort to 

 reduce the extent to which leaf-blister mite is present, and to 

 lessen the chances of its being carried over to the plants of 

 the new crop. The seed-cotton from the plants that were 

 chosen in the field will now be subjected to further selection 

 in order to obtain the best seed for the next crop, in pur- 

 suance of the policy of maintaining the superiority of the 

 strain, as well as for purposes of improvement, where this is 

 requisite. It must be remembered that such selection cannot 

 result in improvement to an indefinite extent. Its results 

 are limited to the stage which is occupied by the best plants 

 in the field. What selection really does is to increase the 

 number of plants bearing the desiraljle characteristics, and 

 therefore to make larger the proportion of good cotton in the 

 whole crop. 



It may be well to mention, at this time, the necessity 

 for the proper drying of cotton, either for ginning or storage. 

 Imperfectly dried cotton is worked up with difficulty, both 

 in the ginnery and the mills, and when such cotton is stored, 

 it suffers gradual deterioration and may be even destroyed 

 through spontaneous combustion. 



It is a useful plan to take samples of the .seed-cotton 

 coming from the different fields and to examine these, 

 especially in relation to the different conditions in those 

 fields, as regards character of soil, supply of water, modes of 

 tillage and manuring, and the origin of the seed from which 

 the cotton was raised in the different cases. This should 

 give much useful information as to the effects of various 

 conditions on the cotton plant. 



Questions for Candidates 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) Name some common plants in which starch is pro- 

 duced in quantity, and state in what part of the plant the 

 .starch is stored. 



(2) How does milk of lime assist in clarifying cane juice' 

 What is the result of using an excess of lime? 



(3) State definitely the difference between the meanings 

 of the terms Pollination and Fertilization, in respect to 

 flowers. 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



(1) Describe carefully the appearance of a good sample 

 of concentrated lime juice. Give details as to the preparation 

 and testing of such a sample. 



(2) Give an account of methods of extracting starch 

 from starch-producing plants. 



(3) How is the power of soils to absorb heat related to 

 'a) the characteristics of the soils, (b) their suitability for 

 growing plants? 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



(1) Give details as to the methods and cost of providing 

 a square 10-acre field with (a) a living fence, (b) any other 

 kind of fence. 



(2) Discuss broadly the different uses of water to plants. 



(3) What steps would you take in order to satisfy your- 

 self that an insect pest, under given conditions, was being 

 parasitized by another insect, or other insects^ 



Imported Para Rubber Plants and Disease. 



— At a meeting of the Board of Agriculture of British Guiana, 

 held on December 21, 1910, it was stated by Professor J. B. 

 Harrison, C.M.G., that Para rubber planes which had been 

 received recently from Ceylon had lieen found by the Govern- 

 ment Botanist to be infected with a fungus {Botryodiplodia 

 elasticae), common in Ceylon, which destroys Hevea hrasili- 

 ensis. Professor Harrison stated, further, that he had sub- 

 mitted a report on the matter to the Piubber Committee, 

 and it had been recommended unanimously that the importa- 

 tion of cuttings and stems of rubber should be subjected to 

 the same inspection as that of sugar-cane. This was necess- 

 ary, more particularly as, when a new industry like the rub- 

 ber industry is being started, it is of the utmost importance 

 that every care should be taken to prevent the introduction 

 of disease from other countries. 



The consideration of the proposals in connexion with the 

 matter was postponed until advice could be received on 

 several legal points. 



