Vol. X. No. 241. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



237 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



JULY. 



Third Period. 

 Seasonal Notes. 



Describe tlie steps that may be taken on an estate to 

 supply cane holes which have failed to produce plants. On 

 what circumstances may such failure depend 1 AVhere the 

 rainfall has been sufficient, and an inferior stand of cane has 

 been obtained, a useful purpose will be served by digging out 

 the cuttings from the vacant holes and examining them care- 

 fully, to find if the failure to sprout has been due to the 

 presence of disease. Describe carefully the precautions that 

 should be taken to prevent cuttings in the ground from being 

 attacked by fungi. In these considerations, what hints are 

 supplied with reference to the .selection of material for plant- 

 ing'! In supplying dead holes, it is most convenient, from 

 the point of view of harvesting the cane, to employ varieties 

 that mature early. Give examples of such varieties, and 

 indicate their special characteristics. Compare the .sprouting 

 of a sugar-cane cutting with the growth of a cutting of 

 a dicotyledonous plant. 



In cotton fields, as the plants become firmly established, 

 the time arrives for the making of careful observations, in 

 order to detect the presence of insect and fungus pests. In 

 regard to the latter, much more will have to be done in this 

 way after the appearance of the bolls, as it is at this stage 

 that cotton more usually shows the presence of fungus diseases. 

 Returning to the matter of insect pests, and those which are 

 related, the different kinds of treatment that are required in 

 the several instances, for their control, will be seen to have 

 intimate relation with the life-history and feeding habits of 

 the pest. Follow up this subject, and discuss in relation to 

 it, the treatment that has been proposed for the control of the 

 leaf-blister mite. What special precautions are required in 

 effecting the removal of material that has been attacked by 

 this pest? Discuss the natural control by parasites, of insects 

 attacking cotton. 



Explain the process by which soil that is allovi'ed to 

 lie fallow may increase in fertility. .State what is meant by 

 the rotation of crops, and give reasons for the adoption of 

 rotation. How are the root systems of the various plants, 

 that are commonly grown, to be considered in relation to the 

 adoption of various methods of rotation? What is the main 

 objection to growing different crops of the same kind in a so- 

 called rotation? Explain the uses of the employment of 

 rotation with reference to insect and fungus pests, and to the 

 economic conditions on the estate. Having regard to these 

 and other considerations, suggest a scheme of rotation under 

 agricultural conditions with which you are familiar. 



Opportunity will be taken of the rains that should be 

 received at this time of the year to plant yams, as well as 

 other ground provisions. Give a description of the different 

 kinds of yams with which you are acquainted, pointing out 

 their special characteristics, and making a classification as 

 far as possible. In the planting of yams, why should the 

 soil be deep and easily worked? What information does the 

 method of propagation of the yam give concerning the true 

 botanical nature of the part that is edible? Describe the usual 

 method for the propagation of yams. How should the land 

 be prepared and lined out for the reception of the planting 

 material? Discuss the practicability of raising catch crops 

 of such plants as corn and sweet poiatoc^, between yams. 



Give a careful account of the objections to the depen- 

 dence of a colony or community on one or two crops. Why 

 is it that such dependence may be more dangerous at the 

 present time than it has been in the past? In relation to 

 these matters, give consideration to the advantages of diver- 

 sification of crops in agriculture. Having regard to the local 

 conditions with which you are familiar, make suggestions for 

 such diversification. How is the possession of several crops 

 by a community related to its spending power and its 

 economic prosperity? • 



While dealing with the ordinary subjects relating to the 

 Students' Corner, it may be well to draw attention to the 

 announcement in connexion with the forthcoming examina- 

 tions for the Courses af Reading of the Department, which is 

 contained on page 232 of this issue of the Agrictdtnral 

 News. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) Describe suitable rotations including (1) sugar-cane, 

 (2) cotton. 



(2) In what ways is the presence of humus in a soil 

 beneficial to plants? 



(3) Of what use to a plant is the possession of tendrils? 

 Give an account of the modification of parts of a plant to 

 form tendrils. 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



(1) To what considerations would you have regard in 

 determining the value of a .sample of molasses ? 



(2) What are the symptoms of the root disease of the 

 sugar-cane ? 



(3) Give an account, with the aid of a simple sketch 

 map, of the kinds of soil that are found in the island in which 

 you live. 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



(1) Write a description of any method of sampling 

 sugars. 



(2) Show, with examples, how the properties of soils are 

 related to the plants that may be grown successfully on them. 



(3) Give as many examples as you can of the modifica- 

 tion of parts of plants for special purposes. 



The chemists of Mauritius have formed themselves into 

 a society for the purpose of unifying methods of analysis and 

 of sucrerie control in the island. The newly formed society 

 has under consideration a number of important questions, 

 such as whether the density of the first mill juice represents 

 that of the normal juice; methods of calculating the dilution; 

 whether the density of the diluted juice .should be taken 

 liefore or after sulphitation; the best methods of .sampling 

 and preserving the different juices: and the adoption of the 

 double polarization of the juice in jilace of the ordinary direct 

 polarization. The society publishes a quarterly journal 

 styled the Bulletin de la Societr des Chi/nistes de Maurice, 

 which has just come to hand, and to which we look in the 

 future for .some useful articles. The first two, liy Messrs. 

 Giraud and de Sornay, which will be found abstracted in this 

 issue of the journal, promi.se well. (From the Internatiuiial 

 Sugar Journal, May 1911, p. 237.) 



