204 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 24, 1911. 



GLEANINGS. 



It is reported 1>y H.M. Consul at Tahiti that 'a new law 

 has been made for the purpose of regulating the picking and 

 curing of vanilla in French Oceania, the reason being that 

 the prices of vanilla, from this source have become lowered, 

 mainly because of the gathering and curing of immature 

 beans. To prevent this, the new law prohibits green vanilla 

 from being handled for commercial purposes, while the curing 

 of the beans is to be done only by those who have shown the 

 possession of ability for the w-ork by gaining a special license. 

 Further, all vanilla for export is to be inspected before ship- 

 ment. 



It is reported from St. Lucia, that the lime crop is late, 

 although the trees are in a healthy condition. As far as 

 cacao is concerned, this is flowering well and there is promise 

 of a good crop. Cane-planting for the coming season is 

 almost finished. 



At a meeting of the Legislative Council of Grenada, 

 held on March 3, 1911, His Excellency the Governor of the 

 Windward Islands pre.sented certificates to those candidates in 

 Grenada who had lieen succe,ssful in the last examinations 

 held in connexion with the Courses of Beading of the 

 Department. 



A report from the Agricultural Instructor, Nevis, states 

 that the area of cotton in the I'residency will be increased 

 for the coming season. In connexion with this, over 100 

 acres of bush land have been cleared specially for the purpose 

 in one part of the island, while about 50 acres of pasture 

 land, in a district near the windward part, is intended to be 

 devoted to cotton-growing. 



According to a return prepared in the office of the 

 Director-General of Commercial Intelligence for India, the 

 total area under coflee in the year ended June 30, 1910, was 

 203,610 acres, as compared with 204,585 acres in the 

 l)revious year. The reported production in 1909-10 was 

 34,983,569 ft., as against 27,648,3.')7 lb., in 1908-9. {The 

 Hoard of Trade Journal, April 13, 1911.) 



The Liverpool Journal o/ Commerce for May 18, 1911, 

 contains an announcement to the effect that, on the day 

 previous, Messrs. Workman, Clark & Co., Ltd., Belfast, had 

 launched a large steamer, built to the order of the Tropical 

 Fruit Steamship Co , Ltd., Glasgow, of which Messrs. Clark 

 and Service are managers. The vessel, which is named 

 La Senora, is especially designed for the general fruit and 

 refrigerated freight trades between tlu' Went Indies and the 

 United States. It possesses, incidentally, accommodation 

 for about 160 first class passengers. 



Information has been received that the Sixth Annual 

 National Dairy Show of the LTnited States of America will 

 be held in Chicago from October 26 to November 5, 1911. 

 A circular issued in connexion with this show refers to the 

 fact that the National Dairy Show Association has expended, 

 so far, more than .?200,000 in promoting the dairying indus- 

 try of the United States. One of the chief objects of the 

 show is to work in co-operation with the efforts of all other 

 similar organizations and agencies for the support and exten- 

 sion of the dairying industry in that country. 



The Journal de la Socii'tc Nationale d' Horticulture de 

 France, for 1910, p. 554, describes experiments that have 

 been conducted for the purpose of dealing with chlorosis, or 

 the lack of green colouring matter owing to a want of iron, 

 in pear trees. The method employed was to drill an inclined 

 hole about one-half way through the trunk or branch that 

 was being treated, and to place sulphate of iron in the hole 

 thus made. After the operation, the bark around the hole 

 is scraped and covered with grafting wax. It is claimed that 

 the method is permanently successful, except in the case of 

 old trees or those weakened by the attacks of insects or disease. 



The/YeWfor April 29, 1911, gives directions for making 

 and using a weed killer, as follows: 1 ft. arsenious oxide, 

 1 ft. sodium hydroxide, water 6 pints: these are lioiled for half 

 an hour, allowed to cool, and then the solution is put into 

 a large stone bottle, corked and lalielled Poison. When a path 

 is to be treated, either a large watering pot with a tine rose, or 

 a barrel with a perforated pipe on the principle of a road 

 sprinkler, is used, according to the area of the path. The 

 mixture is diluted in water, in the proportion of 1 pint to 

 6 gallons of water, this (juantity being .sufficient to treat about 

 30 square yards of path. It is most effective when applied 

 towards evening, and when the path is dry. 



The Agricultural Department in St. Lucia has issued 

 a leaflet containing a revised list of prices charged for plants 

 supplied by it for planting in St. Lucia. The plants include 

 Central American and Para rubber, citrus plants, cacao, 

 coffee, spices, mangoes and various ornamental kinds: particu- 

 lars as to the seeds that are obtainable are also included. 

 A useful feature of the leaflet is a table indicating the best time 

 to order the plants, and the period after which they will be 

 available for distribution. It should be noted that the 

 prices given refer to deliveries at the Botanic Station: an 

 extra charge will be made for special packing for transport, 

 and further, special rates will be asked for plants that are 

 required for export. 



The E.vjieriiiicnt Slaliim Record of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture for December 1910, p. 625, con- 

 tains the following abstract of recent work that has been 

 done in Germany in connexion with the effect of manures on 

 the activity of nitrogen-fixing organisms (Azotobacter): 

 'Experiments on the decomiuisition of green manures indicate 

 that the addition to the soil of small (juantities of barnyard 

 manure to be ploughed under with the green crops will hasten 

 decomposition by furni.shing fermenting organisms which 

 immediately act on the green material. At the same time, 

 if small amounts of potash and phosphoric acid are used, they 

 will quicken the fermenting and rotting processes and furnish 

 avilable food for Azotobacter.' 



