Vol. X. No. 239. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



205 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



JULY. 



First Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



It is necessary that seedlings of limes in nurseries, as 

 well as those ef other plants, should be examined frequently 

 in order to ascertain if they are suffering from attacks of 

 scales or other insects; where scale insects are found, such 

 plants should he sprayed before they are set out in their per- 

 manent positions, as this course saves a large amount of 

 labour that will be necessitated later, for the removal 

 of the scales, if it is not followed. In what way do scale 

 insects injure plants' How do they reach healthy plants, 

 from those which have been infested 1 In the case of mature 

 lime trees, how would you employ the Bengal bean as 

 a means for combating the attacks of scale insectsf Give an 

 account of the observations that you have made in regard to 

 the employment of Bengal beans in this connexion. 



The planting out of lime.s should take place during the 

 early rains, in order that the plants may be well established 

 before the dry season commences. What is meant by the 

 establishment of plants, in this sense >. Compare the readiness 

 to resist the etlects of dry weather of a plant which has been 

 only rec"ently set out, with that of trees which have occupied 

 their present position during .several seasons. As a general 

 rule, when arrangements are being made for transplantation, 

 the holes to receive the plants that have been removed from 

 the nursery should be made ready some little time before 

 they are required. Why is this ? For limes, these holes 

 should be wide and shallow. State why holes of this kind 

 are better for the purpose than tliose which are deep and nar- 

 row, and give an account of the general results which occur 

 from the planting of lime seedlings deeply. Where they are 

 available, remove plants of the lime, cacao, cotton or of some, 

 similar economic plant, in such a way as to injure the roots as 

 little as possible; write a de.scription of the root system that 

 you have an opportunity of observing, and compare it with 

 the similar system of a monocotyledon such as corn, the 

 sugar-cane or a palm. 



At this time, the pruning of cacao should have been 

 completed. It is important that careful examination of the 

 trees should be made in order to ascertain if the tarring of the 

 wounds has been properly carried out. Why are the wounds, 

 made in pruning, covered with tar? Every opportunity 

 should be taken to make careful notes of the appearance of 

 diseases and pests in cacao as well as in other cultivations. 

 The records thus obtained will often show that a sudden 

 disappearance of pests and diseases has taken place in the 

 case of certain individual plants. Give any reason that may 

 account for this, and state the use of the circumstance in 

 practice. In connexion with the lime crop, preparations will 

 have been made for concentrating the juice, and where 

 the harvesting and manufacturing processes have not been 

 completed already, the grass beneath the trees should be 

 cutlassed in order to facilitate the collection of the fruit. 

 Where green limes are gathered, they must be picked with care. 

 What is the reason for this? In cases where limes have to 

 be packed for export, it will be useful to wrap a few of them 

 in fairly thick biown pajier, and others in tissue paper, and 

 to compare the keeping qualities of the fruit in the two cases. 



Where lime seedlings have been planted out, mulch a few 

 of the plants, or where mulching is generally carried out, 

 leave a few of them without a mulch. In dry weather the 

 difference between the mulched and unmulched plants will 

 be very evident. At a suitable time, conduct a series of 

 observations on the development of lime fruits and of those 

 of cacao; the observations should include the making of 

 sections through the fruit in order that a knowledge of the 

 manner of growth of the interior may be obtained, and that 

 the information at the student's disposal should not be con- 

 fined to facts concerning the external growth of the fruits, 

 only. 



Plants, in different degrees, show a tendency to vary 

 from the normal type. What is meant by this, and what 

 may be the most common causes of such variation? Give as 

 many instances as you can of this variation, that have come 

 before your notice, making mention of any probable causes 

 of the change, where it is possible for this to be done. 



Where cotton is planted, a careful note should be taken 

 later of the improvement tlirough the use of selected seed for 

 sowing. The possession of such information will make it easy, 

 at the end of the crop, to compare the yields from un- 

 selected plants as well as to contrast the value of the dif- 

 ferent products. In seed selection, why should .seed without 

 fuzz be discarded? Mention any diseases of cotton that are 

 likely to be carried over from one season to another, through 

 the medium of the seed. What practical measures would 

 you take in order to minimize, as far as po.ssible, the chance.s 

 of the transmission of diseases in this way ? Where this is 

 feasible, give a description of methods for growing cotton as 

 an intervening crop with sugar-cane, with particular reference 

 to the time of year for the different agricultural operations, 

 the manner of preparation of the land, and the planting and 

 reaping of the two crops. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What substances in the atmosphere are used by 

 [ilants, and for what purposes ? 



(2) Give an account of what you know concerning the 

 use of seaweed as a manure. 



(3) State the chief qualities of a plant that make it suit- 

 able for employment as a green manure. 



INTERMEDIATE QUE.STI0NS. 



(1) Give a description of the most important sulisidiary 

 industry that is carried on in the neighbourhood in which you 

 live, stating why you consider it to be important. 



(2) Write an account of what is described as .symbiosis 

 in leguminous plants, indicating its practical value. 



(3) State, with example.s, what you know concerning 

 the disper.sal of seeds, in nature. 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



(1) Give an account of the use, as manure, of any of 

 the waste products, in the case of an estate with which you 

 are familiar. 



(2) Of what advantage is it to plants that arrangements 

 often exist for the scattering of .seeds to a distance from the 

 plants that have borne them! 



(3) Make a review of the information that you have at 

 your disposal as to the usefulnes.s, or otherwise, of soil inocu- 

 lation with nitrogen-fixing organisms. 



