Vol. X. No. 240. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



221 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



JULY. 



Second Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



The recent prepaiation of the soil for the reception of 

 tlie planting material of the different staple crops, in some of 

 the West Indian Islands, will naturally have led the student 

 to consider the reasons underlying the methods employed in 

 such preparation, and will have turned his thoughts to the 

 results that accrue from the adoption of these methods. This 

 will be true, as well, of the operations subsequent to the 

 planting of the crop. A careful discrimination must be made 

 between the reasons for the carrying out of work in the two 

 cases. What is meant by the mechanical condition of a soil? 

 What circumstances tend to improve this, or on the other 

 hand, to make it less favourable for the growth of plants? 

 State the means that are employed for ameliorating the 

 mechanical condition of the soil, having reference more parti- 

 cularly to the agricultural conditions with which you are 

 familiar. Meution any estate products that may be usefully 

 employed for keeping the soil in good condition. What func- 

 tions may they exert in addition to this? How does water 

 travel through soils, and how is it that, even where water is 

 continually running on to a soil, it may be effectively 

 removed without the existence of any apparent definite 

 channel of exit? 



How is the .size of the particles of a soil related to its 

 capacity to hold water? Give an account of the way in which 

 the aeration of soils is assisted by draining. What are the 

 most common results of the imperfect supply of air to soils? 

 Give a description of the best means for the encouragement, 

 of the work and growth of nitrifj'ing organisms in the soil. 

 What are the essential differences between nitrifying and 

 nitrogen-fixing organisms? 



State what is meant by pruning, and give an aDcount of 

 the different kinds of pruning with which you are familiar, both 

 in the garden and on the plantation. What are the objects 

 of root pruning, and when is this usually performed? What 

 circumstances in the life-history of the plant give indications 

 as to the proper time for the removal of any of its parts by 

 pruning? State what results may be expected from pruning 

 plants at the wrong time of the year. In removing a large 

 branch from a tree, what is the proper place at which the cut 

 should be made? 



It must be remembered that pruning may be done with 

 several objects. Its purpose may be to change the shape of the 

 plant in regard to its outline or to the amount of branching; 

 in the latter connexion the matter is usually related to the 

 question of shade. Where it is required to stimulate the 

 growth of some special part of a plant such as the wood, or 

 Hower buds, pruning is often employed. Further, where 

 it is evident that parts of plants are suffering from disease, 

 these parts are removed in order to protect the remaining 

 portions of the plants. State what special precaution is 

 important in such removals. Lastly, the purpose of the 

 pruning may be to lengthen or lessen the period of maturity. 

 These broad statements naturally refer to the more general 

 kinds of pruning, such as are employed f>n plantations. The 

 removal of parts of plants by pinching, trimming detassel- 

 ling, disbudding, ringing, thinning, deflowering and defruit- 

 ing are all forms of pruning, properly considered. The kind 



of pruning employed for protection against strong winds has 

 its principle in the provision of many smaller branches in the 

 place of a few large branches, whereby the pressure of the 

 wind on the leaves is taken up by a larger number of arms 

 of the tree (branches), and the loss of any one branch is made 

 less serious than that where there are only a few of these. 

 In pruning for flowers or fruit, the expedient is often 

 adopted of pinching the terminal vegetative buds during the 

 time that the plant is growing actively. Where new wood 

 is being produced too quickly, through the richness of the soil 

 or for other reasons, the new growth is cut back in order to 

 stimulate the development of flower buds. A similar stimu- 

 lation is obtained liy root pruning, as well as by making cuts 

 in the stem which reach from the exterior to the cambium. 

 These kinds of pruning are rarely employed in the West 

 Indies; they are of more particular use in orchard practice, 

 in temperate latitudes. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



( 1 ) What is meant by the mechanical condition of a soil ? 



(2) How would you show that the provision of a certain 

 amount of iron is necessary to growing plants ? 



(3) Give a general account of the grafting of plants. 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS. 



( 1) How do plants obtain part of their food from the air ? 



(2) Give an account of the manures calcium cyanamide 

 and nitrate of lime. 



(3) What are the chief circumstances in the life of 

 a plant that make possible such operations as pruning, bud- 

 ding and grafting ? 



FINAL QUE.STIONS. 



(1) State what you know of the general effectiveness of 

 calcium cyanamide and nitrate of lime as compared with that 

 of sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda. 



(2) Give an approximate estimate, with details, of the 

 cost of making an estate cart, of a type with which you are 

 familiar. 



(3) Discuss the methods that are most commonly employ- 

 ed for conserving the plant food in the soil. 



THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION, 



19n. 



Further information received from Messrs. Pickford and 

 Black, concerning the despatch and carriage of exhibits 

 for the forthcoming Canadian Exhibition, necessitates 

 a revision of the statement made in a note in the Agricultural 

 News ioT June 10, last. In thi.s, the S S. ' Oruro', leaving 

 Demerara on July 16, was mentioned as the steamer by which 

 non-perishable articles should be sent Owing, however, to 

 the uncertainty of the movements of this steamer, it is 

 advised that all goods should be sent by the S.S. ' Woolwich', 

 leaving Demerara on July 29. Although this boat is not 

 scheduled to call at St. Lucia and St. Vincent, the Commis- 

 sioner of Agrculture has been advised that Messrs. Pickford 

 and Black have agreed that these islands .shall be served by 

 her, for this voyage. In the case of these islands at which the 

 S.S. 'Woolwich' will not call, there will bean opportunity 

 for goods to be sent to Antigua or St, Kitts, by Royal Mail 

 Steamer, for transhipment to her at those islands. 



