Vol. X. No. 246. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



317 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



OCTOBER. 



FiitsT Period. 



Seasonal Notes. 



In cocoa-nut plantations, it must be decided during the 

 growing of the plants as to whether the soil between them 

 shall be occupied by green dressings, in order that it may be 

 given proper cultivation and be enriched in nitrogen, or 

 whether the space shall be used for the production of catch 

 crops during such time as elapses while the trees are attaining 

 maturity. In either case, care should be taken not to allow 

 the plants to grow too near to the palms, and in cultivation 

 caution should be exercised in order to prevent any damage 

 to roots by the implements employed. All dead leaves which 

 fall, and are still seen to be infected with pests or diseases, 

 should be carefully buried in the soil, as by this means the 

 spread of pests will be lessened, and the soil benefited 

 by the return of useful plant food. In regard to the space 

 around the trees, this should lie kept clear of weeds, and the 

 light cultivation thus given will be all that is required. Where 

 catch crops are raised, those parts of the plants that are not 

 required for consumption, and commercial and similar use.s, 

 should be buried in the area in which they are grown ; this 

 lessens the amount of soil exhaustion consequent on their 

 being raised. 



It should be remembered that if the best returns are to 

 be obtained from a cocoa-nut plantation, manuring should be 

 continued after the plants commence to fruit. The principal 

 manurial bodies required are potash and phosphorus, as the 

 fruits are largely composed of these. Soil exhaustion owing 

 to the production of the nuts may be lessened by burying all 

 such parts of them as are not required. Finally, proper 

 manuring in a cocoa-nut plantation will cause the trees to 

 attain that vigour which is needed for the combating of the 

 enemies, both of a fungus and insect nature, that are likely 

 to attack them. 



Discuss the rations that are required by (1) growing cattle, 

 (2) working cattle, and state how these may be supplemented 

 by the employment of byproducts on an estate, under condi- 

 tions with which you are familiar. It should be remembered 

 that animals at work require what is called a wide ration to 

 supply energy, that is to say their food should contain 

 a comparatively large proportion of carbohydrates. Young 

 growing cattle, on the other hand, nesd a narrow ration; in 

 •other words, the food should be fairly rich in nitrogenous 

 bodies. In the feeding of stock of all kinds, special atten- 

 tion is requisite in order to ensure that this is done at the 

 proper time and that the food is supplied in the required 

 amounts. With reference to the provision of water, animals 

 fed on a narrow ration require more of this than those whose 

 food is less rich in nitrogen. A point of importance when 

 consideration is being given to these matters is that water 

 functions chiefly as a carrier of the food bodies employed in 

 the nutrition of the animal, so that an inadequate supply of 

 this results in insufficient nutrition. 



Questions for Candidates. 



PEELIMINAEY QUESTIONS. 



(1) Give an account of the constituents of the atmos- 

 phere that are of the greatest importance, to plants. 



(2) How is the quantity of nitrogeuV.in the soil main- 

 tained by natural means alOne ? ^ ' 



(3) Give a general description of the way in which 

 water travels through plants.' 



I\TERJIEDI,\TE QUESTIO.VS. 



(1) How would you demonstrate, by means of a simple 

 experiment, that water is ab.sorbed by plants! 



(2) On what constituents of the air in the soil are plants 

 most dependent ( 



(3) What are the most general causes of denitrification 

 in soils ? 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



(1) Give an account of the measures that are taken, on 

 an estate with which you are familiar, to maintain the nitro- 

 gen content of the .soil, and supply particulars of any way in 

 which you consider that these measures may be improved. 



(2) State broadly how the presence in a soil of the roots 

 of a crop affects the composition of the air contained in the 

 soil. 



(3) How would you show that water travels upwards 

 from the roots through the wood of a tree, and not through 

 the region outside of the cambium layer? 



FRUIT-GROWING IN QUEENSLAND. 



Considerable attention is being given to agricultural 

 education in Queensland, a well-equipped agricultural college 

 with grounds and farm of 1,692 acres having been established 

 some years at Gatton, 60 miles from Brisbane. The climate 

 seems to be particularly suitable for fruit-growing, the orange, 

 pine-apple, and olive all doing well. The t^ueensland orange, 

 when well developed, is a very fine fruit. The tree is a rapid, 

 vigorous grower and very productive, and when grown under 

 favourable conditions and properly looked after is easily kept 

 free from disease. The sweet orange, ripening as it does 

 from April to September, or at a time when the oranges of the 

 Northern Hemisphere are out of season, is a valuable fruit 

 for export to London, especially as it is a good carrying fruit 

 when gathered at the right stage and properly handled and 

 packed. The Queensland season, being earlier than those of 

 the other colonies, would permit export from one or two 

 months earlier than the season of the southern colonies, and 

 Queen.sland is able to place her fruit on the home markets at 

 a time when they are practically bare of oranges. 



The pine-apple is grown to perfection and produced 

 profitably at a low rate when grown on siiitable soils. With 

 the improved methods of over-sea carriage, there is no reason 

 why pines should not be .shipped to Euroi:)e successfully, and 

 return a fair profit to the shipper. Olives also do well in 

 Queensland, especially on, and to the west of, the Darling 

 and Peak Downs, and though they will thrive near the coast, 

 both the trees and fruit are much more liable to the attacks 

 of insects than when grown further inland. Olives do well 

 in any deep, well-drained soil, especially such as is naturally 

 rich in lime, and when the trees are well established they will 

 stand considerable hardship. Queensland has been pronoun- 

 ced very suitable for the production of the olive on a large 

 scale. (Information received from the London Correspondent 

 of the iVor?/* Qutensland Herald, 70a, Basinghall Street, E.G.) 



