354 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



XuVKMBER 11, 1911. 



climates and in new countries. This importance has 

 been increased by the appearance on tlie market of 

 moulds which admit of the making of constructive 

 materials by simple pugging, alone. 'J'he article which 

 is being reviewed gives illustrations showing concrete 

 employed for making pillars on w^hich dwelling-houses 

 and other buildings are raised above the ground; for 

 making fence post-; and as well, for forming braces to 

 add to the strength of these. 'J'he illustrations to which 

 reference is made have been supplied by W. Janke, 

 Speersort, 17, Hamburg, Germany — a firm from which 

 moulds may be obtained for making straight posts, 

 squared or mortised, to take the place of carpenters' 

 work. For the posts, the material used contains one 

 part of cement mixed with three parts of .sand or of fine 

 gravel; from this a pug is made in suitable moulds. 

 For constructions that are long in jiruporlion to their 

 width, it is recommended that, for reinforcement, round 

 rods of iron should be buried in the ini.xture, to the 

 number of three ox four, for posts of meditmi diameter, 

 and of a size which depends upon the purpose for which 

 the posts arc being made. It is stated that the price of 

 the moulds is not high, and that they may be obtained 

 in sizes and sh.ipes to suit many purposes. 



It is pointed out, further, that by ihe employment 

 of the process described, constructive materials for seve- 

 ral purposes may be obtained practically at the price 

 on the spot of the cement and of the sand or gravel; 

 and of the iron as well, where this is used for reniforee- 

 ment. When it is considered that the constructions 

 obtained in this way cannot decay, are unaffected 

 either by changes in temfjerature, or insects such as 

 ants, and that they require no keeping in repair, it is 

 recognized that it is advantageous for them to be em- 

 ployed in hot countries, wherever it is possible for this 

 to be done. Iveference is made, in illustration, to the 

 expense that is entailed in enclosing cocoa-nut planta- 

 tions in the ordinary way; here, the employment of 

 concrete for making posts is rendered all the more 

 easy because of the usual pro.\i(uity of the sea-coast, 

 and the consequent supply of sand near such planta- 

 tions. A further matter is that posts used in this way 

 can be provided with special supports for attaching 

 iron wires or obstacles to climbing. 



In the West Indies, concrete has been mainly 

 employed in the way indicated for making the pillars 

 used to raise buildings above the ground, and for 

 fences; as is stated above, the latter use is described in 

 the article in the Agricultural News that has been 

 mentioned already. Enough has been said to make it 

 evident that these are not the only ways in which 



special, additional uses niqy be found for concrete, in 

 the tropics. The subject is worthy of the attention of 

 agriculturists, and its study in a practical maimer 

 should lead to a large increase in the number of ways 

 in which concrete can be made useful on estates. 



SUGAR AS A CArCH CROP 



WITH RUBBIUR. 



Information concerning this subject appears in the India- 

 Rulihcr Jourmil for September "23, 1911, and it is from the 

 article given that the following abstract has been made. 



.j.WA. Although Dutch planters have always favoured 

 the employment of catch crops, particularly with such 

 products as coffee and indigo, it i.s rare to find sugar employ- 

 ed in the same way under rubber, for the former is considered 

 to be of sufficient value to occupy the ground alone. There 

 are, liowever, a few estate.s in the island where the sugar- 

 cane is used as a catch crop, but this area is small as com- 

 pared with that in which coffee is employed in the same way. 



MALAYA. In a general way, catch crops are not favour- 

 ed in Malaya as much as is the case in .Java; in the Federa- 

 ted Malay States in 1909 and 1910, the area of rubber with 

 catch crops was, respectively, only 10 percent, and ti per cent, 

 of the total planted in rubber. IJuring the former year the 

 total area under sugar, both as a catch crop and alone, was 

 7,l'2Sacres, and in 1910 this became 3,7-59 acres, the whole 

 of the decrease being due to the fact thrtt sugnr ceased to be 

 grown under rubber on several es-tates. The decrease in the 

 area in sugar-cane as a catch crop was accompanied by an 

 increase in that of coffee, employed in a similar manner. The 

 reasons for abandoning the sugar cultivation have not been 

 connected with prices for sugar, but have had relation to the 

 stage of growth reached by the Hevea trees. 



The areas in which catch crops are used under rubber, 

 in the Straits Settlements, are decreasing, that in 1910 being 

 16 per cent, of the rubber area, as against 2S per cent, in 

 1909. Among the reasons that are given for abandoning the 

 cultivation of sugar-cane in this way are the circumstance 

 of the wearing out of machinery for sugar manufacture, 

 the increased size of the Hevea trees, uncertain prices for 

 sugar, and labour difficulties. Notwithstanding the decrease 

 of this nature, the total area of sugarcane, both with and 

 without rubber, has increased from 3,638 acres in 1909 to 

 -"j,31-'i acres in 1910. 



In Malaya, the distance for planting Hevea trees, when 

 catch crops of sugar-cane are to be raised between them, is 

 generally 13x1-0 feet, in order to permit sufficient light to 

 reach the cane- The latter, under the conditions, is planted 

 in rows about 6 feet apart, the plants being 1 foot to \b inches 

 in the rows. Sii^ilar distances arc employed when the prin- 

 cipal crop is cocoa-nuts. With either rubber or cocoa-nuts, 

 the canes can be rai.sed for about three years. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



I'he Imperial Conuoissioiier of Agriculture left 

 Barbados by the K.M.S. 't)ruba', on November G, for 

 Trinidad, for the purpose of conferring with His 

 E.xcellency the Governor with regard to the prelimi- 

 nary arrangements for holding the forthcoming Agri- 

 cultural Conference in that Colony. Dr. Watts is 

 expected to return to IJarbados by the R.M..S. Thames', 

 on the 1.5th instant. 



