Vol. X. No. 247. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



333 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



OCTOBER. 



Second Pekiod, 

 Seasonal Notes. 



During ibc time of the lime ciop, which will probably 

 continue until the end of December, measures should be taken 

 for the suitable protection of drains iu the cultivations, as 

 well as of neii^hbouring streams, in order to prevent the fruits 

 from being -nashed away at the time of heavy rains. In going 

 through the plantations, note should be made of trees that 

 are producing excessively heavy crops, and these should be 

 carefully observed, in order to determine the effects on the 

 plants of a large production of fruit. Such a condition is 

 likely to weaken the trees, and interfere with their power to 

 bear an adequate crop during the next season. It will be 

 well to apply to each of such plants a dressing of 8 oz. of 

 sulphate of ammonia. Where this treatment has been adopted 

 observations should be made in order to determine the exact 

 effect, if any, of the manure. Why is it that some lime trees 

 produce more fruit than others, even when they are all of the 

 same age? How are attacks of scale insects related to the 

 production of fruit, and the power of the tree to resist adverse 

 circumstances? 



Fruits which have ripened and dropped to the ground 

 should be collected as soon as possible. Before they are u.sed 

 for making lime juice, that is to say, previous to placing them 

 in the mill carrier, they should be washed, in order to remove 

 small stones and grit. What are the chief objections to the 

 presence of such foreign bodies t 



In regard to the concentration of lime juice, careful 

 notes should be made with reference to all parts of the pro- 

 cess. These will include information in relation to such 

 matters as the kind of fuel used, the amount required and 

 the citric acid content of the juice. 



The present is the time for sowing lime seeds, in order 

 to obtain plants for setting out during next season. It 

 should be noted that lime plants usually come true to seed. 

 If it were otherwise, the adoption of such a method of plant- 

 ing would be dangerous, and it would be necessary to employ 

 some method of propagation by vegetative means. Discuss 

 the matter in relation to such a crop as cacao or cotton. 



The grafting of cacao should commence at the present 

 time, and the work will be done as far as possible in sheltered 

 spots in order to give the best chance for the raising of suc- 

 cessful plants from the grafted material. Where a cacao 

 drier is used, it should be examined in order to make sure 

 that it will be ready for use, and in an efficient condition 

 when it is required. The fermenting boxes should also be 

 overhauled. During this part of the season the strictest 

 outlook is needed for cacao diseases. Obtain as much informa- 

 tion concerning these as possible, not only from descrip- 

 tions, but what is more important, in the plantations 

 themselves, and note what measures are taken for their 

 prevention and control. 



In the Students' Corner on page 301 of this volume of 

 the AgriculHiral Xen's, paragraph 2, last line but vwo, it 

 should be stated that lime juice may be filtered after coming 

 from the still, instead of after concentration; in the latter case 

 filtering would be a difficult matter, and inadvisable for other 

 reasons. The usual course is to permit the juice to settle 

 while it is yet hot from the still. 



Questions for Candidp.tes. 



PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS. 



(1) What is meant liy the rotation nf crops, and what 

 are its chief advantages? 



(2) Mention the precautions that should be taken in 

 pruning plants. 



(•'5) State what classes of insects are broadly recognized 

 bj' the agriculturist, in relation to their power to damage 

 crops. 



INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS, 



(!) State the differences between rotation crops and 

 catch crops. 



(2) For what purposes are plants pruned? 



(3) Give an account of the measures to be adopted for 

 the control of any two insect pests of different kinds. 



FINAL QUESTIONS. 



(1) Discu.ss a suitable rotation of crops in a district 

 with which you are acquainted. 



(2) Compare the results of frequent light, and occasional 

 heavy, pruning for cacao. Discuss the advisability of prun- 

 ing limes. 



(3) State exactly how you would deal with an outbreak 

 of any insect pest upon which you have made observations. 



THE PRESERVATION OF PEN MANURE. 



The chief methods adopted for the storage of manure 

 may be designated as the bo-t, pit and heap systems, and this 

 classification covers in a broad sense all the methods gene- 

 rally adopted. In the box system, the animals are placed in 

 a loose box, with a thick bed of litter, to which the waste 

 fodder is added daily. The dung of the animals is trampled 

 into and intimately mixed with the litter, which also absorbs 

 the urine. In course of time the whole is trampled into 

 a compacted mass, and by thus excluding excess of air, the 

 fermentation is kept within bounds. In the pit system, the 

 animals are placed on a hard fioor, and the dung, urine and 

 waste litter is daily thrown into a pit dug in the soil of the 

 yard, and made as water-tight as possible. Dry earth is 

 sometimes thrown on at intervals, in order to absorb excess 

 of liquid, and often in very dry weather water is added, so 

 as to keep the mass at the requisite degree of moisture. In 

 the heap system, the animals stand on a hard floor, and the 

 dung and litter are daily collected and thrown on a heap in 

 the open. Sometimes in this case earth is also added. 



These three systems were under trial on the Governmenk 

 farm at Bellary for many years, and the average results ob- 

 tained may be taken with confidence. These show clearly 

 that, from the same number of cattle, for the same length of 

 time, and under the same conditions, the manure given by 

 the box .system is much greater in amount, and contains 

 a greater proportion of all the manurial ingredients, and the 

 value of the manure produced far exceeds that of the others. 

 Compared with the pit .system, the heap system has given 

 somewhat better results, but this only occurs when the heap 

 is carefully protected from heavy rains and from strong winds. 

 If these precautions are not taken, then the losses caused by 

 the rain washing out the soluble ingredients, and the wind 

 removing solid particles, can become very serious, and consi- 

 derable loss to the cultivator ensue. Further, if the heap i.s 

 allowed to become too dry, the heat produced by the deconi- 

 po.sition may become so great as to cause the destruction of 

 part of the manure. 



In the ca.se of the pit .system, the great source of loss is 

 due to the liquid portion of the manure draining away, and 

 the use of too small an amount of litter. These defects can 

 readily be remedied. (From Laflct, No. XIV (1911) of the 

 Madras Agricultural Department.) 



