Vol. XVI. No. 3S6. 



THE AGEICULTUKAL NEWS. 



37 



accuracy and stated authority as is here presented. This 

 section of the book alone renders it an indispensable part of 

 the library equipment of every sugar factory having any 

 pretensions to doing effective work. 



A rUA CTICAL GUIDE TO COCO-NUT PL A NT- 

 ING By It. W. ilunroe and L. C. Brown. London: John 

 Bale, Son's X" B'tnieLison, Ltd, 1916. Pp. 186 t plates 103. 

 Price 7s. 6ci. net; postage abroad, 9d. 



This book deals with the subject of coco-nut jlaHting 

 in the Federated Malay States and neighbouring couoiries 

 where similar conditions prevail, and is intended to be a guide 

 for planters and not an investor's note book nor a scientific 

 treatise on the various problems pertajajng to this branch 

 of tropical agriculture. As such, the book will no doubt 

 receive a warm welcome in the East, for the information 

 presented has obviously been obtained from first hand 

 sources and is very comprehensive in both range and detail. 



The book will not be found lacking in interest either to 

 coco-nut planters in countries other than those for which it 

 has been primarily written. Indeed there are certain sections 

 of the book which will be read with much interest in the 

 AVest Indies, particularly the chapters on maintenance and 

 cultivation, catch and cover crops, the gathering and storing 

 the cmp. It is to be noted that the authors attach 

 great importance to the cultivation of the soil in accordance 

 with the age requirements of the trees. They also bring 

 out the important differentiation between catch and 

 cover crops. The effects produced by each class are very 

 different. It is of interest to note that the sword bean 

 (Canarah'a ensiformis) and (Tephrosia .Candida) which have 

 had attention in the West Indies, are regarded as good cover 

 crops. 



In the chapter dealing with planting, attention is given 

 to that interesting variety, the King coco-nut. This is an 

 early maturing strain and in habit it is a dwarf. The advan- 

 tages in favour of its cultivation appear to be (1) that the 

 tree comes into bearing about one and a half years .sooner 

 than the ordinary coco-nut, (in an illustration is shown 

 .a specimen in full bearing three 3'ears from planting); (2) the 

 nuts are more easily harvested withoui damage to the 

 immature fruit and blossoms; (3) the trees may be planted. 

 20 feet by '20 feet giving over 100 to the acre. On an aver- 

 age, it is estimated that a tree of this variety will yield as 

 many as seventy-five nuts per annum. 



The selection of land and the selection of seed are dealt 

 with ai considerable length in other chapters, and a large 

 amount of attention is given to manuring. The pests and 

 diseases of coco-nuts in the Federated ^talay States are dealt 

 with from the practical man's point of view in a way that 

 will be readily appreciated i.y the planter. The ( 'hapter on 

 cattle-keeping shows that the authors are not altogether in 

 favour of the much proposed system of running cattle and 

 sheep between the trees. If the leaves are not well above 

 the height of the animals the former get destroyed which 

 causes a setback to the trees of the most serious nature. 



A feature of the book, perhaps the most prominent 

 feature, is the large number of plates illustrating almost 

 every aspect of coco-nut cultivation in the Federated Malay 

 States. If in some cases these illustrations are not quite as 

 clear in detail as they might be they ate without exception 

 very instructive and the criticism may be passed that from 

 the outsiders point of view as good an idea of coco-nut 

 cultivation in the Federated Malay States cin be obtained 

 by perusinsj the illustrations as from the text itself. We 

 liave no hesitation in saying that most coco-nut growers 

 in whatever country they leside will not lose by invest- 

 ing in this volume. 



RECENT CHEMICAL WORK IN 



AMERICA. 



The report of the work of the Bureau of Chemistry of 

 the United .States Department, of Agriculture for the fiscal 

 year ended June 30, 1916, contains in outline, much useful 

 information and evidence of marked progress. The publicatioa 

 of full statements will be followed with interest. 



In regard to research work an investigat;ion was carried 

 out in connexion with the. protein compounds in Kafir 

 {Andropogoii. sorghum), the groundnut (Arachis hypoga^a) 

 and the Jack bean (Canav.dia enxiforniis). The study of 

 the nature of the nitrogenous compounds in vegetable foods 

 is a matter of dietetic importance, especially so at present, itt 

 the West Indies, where it is becoming a matter of importance 

 to depend more upon locally grown foodstuffs. 



In regard to an investigation into the micro-organisms 

 found in foodstuffs, it has been concluded in one investiga- 

 tion, that the common moulds Penicilliuni camemberti- 

 and Aspergillus niger produce substances re-acting with ferric 

 chloride like phenols, a matter of significance in detecting 

 mouldiness in food as these reactious may resemble thosft 

 occurring in the case of certain preservatives whereby con- 

 fusion may result. 



With regard to insecticides and fungicides, it is of 

 interest to note that a tree banding material has been develop- 

 ed which has been used by the Bureau of Entomology in its. 

 Gypsy moth campaign, and it promises to prove superior to, 

 and cheaper than, the materials now in use in America. The 

 Federal Horticultural Board has been further assisted in the 

 fumigation of cotton bales, and the process has been so 

 improved that a large part oE the hydrocyanic acid used is 

 recovered. One of the largest plants is now operating by 

 this method. In co-operation with the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, attempts are being made to so modify the formula 

 for Bordeaux mixture as to render it more efficient while at 

 the same time reducing the amount of copper therein. This 

 is important at a time when copper, and hence sulphate of 

 copper is so expensive. 



A considerable amount of work was carried out by the 

 Bureau in regard to the conversion of foodstuffs. Some 

 of the results are more than generally interesting in the 

 West Indies. The process has been perfected for the drying 

 of surplus and cull pjtatoes with simple machinery for the 

 purpose of utilizing these tubers as a feeding stuff' for animals 

 or even man. 



Of particular interest is the development of a method 

 for the manufacture of citrate of lime from lemons; while 

 the development of a method for the manufacture of citric 

 acid free from contamination by heavy metals is also to be 

 noted. The manufacture of lemon oil has been further 

 studied and the determination of the seasonal variations of 

 the oil and citric acid content of lemons has been practically 

 completed for certain sections of California, A study of 

 tangerines has shown that the green fruit has a value as 

 a source of citric acid and that the oil has commercial possi- 

 bilities. A fine oranue vinegar has been manufactured on 

 a small commercial scale which promises to find a market, 

 though a limited one because it costs more to produce than 

 the usual product. Finally, a method of interest in the 

 West Indies has been developed, by which a pure cane syrup 

 can be made which will not crystallize nor ferment. 



The remaining part of the report deals with techno- 

 logical investigations and the enforcement of the United 

 States Food and Druas Act. The.se matters are not oc 

 particular interest to West Indian agriculturists. 



