Vol. XVI. No. 390. 



THK AGKIUULTUKAL SEWi 



103 



Courses of in.'^truction in elementary theoretical and 

 practical agriculture were given to school teachers at the 

 Onitsha and Calabar agricultural .stations during the two long 

 school vacations. An examination was held at the end of the 

 courses. Of twentj'-three teachers who sat at Onit.^ha, eight 

 qualified for a certificate: at Calabar, thirteen of the twenty- 

 one candidates were successful. In awarding certiticates, the 

 results in both the theoretical and practical examinations 

 were taken into consideration, so that good practical results 

 were accepted as compensation for slight failure in theoretical 

 knowledge, 



Six youths were selected as agricultural pupils to be 

 trained for the posts of Head Overseer and Agricultural 

 Instructor They are to spend the first three years of th'-ir 

 pupilage at the Experiment Station, Ibadan In addition 

 to practical instruction, they are to be given, yearly, four 

 courses of lectures in elementary agriculture. 



During the period under review the membership of the 

 Ibadan Agricultural Society increased from sixty t^ 

 seventy-eight. 



The results of a further test with the Hamel-Smith 

 cacao drying machine at the Agege agricultural station 

 (Model Farm) are recorded. Samples of machine-dried and 

 sun drif d cacao were .sent to the Imperial Institute for exami- 

 nation, where the composition of the beans wa.s found to be 

 quite satisfactory. Brokers, and cacao and chocolate mai:u- 

 facturers to whom samples were subtnitted for valuation, 

 valued the sun-dried cacao at from 77s. to 79.s. per cwt., and 

 the machine-dried at 76s. to 7,^s. per cwt., at a time whet: 

 St. Thome andCamerooiJis cacao was selling at 7-1.^. to 77s. Bd. 

 per cwt. (July 191. ">) There is thus little to choose, it is 

 observed, between the value of sun-dried and artificially dried 

 cacao, provided the cacao ii properly fermented and dried 

 in both cases. 



Annatto in Porto Rico -Until the European 

 war curtailed available sources of dye-stuffs, the market for 

 Porto I'lican annatto was very limited. In the fiscal year 

 191.3-14, there were exported ill.ssett)., valued at £2,753. 

 The intiuence of war conditions began to be apparent late in 

 1914, when expcttations rose to 3.37,2990)., valued at £5,.564 

 Since then the increase has been considerable in both quantity 

 and price. Before the abnormal conditions annatto sold as 

 low as 16s. 8d. to 20s. lOrf. per lOOlfj. At present it commands 

 54s. 2d. to 62s. 6d., according to quality. 



According to a report by the United States special 

 agent in Porto Rico, the supply of the product is extensive 

 as the tree grov.s wild. The collection of the seed.-, which 

 constitute the 'annatto" of commerce, affords employment 

 and a source of income to country folk, to whom any oppor- 

 tunity for earning money is a considerable boon. 



The seeds of the bush or tree Bixa orellana are known 

 commercially as annatto. The seeds yield a yellow colouring 

 matter which has been employed in dyeing .silk, cotton, and 

 wool The colour is somewhat fugitive. There is a widespread 

 use in colouring confectionery, butter, cheese, sauces, varnishes, 

 lacquers, and the like. The local name is 'achiote'. 



If the present profitable prices continue, it is probable 

 that the shrub will be planted on a large scale. Bixa 

 orellana bushes a year and a half old yield, it is stated, from 

 J-B). to 1 D). of annatto. This amount increases as the 

 plant becomes older. (Journal of the Royal Society of Arts.'s 



Phosphate Determinations of Hawaiian 



Soils. — Bulletin No. 41 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station deals with phosphate fertilizers for Htwaiian 

 soils and their availability. In regard to the solubility of 

 different phosphates, some interestina results were obtained. 

 For instance, hydrochloric acid of official strength does 

 not dissolve all of the phosphoric acid of Hawaiian soils. To 

 determine the total phosphate content, it is nece-ssary to fuse 

 the soil with sodium carbonate. Fifth-normal nitric acid has 

 very little solvent action upon the phosphates in the soils, 

 indicating the absence of appreciable quantities of calcium 

 phosphate. One per cent, citric acid has a much stronger 

 .solvent action than fifth normal nitric acid. Of the weaker 

 solvents, I per cent, sodium hydroxide is the strongest, 

 due to its action on the iron and aluminium phosphates. It 

 is concluded that the fertilizer (phosphate) requirement of 

 the soil is not measured by solubility in water or fifth-normal 

 nitric acid, but it may be indicated by the solubility in citric 

 acid. It is further concluded that the solubility of the 

 phosphate before it is added to the soil cannot be used as 

 a criterion of its solubility after addition, but it may indicate 

 its availability. The fixation of a soluble phosphate by the 

 soil may be influenced by the basicity of the soil. Avail- 

 ability as determined with solvents does not agree in full 

 with that indicated by plant growth. Apparently Hawaiian 

 soils are uniformly higher in phosphate than mainland soils, 

 but this is less available, e.specially in the heavy clay types. 

 I'hosphoric acid should be applied to this type of soil in the 

 form of soluble phosphates and in light applications at 

 frequent intervals, if rapid returns are anticipated 



The United States and Tropical Produce.— 



The increasing dependence of the United States on the tropics 

 for raw materials and foodstuffs not produced in that country 

 is shown by the fact that more than a billion dollars' worth 

 of tropical products were brought into that country during 

 the fiscal year 191(i. The exact total, §1,060,850,416, 

 represented an increase of S253,20S,231 over the year 1915 

 Imports of rubber amounted to $304,000,000 during the 

 fi.scal year 1916 against $280,000,000 in 1915, and 

 $109,000,000 in 1905, and were exceeded in value only by 

 sugar, coffee and fibres. (India RulSer IFor/d, February 1917.) 



According to the Jumnal uf the Januitca Agricultural 

 Society for December 191G, the scarcity of foodstuffs in that 

 island is creating some alarm, and the planting of provision 

 crops is being everywhere advocated. But it is stated that 

 the scarcity of foodstuffs is due rather to last year's hurricane 

 than to the war. Bananas, yams and cassava all suffered 

 largely from the storm. 



It is a common mistake in growing vegetables not to 

 make the .soil fine enough, and the seeds are sown among 

 small clods. At other times the soil is in too soft 

 a condition, and the seeds are planted in loose soil. Such 

 soil conditions are often responsible for unsatisfactory 

 germination or at least weak development. Very often 

 vegetable seed is planted too deep. The smaller the seed 

 the shallower it must be planted; peas may be planted 2 

 inches deep, lettuce seeds merely raked in and barely 

 covered. Seeds should never be sown too thickly. 



