ISiS 



THh AGKiCCLTUKAL NEWb 



3vsE 16. lyiT. 



In the East Africa Protectorate coco- nut planting, says 

 the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute (\'ol. XIV, No. 4), i* 

 the chief industry on the coast-lands and is likely to remain 

 so. Native plantations, it is stated, are in a very unsatis- 

 factory state owing tcp tapping of tiie palm, and to the attacks 

 of Oryctes beetles und fires The copra produced appears to 

 be of a somewhat inferior quality that could easily be 

 improved with a little more care and attention. 



GLEANINGS 



In the last issue of the Aijnciiltma/ Neii:s a mistake was 

 niade in stating that observations showing the number of 

 days on which rain falls is only a newly introduced feature 

 into the St. Lucia meteorological record.s. St. Lucia happens 

 to be one of a very few islands where this observation has 

 been systematically carried on for inttny years past. 



Trap; ml Life for April 1917 contains a biographical 

 statement of the career and present work of Mr. F. W. South, 

 Chief Agricultural Inspector, Department of Agriculture, 

 F.M.&., formerly Mycologist on the stati' of the Imperial 

 l)epartment of Agriculture for the West Indies. Mr. South 

 is principally occujiied in the I'.M.S. in enforcing the Plant 

 Pests Enactment. 



During the German South Africa campaign glanders 

 hi eke out among the horsts and other tran.'port animals of 

 the L^nion torces, and stringt nt measures had to be taken to 

 combat the disease; but in spite of everything the mortality 

 was approximately 6,000 animals The veterinary surgeons 

 were, however, by prompt iiction, able to save the situation 

 and the lives of nmre than 10,000 hor.ses. 



The I uiversity of California FuUicotiimf in botany 

 (\o\. V, No. 11. pp. .jU1-46) contains an interesting paper 

 illustrated by admirable plates on the nature of the first 

 generation cross between ditfen nt species ot Nicotiana. It 

 has been found that crtjsses between K. ni/lvesiris and 

 varieties of i\'. Toliaccvm always display the characters of 

 the particular Tobaccum variety used in the cross, but usually 

 on a greatly enlarged scale. 



A Treasury grant of £125,000 by way of loan has been 

 made towards the purchase of an estate of 5,600 acres at 

 Kelham, near Newark, England, where it is proposed to grow 

 sugar beet and to erect a factory for its manufacture into 

 sugar. The enterprise, which is estimated to cost £500,000, 

 is referred to in the interim report of a Parliamentary Com- 

 mittee appointed to report on the matter, as being thought out 

 with areat care and as a sound one. 



The results obtained with varieties of sugar-cane in 

 Assam are set out in the Annual Report on Experiments and 

 ] )emoustration for 1916. The yield given of cane sugar in juice 

 in pounds per acre for B .'176 ranged from 5,945 to 4,417 ft). 

 B.147 gave a low yield on the average, while the Indian 

 canes gave very much le.s.s. The Indian canes contained 

 about 12 to 14 percent, sugar in juice compared with 16 

 to 18 in the case of the Itarbudos ami Mauritius varieties. 



According to the Colonial Report on Nyasaland for 

 1915-16, the e-xport of tea for the year was valued at XS,585 

 or an increase of £4,429, while the acreage increa,sed froi:-' 

 3,303 to 4,141 acres. Taking into consideration the greatly 

 increased local consumption, it will be seen that the output 

 was practically doubled. The bulk of the crop was sold on 

 the London market at from Sc'. to Is. per ib., a satisfactory 

 price when the low co.'st of production is taken into con.sid- 

 eration. 



Information has been received from the Secretary of the 

 British Cotton Growing Association stating that the death 

 has occurred on April 3, of Mr. William .Marsland. Mr. 

 Marsland was one of the delegates to the West Indian 

 Agricultural Conference in 1912. We take this opportunity 

 of expressing regret at the untimely loss of a useful member 

 of the Council of the British Cotton Growing Association, 

 and one who took a particular interest in matters relating to 

 the development of tlie West Indian cotton industry. 



In the Aijrirultxiral Gazette of New .South Widen for 

 March 1917, the following dairy wash, which has the 

 advantage that the materials are readily at hand, is 

 recommended: — 



'Mix air-slaked lime in the freshly skimmed milk 

 to a suitable consistency, so that it can be applied smoothly 

 with the brush To each gallon of the mixture add on* 

 ounce of table-salt. It is advisable to make just sufhcient 

 wash for the day and to use it fresli. This wash dries 

 readily on wooden or iron surfaces. It possesses the 

 advantage of adhering firmly, does not flake oft', and lasts 

 longer than most of the washes now in use.' 



In the Agricultin'al Journal of India for January 1917, 

 the following interesting particulars are given as to the 

 .selection of the best colour for wall papers and hangings. 

 Wall papers were tested for their light absorbing qualities, 

 with the following results: white, percentage of light 

 absorbed, 30: chrome yellow, 38; orange, 50; plain ileal, 55; 

 yellow, 60; light pink, 64, emerald green, 82; dark brown, 

 87: vermilion, 88: blue-green, 88; cobalt-blue, 88; dark 

 chocolate, 96. The above shows that, if a room papered 

 with dark-green be repapered with chrome yellow, it will be 

 four times as light with the same lamps. In inany cases 

 house-holders pay too much for electricity and gas lighting 

 because their light-absorbing wall coverings destroy the 

 light rav-s. 



