Vol. XVI. No. 402. 



THE AGEICULTTTRAL .'TEWS. 



297 



■made from this flour has obtained considerable vogue in 

 the country. 



It has been the dream of our scientists to 

 realize some way of utilizing cotton-seed meal as 

 human food owing to its high protein content. The 

 results at the Sugar Experiment Station, Audubon Park, 

 are said to have been satisfactory, but still that the 



•diminution of the unpleasant flavour of the cotton-seed 

 meal was presumed to be derived from the diminished 

 proportion of cotton-seed meal in the manufacture of 

 bread. It is not stated as to whether or not the Te.xas 



•concern is able to remove the unplea.sant odour 

 sufficiently to make edible and acceptable bread free of 

 nnpleastnt flavour. 



It is to be noted that caution should be exercised 

 in experimenting with cotton-seed meal for human 

 food: the results of the foregoing and other experiments 

 made under careful conditions will be watched with 



interest. 



^ 



Peach Trees in the Tropics. 



Peaches are native to temperate climates, but 

 nevertheless, it has been found in Cuba that the Red 

 Ceylon variety does well, and bears heavily the second 

 year and successive years. There is a tree at the 

 Experiment Station at Santiago de las Vegas that was 

 planted more than ten years ago, and it bears every 

 year more or less according to the care it receives. 

 There are many trees planted in the island, some ot 

 ■which, having had good attention, are bearing from 

 500 to 1,000 native peaches of fair size. The Red 

 Ceylon peach is a small variety, but when it is well 

 grown it is of excellent quality. Agriculture, Cuba, 

 May 1917, gives directions for the planting, caring and 

 pruning of peach trees in that climate. These directions 

 emphasize the importance of fertilizing and mulching 

 the ground, copious watering, and severe pruning. 



Some peach trees were imported, and planted in 

 the Botanic Station, Montserrat, in 1912. They flowered 

 freely in 1914, but produced no fruit. In 191.5 they 

 had "^got into very bad condition, and the experiment 

 was discontinued." It may be, however, that the varie- 

 ties imported were not suitable to tropic conditions. 



1 I * — • 



A Noxious Weed 



There are many wild species of the genus Amar- 

 anthus found in the West Indies, among them the not 

 uncommon and vigorous weed, known in some islands 

 as prickly caterpillar ( A manmtlms spinosus, L.). 

 In the pastures near Honolulu, Hawaii, and in 

 other parts of those islands, this weed has recently 

 • spread so extensively as to cau-se the Board of Agri- 

 culture and Forestry to issue warnings to ranchers and 

 dairymen against this obnoxious plant, advising the use 

 of every possible means to prevent its further spread. 



The chief objection to this weed is the fact that it 

 bears a pair of very sharp thorns at the base of the 

 leaves. Cattle will not eat the plant, and they shun 

 the pastures where it occurs. In Hawaii it grows to the 

 height of at least b feet, and spreads in an alarmingly 

 rapid manner because it produces seeds, relatively 

 small, in enormous numbers, one plant producing as 

 many as 11.5,600 seeds. It is important, therefore, to 



destroy the plant before the seeds form, in order to 

 prevent the weed from spreading. It is suggested by 

 the Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturist, -May 1917, 

 that in order to prevent the ruintaion of pasture land 

 by the spread of this weed it should at once be attacked 

 where found, removing it by the roots, and burning 

 plants, seeds and all. 



Forage and Green-Dressing Crops in Rhodesia. 



The Rhodesia Agricultural Journal for June 1917, 



contains a report on a number of recent introductions 



on trial at the Experiment Station, Salisbury. Some 



of these appear of interest for possible experimentation 



in the West Indies. 



In the first place, as regards hay crops, molasses 

 grass (Meliinis minutifiora) has proved unequalled 

 for wealth of succident foliage. At Salisbury the grass 

 forms a dense mat reaching in places to over 3 feet high. 

 A trial cutting in April last gave approximately 

 a return of .5 tons of dried hay per acre. Whether this 

 grass would be successful in these islands, with their 

 hotter temperature, remains to be seen, but it might 

 well be so, seeing that Guinea grass (Panicum 

 maximum) has proved very satisfactory on the same 

 station. 



Another experiment which met with considerable 

 success, and which might give a hint in growing forage 

 plants in the West Indies, was growing Guinea grass 

 alternatively with one or more legumes, the idea being 

 to give a greater variety of food, and, by the inclusion 

 of legumes, a more complete ration. 



Among experiments on plants suitable for greea 

 dressing, one with the sunn hemp (Crotolaria Jiincea) 

 gave good results. This plant is largely grown in 

 India for the sake of its fibre. It has no value as 

 fodder for stock, but its root sy.stem being usually 

 covered with nodules, its value as a green dressing is 

 favourably reported on. This plant is grown very 

 commonly in gardens in these islands, for the sake of 

 its showy flowers. It grows easily and luxuriantly, 

 and although a trial on a small scale as a green dressing 

 in St. Vincent was not particular!}- encouraging, further 

 experiments might show it to be of value for the 

 purpose. 



Bread from Mixed Meals, and the Preparation 

 of Yeast. 



Mix together 2i teacupfuls of flour with 2 teacupfula 

 of maize meal. Prepare a mixture of 2 cupfuls of water 

 to 1 of the mixture of flour and meal to bring the dough 

 when kneaded to the usual consistenc)'. The dough 

 is then left in a dish overnight aud thoroughly kneaded 

 the next morning, after which it is put into two bread 

 tins and allowed to rise in the usual way. The yeaslj 

 is prepared by taking 1 tablespoonful each of sugar, 

 salt, and flour, and mixing with a handful of hops in 

 a dish. To this mixture add about 2 quarts of boiling 

 water, and allow the w-hole to stand for about twelve 

 hours. The liquid or yeast is then poured into bottles 

 and corked. The sediment remaining in the dish is of 

 no use and can be thrown away. 



