270 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 25, 1917. 



STUDIES IN CONNEXION WITH 



PELLAGRA. 



In view of ibe growing interest being taken in investi- 

 gations to discover the causes which produce pellagra, the 

 results of fome s-tudies conducted in the United States and 

 Italy, and reported in the Experiment Station Record, 

 Tol. XXXVI, No. S, p. 763, are of importance. 



From the results of a series of observations in the 

 X'nited States of tissues obtained from dead pellagrins, and 

 at autopsies of certain animals ivbich had been given various 

 diets with the view of producing, if possible, symptoms and 

 tissue changes found in pellagra, the conclusion is drawn that 

 ihetLssue alterations, including the degenerative changes in 

 ihe nervous system occurring in animals as a result of 

 malnutrition, are strikingly similar to those observed in 

 pellagrous tissue. The pathological changes in tissues in 

 malnutrition are very similar, whether resulting from (a) no 

 food, (b) unbalanced diet, or (c) mild circulating toxins which 

 interfere with nutrition of cells. In (a) congestion and fatty 

 degeneration were more pronounced, while in (b) more 

 pigment (hiemosiderinl was present. 



In a second series of observations, which consisted of 

 feeding animals upon a diet composed of boiled dried pea.«, 

 cracker meal, and cotton-seed oil or lard, a diseased condition 

 closely resembling human pellagra was produced. The 

 ingestion of suitable quantities of meat caused these symptoms 

 to disappear. The intake of a large quantity of pea.s, too, 

 was found to be less detrimental than smaller amounts, while 

 it was more difficult to produce these symptoms when a diet 

 containing meat, cracker meal, and lard was given; and for 

 the production of the diseased condition the meat had to be 

 reduced to a certain undefined minimum. The conclusion is 

 drawn that the abnormal condition is due to a deficiency of 

 some essential dietary constituent or constituents. 



SAND COLIC IN ANIMALS. 



The results of the observations of a French veterinary 

 surgeon as to cases of colic due to the ingestion of sand are 

 summarized in the Veterinary Record of May 26, 1917. 

 Sand colic is common in the Turks Islands, especially in 

 droughts, among horses and mules which swallow sand in 

 nibbling the short shoots and roots of grass in the parched 

 pastures. It is easy to diagnose sand colic by the symptoms. 

 The animal affected lies on its back, rolls, a.ssumes abnormal 

 positions, throws himself violently down, and rises again, 

 paws the ground, makes more or less ineffectual attempts at 

 micturition, and evacuates small balls of dry f;eces mixed 

 with sand in variable proportions. 



Treatment for this sickness should be chiefly preven- 

 tive. Special care should be taken to ensure that the drinking 

 water should be as pure as possible, and to exclude all 

 opportunities for the ingestion of sand by sheltering stables 

 from wind.s, and by other measures. 



Curative treatment is very simple. As soon as the 

 disease appears the horse should be placed in a spacious stall 

 ■where he cannot hurt himself, prevented from all inopportune 

 movement and all agitation, and given a sedative draught 

 containing tincture of opium. In most cases a rapid improve- 

 ment supervenes, and in twelve hours the horse may be 

 considered cured. The elimination of the sand is then 

 commenced by means of small doses of pilocarpine; and a 

 laxative regime is adopted which enables the horse to return 

 to work after the lapse of forty eight hours. Sometimes the 

 symptoms indicate therapeutic measures, clysters, etc. Purga- 

 tives are always useless, and often prejudicial. 



TRACTORS IN AGRICULTURE. 



The Ministry of Munitions, which owns an extensive 

 tract of fertile agricultural land in connexion with 

 a munitions factory in the north of England, is encouraging 

 its tenants to cultivate hundreds of additional acres by- 

 assisting in the ploughing of the land with tractors. Four 

 American Mogul tractors of 16 horse power each, with 

 Canadian 'Cockshut' three-furrow ploughs attached, have 

 been at work in the vicinity for some months, and splendid 

 results hive been attained. 



The tractors are manned by Army Service Corps M.T. 

 Drivers. Each tractor has a speed of ;ibout 3 milea 

 per hour, and the engines, which start on petrol, are worked 

 by paraffin, the consumption of oil being about '21 gallons per 

 acre. The ploughs turn the land over to the depth of about 

 7 inches, and the furrows are even, clean, and straight. The 

 average amount, ploughed in a full day under adverse 

 condition", has been .5 acres per tractor, but it has been 

 ascertained that, under ideal conditions, each tractor can 

 easily plough three quarters of an acre in an hour. Besides 

 being useful for ploughing, the tractors will be of great 

 assistance during harvest, in hauling the binders, in threshing, 

 and in taking the grain to the market. So much interest 

 amongst the agricultural community has been aroused by the 

 introduction of the tractors that, although at first the farmers 

 were somewhit sceptical, they have become quite enamoured 

 of the new invention. So complete indeed has been their 

 conversion that, as related in the Journal of the board of 

 Agriculture oi Jlay 1917, they are in frequent communication 

 with the agent in charge of the work with a view of buying 

 the tractors after he is done with them. And, in France the 

 value of tractors in agricultural operations is equally appreci- 

 ated as may be seen from the fact that a certain number of 

 agriculturists in the arrondisement of Pontoise have formed 

 themselves into an association in order to acquire tractors, and 

 to undertake without delay ploughing and other farm works 

 which have for the present been suspended. The capital has 

 been subscribed by members iu proportion to the area of 

 arable land they hold, and this has allowed the pur.'^hase of 

 thirty-two traction engines at a total cost of about £20,000. 

 The tractors purcha.sed include 18 Emersion 20 h p. traction 

 engines; 6 Arion 40 h.p.; 2 Avery 35 h.p.; 2 Avery 16 h.p.; 

 3 Avance 20 h.p.; and 1 Bull 16 h.p The activity of the 

 association will att'ect about 17,800 acres of arable land 

 fitted for the intensive culture of grain and beetroot. The 

 scarcity of agricultural labour in this district, as a result of 

 the mobilization of Belgian workmen, the proximity of 

 factories of war material, and the prohibition to employ 

 prisoners of war which was long in force, decided the 

 agriculturists to use these new methods of work as a matter 

 of urgency. Counting the tractors already bought by individu- 

 als outside the association, there are now forty of these 

 machines in the arrondisement of Pontoise, and the possibility 

 of shortly using double that number ought to be realizej. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



The heavy weather for July spent itself on the 24th and 

 2.5th of the month. On these two days about 2J inches fell. 

 After this there was a week of fair weather which was 

 beneficial to vegetation of all kinds, and also a relief to the 

 planter who is most anxious-to make timely progress with 

 the work in hand at this season of the year 



Twelve inches is an exceptionally good rainfall for any 

 month during the wet season. This figure was generally 

 exceeded during last month, and it should be noted that the 

 sea-board parishes were as favourably treated as the hilly- 

 districts. 



