Vol. V. No. 101. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



73 



Pamplilet Series No. 38. 



The following remarks relative to pamphlet No. 38 

 entitled 'The Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco' 

 appeared in Tropical Life for January last: — 'We 

 ■congratulate the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 at Barbados on this the latest addition to the useful 

 list of publications that they have issued for the 

 guidance of tropical agriculturists. We have always 

 1been great believers in the possibilities that the 

 West Indies offer as a tobacco-producing centre, 

 and so gladly welcome anything that tends to 

 •encourage the industry. . . . We would recommend 

 every small proprietor, if no one else, to secure a copy 

 of this book, which costs only 4(/. The chapter on 

 shade-grown tobacco, showing how to produce, in 

 Jamaica, the expensive wrapper tobacco imported 

 from Sumatra, is alone worth the money. With such 

 a book to start on, those owning an acre or so of 

 suitable land should be able to do well, once they have 

 mastered the different methods of handling and curing 

 the ])lants.' 



Determination of Sucrose. 



In a letter to the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, the Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc, 

 states that the paper on the ' Polarimetric Determina- 

 tion of Sucrose' by himself and Islr. Tempany, 

 published in the Wed Indian Bulletin {Yo\. VI, p. 52) 

 was reprinted in the International Svt/ar Journal 

 for August last. Dr. Watts draws attention to the fact 

 that it has given rise to interesting papers and 

 criticisms in the issues of the latter journal for 

 September, November, and December, and that, in the 

 January issue, the editor gives a resume of the whole 

 position. 



In his paper. Dr. Watts reviews the various 

 methods in use for determining the percentage of 

 sucrose in solution, and points out the many errors 

 likely to enter into the calculations, and the waj's in 

 which these errors may be eliminated. In concUision, 

 Dr. Watts recommends the following method of 

 working as generally applicable : — 



(1) ' Use a weight of 26 grammes of the sample of 



sugar, dissolve in distilled water and make up 

 to 100 true cubic centimetres. 



(2) 'Clarify by means of anhydrous basic lead 



acetate, avoiding excess. 



(3) ' Polarize at the temperature at which the 



solution is prepared and correct for tempera- 

 ture by the formula, Polarization + *(000-SS t) 

 N, where t is the difference between the 

 temperature of observation and that at which 

 the instrument was standardized, and N is 

 the Ventzke scale reading.' 

 Working in this manner will, it is believed, secure 

 a high degree of accuracy, and at the same time 

 uniformity between those working under diverse 

 climatic conditions. This method is therefore com- 

 mended to the careful consideration of those responsible 

 for securing uniform methods of sugar analysis, whether 

 for official or technical purposes. 



* If the temperature is below that nf standardization, tlie 

 correction will be — instead of -1- . 



Tillaffe and Soil Moisture. 



A successful planter in Barbados has observed that 

 young cane plants have a much fresher appearance 

 during dry weather if the surface layer of the soil 

 is kept well tilled He is now adopting the same 

 principle in his cotton fields, employing the third-cla.ss 

 gang to loosen the surface laj'er with scrapers suffi- 

 ciently large for that purpose, but not large enough 

 to damage the roots. 



Frequent cultivation of the .soil during dry weather 



is recognized as the best means of conserving soil 



moisture in ordinary field cultivations, and this 



planter has worked out for himself a principle on which 



much emphasis has been placed in recent years. 



A layer of fine tilth on the surface of the soil acts as 



a mulch to pi-event rapid evaporation. The capillary 



action of the soil is checked by this layer of fine 



materia], and the surface roots have a tendency to keep 



below it. 



. ■ I ^ 



Suggestions for a Rubber Exliibition. 



In Tropieal Life for January 1906, it is suggested 

 that a rubber exhibition similar to the cotton 

 exhibition recently held at the Imperial Institute, 

 would be appreciated, and might lead to the most 

 unlooked-for development in this latest of tropical 

 industries. The following suggestions are made :— 



In order to ascertain what plants belong to the 

 rubber family, and what are outside its group, planters 

 and scientific men should send in specimens of all the 

 known varieties of rubber-producing plants, and also, 

 when possible, of samples of the cured late.^. There 

 might also be exhibited oils prepared from rubber seed, 

 since inquiries are constantly being made as to their 

 possible uses and value. 



Next, in order to learn the best way to obtain the 

 largest amount of milk from the plant with the least 

 jiermanent damage to the tree, tapping tools of different 

 kinds should be exhibited, and their relative merits 

 and disadvantages discussed. Drawings and, if 

 possible, specimens and sections of trees showing the 

 many ways of tapping, should also be on view. 



Lectures by competent authorities on all jjhases 

 of rubber cultivation would be ver}- useful to men 

 inclined to take up rubber planting as an investment. 



With the following remarks the writer concludes 

 his interesting article : — 



' Such an exhibition cannot, however, be arranged 

 without the spending of a considerable sum of money. 

 Since there is no British Ptubber Planting Association, 

 although perhaps some day there may be one, we 

 must look to Chartered Companies, the South 

 American Republics, and other concerns, who have for 

 sale lands suitable for rubber planting, to join in the 

 venture. We must look also to the large steamship 

 owners who carry rubber freights, to the makers of 

 estate tools, machinery, manures and other supplies 

 whose trade would benefit immensely by the encourage- 

 ment of this new industry, and of course, to the makers 

 of manufactured rubber articles. By these means, and 

 possibly with some help from other quarters, there 

 ought to be but little trouble and delay in making the 

 preliminary arrangements for such an exhibition.' 



