Vol. V. No. 116 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



317 



PHASEOLUS MUNGO FOR 

 MANURING. 



GREEN 



The ofticer-in-charge of the Dominica Agricultural 

 School has forwarded the following information in 

 regard to comparative trials of three varieties of 

 Phaseolus Mango, undertaken to test their suitability 

 for green manuring : — 



Seed of each variety was sown in adjoining beds. They 

 germinated and grew well, the woolly jjyrol being much the 

 strongest of the three varieties. In si.x weeks all three 

 •varieties flowered simultaneously. 



The table below shows the differences in the. habits of 

 growth of these three varieties : — 



As will be seen from the above, No. 1 is much more 

 suitable for green manuring than Nos. 2 and 3. 



CANDLE-NUT OIL. 



The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, 

 for August, has the following account of the composi- 

 tion of candle-nuts and the uses of the oil. This tree is 

 not uncommon in the West Indies : — 



The candle-nut is the fruit of Aleurites triloba, a tree 

 which grows principally in Java, Sumatra, the Moluccas 

 Island, and in the South Pacific Islands. The nuts are 

 interesting on account of the large proportion of oil which 

 they contain, and the product is coming into demand. The 

 nut has received its name from the fact that the kernel burns 

 like a candle when a light is applied to it ; and the natives of 

 some of the South Pacific Islands utilize them threaded on 

 reeds for this purpose. Several such candles, wrapped 

 together in a pandanus leaf, form a torch. 



The following gives the composition of the kernels 

 obtained from one of the Pacific Islands : — 



ANALYSIS OF CANDLE-NUT (kEENEl). 



Of the 60 per cent, of oil contained in the nuts, quite 

 55 per cent, should be readily extractable commercially. 

 This proportion is extremely high when compared with the 

 amount derivable from other oil-bearing nuts and .seeds, and 

 is equal to poppy seed, which also contains about 60 per cent, 

 of oil. Linseed and hempseed contain from 30 to 35 per cent, 

 of oil, and castor-oil seeds 40 to 45 per cent. 



The oil exjircssed from the candle-nut is known under 

 several uame.s, viz., Bankul oil, Eboc oil, also artists' oil. It is 

 a drying oil, and is used in the arts for the same purposes 

 as linseed oil, and also for burning. Its drying power is 

 quite as high as that of linseed oil, and it may be used for 

 all purposes for which the latter is used, namely, in the 

 manufacture of oil-colours, lacquers, and varnishes, and for 

 soap-making. It is used medicinally as a plaster, and as 

 an article of diet, as olive oil is used. The nuts are them- 

 selves edible, and, as will be seen from the analysis, have 

 a high nutritive value. The cake from which the oil has 

 been expressed can be used as a cattle food and as a manure, 

 in the same way that linseed and other cakes are used. There 

 is a fair demand for it in England and on the Continent for the 

 purposes above-mentioned, and there would probably be 

 a good local demand if the supply could be depended upon. 



The market value may be estimated at about =£18 to 

 £20 per ton. 



INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 

 HARDINESS AND ACCLIMATIZATION. 



The following copy of a letter addressed by the 

 Secretary of the Horticultural Society of New York to 

 the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture is published 

 for general information : — 



The Horticultural Society of New York proposes to hold 

 in the early fall of 1907, an International Conference on 

 Hardiness and Acclimatization, if there is sufficient general 

 interest evinced to warrant organizing such a gathering. 



I am instructed by the President and Council to ascer- 

 tain whether you are sufficiently interested to accord your 

 support to such a conference and perhaps take part in the 

 deliberations. 



I need hardly remind you that the questions proposed 

 are of supreme importance to horticulturists, and there is 

 very little, if any, codified matter available. The proceedings 

 of the conference would form the substance of a volume of 

 Memoirs of this Society, and would be a companion to the 

 Proceedings of the International Conference on Plant Breed- 

 ing held in 1902. 



Any assistance that you can give, suggesting lines for 

 discussion, togethei- with the names of those whom you think 

 might be interested and whom I could approach, would be 

 greatly appreciated. 



BASELLA ALBA. 



Mr. J. Jones, Curator of the Botanic Station in 

 Dominica, has forwarded the following note on a useful 

 spinach plant (BaseUa alba): — • 



Probably the best spinach for cultivation in the West 

 Indies is BaseUa alba, an Indian plant. It has been growrj 

 in Dominica for several years, and is highly appreciated by 

 those who grow it, but it is not nearly so widely known in 

 the island as it deserves to be. It can be grown in the shade 

 or in the open. The young succulent shoots are generally 

 used for cooking, but the leaves alone will make an excellent 

 spinach. The plant is a rapid grower, and one small bed will 

 yield a regular supply of spinach for the greater part of the 

 year. It is greatly superior to the species of Ai/ianintfnts 

 generally used in the West Indies for .spinach. BasMa alba 

 produces seed abundantly during the early months of the 

 year. 



