115 



From these accounts of Ben oil, it appears that although it would 

 not yield the extravagant profits expected in 1817, yet if it could 

 be produced at a sufficiently cheap rate it would be likely to find 

 a market for dietetic purposes, and possibly an opening might 

 be secured for the liquid portion of it as a lubricant for fine 

 machinery. 



The cost of producing the oil as given by the firm of oil manu- 

 facturers at Kingston, Jamaica, appears very large ; it must be 

 pointed out, however, that the initial cost of the seed was very 

 considerable, the yield of oil was less than would be expected from 

 the fact that the decorticated seed contains from 35 to 38 percent, 

 of oil, and no allowance seems to have been made for the residual 

 cake which might be of value as a cattle food. 



SNAILS AND SLUGS.* 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



By far the greatest natural checks are birds, which not only eat 

 slugs, but are especially partial to snails, breaking their shells 

 against a stone and picking out the mollusc. Toads are great 

 devourers of slugs and small snails. Poultry and ducks eagerly 

 search for them. Centipedes attack slugs, and ants frequently 

 kill snails, but none of the foregoing save birds do any appreci- 

 ably good in keeping down an excess of these molluscan creatures. 



PREVENTION AND REMEDIES. 



The following may be mentioned as tending to prevent and 

 lessen the attacks of these pests : — 



(i) Drainage, because dampness favours them. 

 (ii) Avoid long manure, or in fact any organic manure where 

 slugs are abundant in the soil. Employ artificials for a 

 time. 

 (iii) Dry dressings of some irritant to kill the pests, (a) Soot 

 and lime; (b) salt and lime; (c) lime and caustic ; soda 

 or to act mechanically, (d) powdered coke. 

 The lime must be in a very finely-divided state and quite fresh. 

 Two or three dressings must be given, the second some 15 to 30 

 minutes after the first. Lime and caustic soda is found to act 

 best — four parts of caustic soda to 96 of lime well mixed. Dry 

 dressings, except powdered coke, should be applied very early in 

 the morning. 



(iv) "Rings" of slaked lime or fine ash soaked in kerosene may 



be put round choice plants, 

 (v) Heaps of bran-mash or moist oatmeal or cornmeal may be 



placed here and there. These baits attract the slugs, 



which may then be easily collected, 

 (vi) Heavy applications of soot are best to keep of¥ snails, 



which should be dealt with mainly by hand picking and 



by trapping with cabbage leaves. 



•Extract from Leaflet No. 132, of Board of Agriculture & Fisheries of England. 



