AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS : PRESERVIXG 



1 187 



amounted to £2 885 000. This figure continually declined until 1915 

 when it had fallen to absolutely insignificant proportions (£593). 



On the other hand, in 1914 there were exported 532 358 lbs. of meat of 

 a value of £ 12 352. In 1915 the exports were 32 897 quarters of beef, 

 and in the first 11 months of the same year the meat exports totalled 

 6 211 752 lbs. of a value of £113 296. 



In 1915 South African beef fetched on the I^ondon market from 5 ^4^ 

 to 7 ^od. per lb. or from 2d to ^d per lb. more than it would probably have 

 fetched before the war. The cost of exportation, allowing for the value of 

 the by-products, is probabh' about i ^2^- P^^ ^^■ 



In order to ensure still further the progress of this industry, it is advis- 

 able to use good bulls of a beef breed, so as to obtain earlier maturit}^ hea- 

 vier carcases and better adaptation for fattening. 



At present vSouth African cattle are chiefly draught animals. They 

 onh^ attain maturity at the age of 6 years, and their quarters weigh from 

 no to 160 lbs., while those, of Argentine cattle for instance, average 180 to 

 200 lbs. 



916 - Experiments in Potato Storage with Sulphur. — gerlach, in iiiustncrtciandiiirt- 



schaftiiche Zeitiiiv^, 36th Year, Xo. 37, pp. 268. Berlin, May 6, 1916. 



Reference is made to an experiment in potato ensilage carried out on 

 the Mocheln model farm in order to test sulphur as a preservative. On the 

 29th October, 2 .stacks of potatoes of the " Ella " variety were put into earth 

 silos about 16 ins deep. Each stack contained 2 200 lbs. of hand-sorted 

 tubers. The potatoes were laid on a thin layer of straw, then successively 

 covered with a la3^er of straw, earth, and potato leaves and stalks, and, 

 when winter approached, with a second layer of earth. Silo N^ i received 

 no addition of sulphur ; in silo No 2 there was first placed a thin stratum 

 of crude powdered sulphur, then a 9 to 12 inch layer of potatoes, and so 

 forth. On the 22nd April following the silos were opened, and the potatoes 

 sorted and weighed. The following were the results found : silo N^ i con- 

 tained 2048 lbs. of healthy and 19 lbs. of rotted potatoes; silo N^ 2 had 

 2099 lbs. of healthy and 35 lbs. of rotted potatoes. Thus the rotting 

 of the potatoes was not prevented b}' sulphur, but the latter impeded the 

 reduction of weight in the potatoes. 



AGRICULTCTR.'VL 

 PRODUCTS : 

 PRESERVING, 



PACKING, 



TRANSPORT, 



TRADE 



91' 



Investigations into the Part Played by the Amylase in Potato. — See this Buiktii 



91 H -Experiments in Preserving Broken Eggs. — Richelb.wm gkorg , in niuchcmisciu- 



Zfitschrift, VoL 7.1, No, 3 and 4, pp. 176-1.S-). Berlin, April z\), 1916. 



At the suggestion of the Central German Egg Purchasing Company 

 the writer carried out preservation tests by different means. The object 

 was to find a substance which can be added to the thoroughl}' stirred 

 liquid mass of broken eggs, thus enabling the latter to be transported in 

 barrels to long distances. 



The pre]inu"nary tests showed that sub.stances with .strong odour can- 

 not be used, as it is afterwards impossible to free the eggs from the odour 

 conmiunicated to them. The writer indeed showed that even highly vola- 



