April 23, 1908] 



NA TURE 



591 



recently issued by the Massachusetts Experiment Station 

 (No. 118J gives the results of experiments by Lindsey, 

 Holland, and Smith. They found that any large quantity 

 of molasses depresses the digestibility of the other con- 

 stituents of the ration ; this is known to be the general 

 effect of too much carbohydrate. Molasses proved less 

 economical than ordinary farm foods ; it proved, however, 

 a valuable condiment, and induced the animals to eat un- 

 palatable and inferior fodder which otherwise they would 

 have refused. It was also found to keep the animals in 

 good condition. Two or three pounds a day is recom- 

 mended as the proper allowance for cows and horses. 



In a paper recently read before the Canterbury Farmers' 

 Club, Mr. E. S. Salmon gives the history of the Goose- 

 berry Mildew Order of July, 1907. This was the first 

 order issued by the Board of Agriculture under the new 

 Destructive Insect and Fcst Act, an Act largely due to 

 Mr. Salmon's tireless exertions on behalf of fruit-growers. 

 By the terms of the order the gooseberry mildew is a 

 notifiable disease under a penalty not exceeding ten pounds ; 

 the local authority, on receiving notice of its existence, is 

 .required to make the grower destroy immediately all 

 diseased bushes, and then spray with an approved fungicide 

 all surrounding bushes. The payment of compensation for 

 the destroyed bushes is optional on the part of the local 

 authority, but the necessary money must be provided out 

 of the rdtcs, as no Treasury grant is available. Mr. 

 Salmon states that the order is not being carried out, and 

 that there has been no systematic destruction of diseased 

 bushes, because the councils have been unwilling to destroy 

 bushes without compensation, and afraid to draw the neces- 

 sary money from the rates. The result has been that the 

 disease is spreading rapidly, and is now known in six 

 counties. Instead of strengthening the order the Board 

 has practically nullified it by issuing a second one per- 

 mitting the grower to prune instead of burn his bushes. 

 Mr. Salmon criticises the order strongly, and points out 

 that pruning cannot keep the mildew in check. He goes 

 on to say : — " The Board of Agriculture, without any 

 scientific leadership, have again temporised at the most 

 critical stage. There is now but one opportunity remain- 

 ing of dealing with the American gooseberry mildew and 

 preventing it sweeping through the country, and that is 

 to deal with the disease this winter, but it must be by 

 thorough and uncompromising measures." He recom- 

 mends systematic destruction of every infected bush in 

 the country, compensation to be awarded out of the 

 Treasury. If this is not done, he thinks gooseberry grow- 

 ing will cease to be a commercial possibility in England. 



A pamphlet has recently been issued by Mr. E. S. 

 Salmon on the " black scab " or " warty disease " of 

 potatoes {Chrysophlyctis endobiotica, Schilb.). This 

 dangerous disease, which came over from the Continent 

 about 1895, now occurs in nine counties in England and 

 Scotland, and seems likely to spread throughout the 

 country unless- drastic preventive measures arc taken. The 

 fungus attacks the growing potatoes, causing the forma- 

 tion of wrinkled, warty excrescences which may become 

 even larger than the actual potato itself ; sometimes the 

 stem and leaves are similarly attacked. Spores can re- 

 main in the ground for two years at least, and there is 

 evidence that they can remain dormant for six years. 

 Mr. Salmon urges the desirability of bringing this disease 

 under the Destructive Insect and Pest Act. It would 

 certainly seem desirable that the Board of .Agriculture 

 should have expert guidance in connection with this new 

 .Act, so that diseases could be brought within its scope 

 directly they appear, instead of waiting until considerable 

 damage has been done. 



The Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope for 

 January contains an account of the Kafir corn aphis (Aphis 

 sorghi), an aphis which, as its name implies, badly attacks 

 Kafir corn (Sorghum vulgare). It is stated that the pest 

 is spreading, and is likely to be a serious matter in the 

 near future owing to the great value of Kafir corn in 

 Cape Colony ; a thorough field study is desirable during 

 January. February, and March, when the insect is on the 

 corn. The same number also contains an article by 

 VV. Robertson on preventive inoculation of farm stock, 

 dealing specially with lung sickness, anthrax, and black 

 c|uarter. 



N'O. 2008, VOL. 77] 



The Agricultural Journal of India (October, 1907) con- 

 tains several articles of interest to the large Indian agri- 

 culturist. The similarity between the conditions obtaining 

 in Sind and in Upper Egypt is pointed out, a similarity 

 which has enabled Egyptian cotton to be successfully 

 grown where previously none could be obtained. Mr. 

 Maxwell-Lefroy contributes a useful article on practical, 

 remedies for insect pests, and there is a good account, 

 with illustrations, of the stock on the Government cattle 

 farm at Hissar (Punjab). 



Owing to the large number of new orchards coming into 

 bearing in South Australia, the production of 'fruit is likely 

 considerably to exceed the local demand ; a detailed account 

 of the process of fruit-drying is therefore given in the 

 Journal of Agriculture of South Australia (December, 

 1907). The fruits dealt with are apricots and prunes ; the 

 instructions are very full, and should prove valuable to 

 the fruit-grower. Another article deals with the banded 

 pumpkin beetle (Aulocophora hilaris, Boisd.), which does 

 considerable damage to melons. 



The December (1907) number of the Agricultural Journal 

 of the Cape of Good Hope contains an article by Mr. 

 Lounsbury on the Plasmopara vine disease in Algeria, in 

 which attention is directed to the similarity between 

 .Algeria and Cape conditions. No remedy for the disease 

 is known, and the Cape authorities are naturally anxious 

 that they may remain free from it. There is also a report 

 on various methods tried for the destruction of the prickly 

 pear. This tree spreads rapidly on ground which is not 

 being actually cultivated, and is found seriously to injure 

 the ground for cultivation. The best and simplest method 

 found was to cut down the tree, spray the heaps with 1 

 sodium arsenite solution, and then inject a 10 per cent, 

 solution of the same salt into the stumps still left in the 

 ground. This journal adopts the very useful plan of 

 publishing the lectures given at the Rhodes University 

 College during the vacation courses in agriculture, by 

 which means they are made known to a much wider circle 

 than would otherwise be possible. .All the lectures deal 

 with important agricultural problems. In the present 

 number the breeding and grazing of Angora goats is gone 

 into at length ; there are also two articles on the manage- 

 ment of ostriches. 



We have received three leaflets from the Board of Agri- 

 culture, No. 195 dealing with the American gooseberry 

 mildew. No. 199 with the pine disease, and No. 202 with 

 the frit fly. The pine disease is caused by Diplodia pinea, 

 Kickx., a wound parasite, the mycelium of which extends 

 rapidly towards the tip of the shoot and takes up the food 

 supply. After a short time all the leaves fall and the 

 plant' dies. The frit fly (Oscinis frit) is stated to be one 

 of the chief cereal pests in Europe ; the chief damage in 

 Great Britain is to oats, and there are Continental records 

 of attacks on barley, wheat, rye, maize, and various 

 grasses. It appears that early sown crops are less liable 

 to be attacked than late sown. 



In the January number of the Journal of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland 

 there is a "full report of the first address by the new vice- 

 president to the council, wliich affords eloquent testimony 

 to the value of the work done by Sir Horace Plunkett. 

 Itinerant instructors are now at work in every county ; 

 in addition, winter classes are held in thirteen counties 

 at thirty-two centres, the number of pupils attending being 

 estimated at five hundred. Twenty-six students are train- 

 ing at the Royal College of Science for teaching appoint- 

 ments, fifty-seven are studying at Glasnevin with the view 

 of actual farming, and there are also three smaller 

 institutions with fifty-nine students between them. The 

 prosperity of the country is increasing ; the export of eggs 

 increases rapidly, and is now valued at 2,500,000/. ; poultry 

 are also being sent out in greater number and of better 

 quality. Schemes are on foot to study the production of 

 winter butter, to increase the forest land, to set up 'cattle 

 dispensaries in certain counties, and to push the sale of 

 Irish produce in the English markets. All this is excel- 

 lent; we cannot, however, help feeling mere than doubtful 

 about another plan suggested for the future — of choosing 

 Irishmen by preference for teaching posts. It would surely 

 be much better to choose the best available man, quite 

 regardless of his nationality. 



