26 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



INFORMATION FOR THE AMERICAN SETTLER 



BORDEAU MIXTURE IN QUANTITY— COCOANUT BUD ROT IN BORNEO AND 



METHODS OF TREATMENT 



I'.ordeau Mixture Quickly Made 

 For making of Bordeaux niixtiirc on a 

 large scale from stock solutions build two 

 elevated platforms side by side, sufticiently 

 lii"h to allow of the emptynig of two ..0 

 ..allon barrels, fitted with taps, and con- 

 '.Rcted with a short length of canvas hose, 

 iiiti) one KM) gallon vat on the second and 

 U.wer platform. Then into one of the 

 50 gallon barrels, pour S gallons of stock 

 solution of lime, and into the other the 

 same quantitv of copper sulphate stock 

 solution, or 4 gallons only if made of 2 

 pounds of copper sulphate to the gallon. 

 l-ill each barrel with water to make oO 

 gallons each. Stir the lime solution vig- 

 Hroush, place the strainer over the head of 

 the lot) gallon vat, place the hose connect- 

 ing the two oO gallon casks in the strainer 

 and allow the two casks to empty into the 

 large vat, stirring the lime solution all the 

 time, and you will have 100 gallons of 

 bordeaux mixture, which can be used at 

 once and run off from the top of the vat 

 into the spraving machine. — from the Ag- 

 ricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Fed- 

 crated Malay States, tor April, lUlO, in the 

 Barbadoes Netvs. 



Purifying Beeswax 



A method, followed by bee-keepers who 

 have not adopted modern appliances, is to 

 place the comb, after the honey has been 

 extracted, in a canvas bag, which is kept 

 below the surface of water, contained in 

 a copper or other large vessel, by being 

 weighted with stones. If the comb contains 

 •brood', it is allowed to soak in water for 

 twenty-four hours before being placed in 

 the copper, the object being to fill the dry 

 cocoons with water, which will prevent 

 them from absorbing the melted wax. The 

 water in the copper is next heated, and as 

 the wax melts, it passes through the canvas 

 bag and rises to the surface of the water, 

 leaving behind the bag all solid impurities. 

 The bag is taken out of the copper and 

 squeezed between two pieces of wood to 

 extract as much wax as possible, and the 

 surface of the melted wax in the copper 

 is frequently skimmed to remove scum and 

 other impurities. A cloth is then thrown 

 over the vessel, and the wax and water 

 are allowed to cool as slowly as possible. 

 The wax solidities into a cake, which can 

 be easily removed from the water. On the 

 under side of the cake there is usually a 

 discolored layer containing impurities, and 



this is .scraped ofT and worked up with 

 the next batch of crude wax. The re- 

 mainder is broken up into small pieces. 

 rcmelted and poured into moulds to set. 

 Provided that care is taken (1) not to 

 boil the water too fast or too long a time, 

 and {'2) to prevent burning during the final 

 melting, this method produces clean wax 

 of good color; but if either of these pre- 

 cautions be neglected it becomes dry and 

 brittle, and of a brownish hue. 



.\ more modern appliance consists of a 

 wooden box with a sloping, double-glazed 

 lid. Inside the box, and raised some dis- 

 tance trom its floor, an inclined tin tray 

 is fixed. The comb is placed on the tray, 

 the lid tightly closed, and the box exposed 

 to the sun. The temperature inside the 

 box rapidly rises, and when it reaches 

 about 147° F., the wax melts and runs off 

 the sloping tray into a vessel beneath, leav- 

 ing impurities behind, caught by a wire 

 gauze strainer. This appliance is admirably 

 suited to warm countries, and wax obtained 

 by. its use is of good quality, and requires 

 no further relining. If the comb contains 

 'brood', the first named method is the best. 

 — Barbadoes Nezus. 



Cocoatiut Bud Rot 



The bud rot of cocoanut trees, now prev 

 alcnt in the eastern part of Cuba, is found 

 also in Jamaica, Trinidad, British Guiana, 

 India, Ceylon and lately in Borneo. The 

 descriptions sent from these places of the 

 effects of the disease on the tree tallies with 

 those observed in Cuba. The methods fol- 

 lowed in Borneo to eradicate the disease 

 are as follows: 



"The destruction of all diseased palms, 

 whether they be only just attacked or prac- 

 tically dying, is urged. The roots should 

 be dug out and, with stem leaves, burned at 

 once. Lime, preferably quicklime, should 

 be well dug into the affected spot, and the 

 ground frequently dug over to break up 

 and aerate the soil which should be drained, 

 the weeds destroyed, and manuring with 

 cow dung or nitrogenous fertilizers should 

 be tried. No plants should be planted in 

 the infected spot for a year after the re- 

 moval of the diseased trees. It should be 

 possible, if taken in time, to stop an out- 

 break with the loss of a very few trees, 

 but plantations must be carefully examined, 

 and trees exhibiting the .symptoms de- 

 scribed above should be destroyed and re- 

 moved as quickly as possible." — U. S, Con- 

 sular Report. 



