117 



yeast without diminishing the quantity of alcohol. The latter has a 

 fine aromatic flavour. 



Mr. Kahlke, one of the best known manufacturers of yeast in Ger- 

 many, writes in this connection : " Banana flour, without doubt, from 

 " its richness in starch and its good flavour, is particularly suitable for 

 " the manufacture of yeast. This flour is easily rendered saccharine. 

 " The yeast obtained by adding banana flour to the other ingredients 

 " has a good colour, all the requisite properties of an excellent class 

 " of yeast, and moreover, keeps well. The alcohol obtained from it 

 " leaves nothing to be desired, so that this flour may be introduced as 

 " an article of commerce and employed without any special prepara- 

 " tion." 



Satisfactory experiments have also been made in some breweries 

 where 20 o/o of malt has been replaced by the flakes and flour of ba- 

 nanas. The flavour of the beer was not altered and the quantity of 

 liquid was increased, and the malt was replaced by a less expensive 

 substance. 



Experiments are being made in which the proportion of banana 

 flour is increased. One of the great Belgian brewers writes : 



" These flakes were macerated in the vat with the malt and the re- 

 sult was much superior to that of maize and the flavour of the must 

 " irreproachable ; the drainage of the mixture was a little difficult at 

 " first, but after being stirred a second time the draining proceeded ra- 

 " pidly ; briefly, the use of the flakes may be considered both advanta- 

 " geous and easy in brewing". 



Different banana flours, and notably that prepared specially for the 

 manufacture of glucose, have been tried in some glucoseries Although 

 difficulties were met with in the manufacture, principally with respect 

 to discoloration, it has been shown that the glucose obtained from it 

 has a good flavour, is very sweet and slightly aromatic. 



It 'is highly probable that a special study of the subject will sur- 

 mount the slight difficulties which at first presented themselves in the 

 use of this new product in glucoser ies. 



Very nourishing bread has been made from equal proportions of 

 bananas and wheat and rye flour, and even from a mixture of § ba- 

 nana and J ordinary flour. 



A sweet banana flour having an agreeable flavour of fresh fruit ap- 

 pears to be specially suitable for cakes and biscuits. 



SCIENCE A NECESSITY FOR SUCCESSFUL AGRI- 

 CULTURE. 



At no period has science so largely benefited agriculture as at 

 present, and the time has long since past when there is nothing to be 

 done but to plant the seed in the spring and gather the harvest in autumn. 

 While agriculture has made much advancement during recent years, 

 yet it has hardly kept abreast of the times during the last decade, 

 and some of the other induslries have pushed ahead of this most 

 ancient and honourable occupation. Agriculture has excluded itself 

 too much from the other lines of industry, and is just now coming 

 abreast of the times through the aid which science has rendered. 

 This is particularly true in some special lines. Farm crops are at- 

 tacked by two kinds of organisms — the injurious insects and the 



