Edible Products. 



26 



[JULT, 1912. 



with good profit to the farmer, if only 

 up-to-date methods of cultivation and 

 fertilization were employed. 



In this connection there has just been 

 issued by the Agricultural Department 

 in Egypt a Bulletin, Circular'No. 22, from 

 which it appears that astonishing results 

 have been obtained by the application 

 of chemical manures to maize crops. 



It is well-known that maize, like all 

 surface-rooting cereals, responds very 

 readily to liberal manuring— and especial- 

 ly to nitrogenous manure— and this fact 

 is more than ever clearly established by 

 the result of no less than fifty-three 

 demonstrations, as set out in the above- 

 mentioned Bulletin. It would be, ob- 

 viously impossible in this article to give 

 the many details, contained in this Cir- 

 cular, but they may be summarized 

 thus :— 



The object of the experiments was to 

 show that the use of nitrate of soda, 

 with necessary phosphatic manures and 

 potash if required, was the most efficient 

 and payable method of fertilization. Ia 

 every instance a plot of an acre was 

 manured with "Baladi," or " Koufri," 

 manure, and a further plot of 1 acre with 

 nitrate of soda and phosphates. About 

 3 cwt. per acre of nitrate was applied 

 in two dressings — the first at thinning 

 and the second about three weeks after. 



The substitution of nitrate for "Baladi" 

 or " Koufri " manure produced an in- 

 creased profit, on an average, of no less 

 than £l,10s per acre, the nitrate plots 

 exceeding the other manure plots by 10 

 per cent, in the number of ears of maize, 

 20 per cent, in weight, and 5 per cent, in 

 proportion of grain to core. 



The results of these demonstrations, 

 conducted as they were with the ^eatewt 

 care, and on comparatively large plots 

 (1 acre) in over fifty localities, is ample 

 evidence, if such were needed, of the 

 value of intelligent fertilization. As 

 has been said, the maize crop is peculiar- 

 ly susceptible to liberal nitrogenous 

 treatment, and it would certainly seem 

 worth while for cultivators of this crop 

 to at least give similar trials to above on 



portions of their land. There can be no 

 doubt as to the value of maize as a crop, 

 and if there are places where the yields 

 at present is not sufficiently large to 

 induce farmers to extend their opera- 

 tions, or take in new land, it would seem 

 that such a state can be easily remedied, 

 judging by the results obtained in Egypt. 



It has the advantage of being easy to 

 grow, and stands, perhaps, more rough 

 usage than any other crop. Low yield 

 just about covers the cost of production. 

 Good cultivation and intelligent fertiliz- 

 ing will double and even treble the 

 ordinary low yield, so that it should pay 

 the farmer well to adopt such methods. 



CULTIVATION AND PREPARATION 

 OP GINGER. 



(Prom the Bulletin of the Imperial 

 Institute, Vol, X., No. 1, April, 1912.) 



During the last few years a number of 

 requests for information regarding the 

 cultivation and preparation of ginger 

 have been received at the Imperial Instit- 

 ute, and a memorandum on the subject 

 was compiled which was issued to in- 

 quirers. As a good deal of interest is 

 still being shown in this subject, that 

 memorandum has been considerably 

 amplified and brought up to date, and is 

 now published for general information. 



Ginger is the underground stem (rhi- 

 zome) of the plant known botauically as 

 Zingiber officinale, Ro9C, indigenous to 

 the East Indies, but now cultivated in 

 many tropical countries, notably in the 

 West Indies and Sierra Leone. 



Soil and Manure. 

 Comparatively little attention has 

 been paid to the nature of the soil best 

 suited to ginger cultivation, or, except in 

 Jamaica, to the kind of manure which 

 may best be employed to fertilise soils 

 for ginger crops. 



The soil should be readily permeable 

 by water, as if this collects about the 

 rhizome the latter is apt to rot. The best 

 varieties of Jamaica ginger are grown on 



