880 I'ht Supplement to 



A NITROGEN FERTILIZER. 



Colombo, 23rd September, 1912. 



Dear Sirs, 



With reference to the report published under 

 this heading on page 86 in the July issue it will 

 no doubt interest you to hear that this " Cyana- 

 mid " is identical with " Nitrolim " and that 

 this article is already available in Colombo, 

 where we stock it. 



Experiments have been carried out and the 

 results have proved highly satisfactory on tea. 

 The results on other products will soon be 

 available. 



We are, Dear Sir, 

 Yours faithfully, 



FREDUENBERG & Co. 



THE FRUIT-GROWING INDUSTRY. 



Following up our recent comment on fruit 

 growing in various countries, we publish below 

 an instructive article from the Home and Colo- 

 nial Mail for August, giving interesting tacts 

 and figures from Rhodesia and Western Austra- 

 lia, which says : — 



"The fruit-growing industry is attracting in- 

 creased attention in all parts of the Empire 

 where the cultivation of fruit is possible. It 

 has been found that the Rhodesian climate and 

 meteorological conditions are suited to the 

 growth of the finest oranges and lemons, and 

 the British South Africa Company, with a view 

 to the encouragement of an industry which 

 shows the greatest promise, have secured the 

 services of Mr. C E Farmer, a practical grower 

 of sub-tropical fruits, who proceeds to Rhodesia 

 immediately in connection with the company's 

 citrus plantations. As regards Western Austra- 

 lia an instance of how fruit-growing flourishes 

 under irrigation is supplied from Wentworth, 

 on the River Murray. This is a special case, it 

 is true, says the correspondent recording it, but 

 on the ground that what one man has done it 

 is open to others to do, it affords a stimulat- 

 ing object-lesson. The figures, at least, are 

 accurate and authentic. The trees and vines 

 of this grower were planted in September, 

 1908. Last season 362 apricot trees yielded 

 fruit, 57 cwt. 1 qr. 16 lb., valued at £168 19s. Id., 

 exclusive of bonus on export not yet credited. 

 An area of 458 peach trees yielded in dried fruit 

 133 cwt. 2 qr. 6 lb., valued at £491 8s. 3d. A 

 total of 1,640 currant and sultana vines yielded 

 in dried fruit 125£ cwt., valued at £236 14s. 8d. 



the Tropical Agriculturist 



Large currants, with stones, and still raisins, 

 have not been accounted for in this, and a bonus 

 is also usually paid in addition. Thus the value 

 of apricots was £168 19s. Id., peaches £491 8s. 

 3d., currants and sultanas £236 14s. 8d.; total 

 £897 2s. The packiog-house charges amounted 

 to £87 19s. 2d., leaving a balance of £809 2s. lOd. 

 The return per acre for vine wa3 £47 6s., for 

 peaches £93 13s , and for apricots £38 4s. In 

 addition, from two to three tons of fresh fruit 

 were sold or given from the area, and a quantity 

 of dried fruit was retained for home consump- 

 tion and show purposes. The whole of these 

 fruits were delivered at the packing-house 

 within three years and seven months from the 

 time the trees and vines were planted. Vines 

 usually give a pretty full crop in their fourth 

 season. This year, however, the crop was im- 

 paired by oidium. The peaches and apricots, 

 of course, are not yet yielding a full crop. There 

 is a promise of a fifty per cent, increase on these 

 trees for next season. The grower in question 

 has also a good many navel oranges on his young 

 trees which have not yet been harvested. 



FOR MALI A AS A POISON FOR FLIES. 



Prof. R I Smith, entomologist at the N. C. 

 Agricultural Experiment Station in the United 

 States, strongly recommends the use of formalin 

 as a poison for flies. The method he has found 

 most successful is the use of formalin in milk in 

 the foilowings proportions : — 



One ounce (two tablespoonfuls) of formalin. 



16 ounces (one pint) of equal parts milk and 

 water. 



In this proportion the mixture seems to at- 

 tract the flies much better than when the forma- 

 lin is used in sweetened water, the method that 

 has usually been recommended. The formalin- 

 milk mixture should be exposed in shallow 

 plates — a pint will make five or six plates — and 

 by putting a piece of bread in the middle of the 

 plate, it furnishes more space for the flies to 

 alight and feed, and in this way serves to at- 

 tract a greater number of them. Prof. Smith 

 first used this poison in a milk room where the 

 flies were very numerous, and poisoned over 

 5,000 flies in less than 24 hours, on several diffe- 

 rent occasions. Over a pint of flies were swept 

 up in this room each time the poison was used. 

 Another very conclusive test was made in a 

 large calf barn where flies were extremely nu- 

 merous. Six ordinary size plates of the forma- 

 lin poison mixture killed about 40,000 (four 

 quarts of flies), between 12 o'clock noon and 

 8 o'clock the next morning. This is only an illus- 

 tration of what can be done by the use of forma- 

 lin about stables where the flies are breeding. 

 Prof. Smith points out that formalin is cheap as 

 well as effective, and he believes it to be far 

 more valuable than any of the many fly poisons 

 so widely advertised in the United States. 

 — (Quoted in "Malaya Medical Journal,") 



