and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— June, 1910. 



575 



ling not less than 1,512,084 lb., that is to say 

 about 235,000 lb. more than in the previous year. 

 The excess in shipments took place chiefly 

 during the summer-months and had as a result 

 that the prices receded to nearly ) Id. per lb. 

 We regret, however, to read that the supplies 

 during the time under review occasionally left 

 much to be desired in the matter of quality. 

 This led to several claims in London, in the 

 settlement of which Messrs. Schimmel & Oo.'s 

 opinion was invited. As a result of these claims 

 the question of introducing a more stringent 

 test to take the place of "Schimmel's Test," 

 which, though it has proved its usefulness, no 

 longer meets the present needs, has again be- 

 come a matter of importance. How the test of 

 citronella oil can be improved is discussed at 

 some length, and Messrs Schimmel add that 

 " The best plan of all would be if the Govern- 

 ment of Ceylon were to superintend the citro- 

 nella oil business on the spot as, according to 

 statements made some time ago, appeared to be 

 its intention. The oils ought to be tested by 

 Government chemists and should only be 

 allowed to be exported if they contained at 

 least 60 per cent, totalgeraniol, and if in other- 

 respects also they conformed entirely to the 

 tests prescribed. An official certificate to this 

 effect should be given with each parcel of oil 

 tested and the exportation of all oils without ex- 

 ception which failed to answer the test should 

 be prohibited. We should regard it as a mistake 

 if any relaxations were to be made, and oils of 

 less than the standard quality were also to be 

 admitted for exportation, as was the intention of 

 the Ceylon Government in the year 1904. The 

 rigorous enforcement of such a regulation would 

 probably be attended by the best results, as it 

 would mean a final removal of the evil and 

 would once more turn the citronella oil trade 

 into healthy channels." Some such proposal as 

 referred to was, we believe, mooted in Ceylon at 

 the end of 1904. 



RICE INVESTIGATIONS IN HAWAII. 



In a fertilizer experiment with rice it was 

 found that 200 pounds per acre of a complete 

 fertilizer gave practically as large yields of 

 paddy as did greater quantities up to 800 pounds. 

 Moreover, the results w. re approximately the 

 same whether applied before the crop was 

 planted, or when well advanced In growth. A 

 number of cooperative fertilizer tests were made 

 for the purpose of testing, on a commercial 

 scale, the results already obtained on the trial 

 grounds, and to bring greater profits, if possible 

 from the rice industry. Those experiments wore 

 entirely satisfactory, in so far as the results 

 from the fertilizers were concerned, but were 

 somewhat interfered with by the unusual insect 

 troubles to which rice, was subjected during 

 the past year. The variety of rice referred to in 

 previous reports as No. 19, is now firmly estab- 

 lished and has given excellent returns wherever 

 it has been planted. Satisfactory progress is 

 also being made with upland rice as a hay crop. 

 — Hawaii Agricultural Experiment titation A nnual 

 Report for 1909. 



SOUTH INDIAN PLANTERS AND THEIR 

 SCIENTIFIC OFFICER. 



From a lecture delivered by Mr R D Anstead, 

 b.a., Planting Expert, at a Planters' Meeting 

 held at Fairlawns, Yercaud, on April 28th, we 

 quote a fevv paras : — 



I am informed that 



CEAEA KUBBEE 



is showing every prospect of success in this 

 district. 1 am very glad to hear it, and I am 

 very much impressed with the possibilities of 

 this Rubber from what I have seen of it in other 

 districts. The climatic conditions which prevail 

 on the Shevaroys should suit it very well. In a 

 plantation of Ceara you will probably find a very 

 great variability between the individual trees 

 both in appearance and in yield of latex. While 

 some trees give a good yield others hardly give 

 any. Those of you who intend to extend your 

 cultivation of Ceara should test your existing 

 trees by experimental tapping, and when you 

 find a really good one, break it up into cuttings 

 and plant your new clearings with these. These 

 will give trees true to type, while seed will not 

 come true owing to the natural cross-fertilisation 

 which goes on between the bad and good trees. 

 Ceara Rubber will respond to good land and 

 good cultivation just ae much as coffee or any 

 other crop, and if it is to be grown seriously 

 every attention should be paid to this. Suit- 

 able green dressings for Rubber will be found 

 in the plants already mentioned and also in 

 Cassia hirsuta and Tephrosia tinctoria, again 

 both indigenous weeds. — Planters Chronicle, 

 May 14. 



WORLD'S VANILLA CROPS. 



Mr. Hermann Mayer Senior sends us these 

 statistics of the 1909-10 vanilla-production : — 



Tons. 



Seychelles 10 



Bourbon ... 35 



Mexican 70 



Comores, Mayotte, &c. ... 40 



Madagascar and Mossi-Bt5 ... 25 



Mauritius 2 



Ceylon, Java, Fiji, Zanzibar, &c. 10 



Guadeloupe and Martinique... 15 



Tahiti 180 



Total ... (say about) 390 



This quantity falls 110 tons short of the 1908-9 

 crop, and, as Tahiti shows au increase of 40 tons, 

 the actual deficiency in the finer qualities totals 

 150 tons, or 40 per cent on the previous year's 

 yield, which was of full average extent. Prices 

 during the past twelve months have moved in 

 accord with the statistical position, showing an 

 improvement of 30 to 40 per cent for all varieties 

 except Tahiti ; these have profited by the short- 

 age of all other sorts and maintained their value, 

 notwithstanding the larger returns. Only unim- 

 portant balances remain in the Colonies, and, 

 as new crops are unlikely to be landed in quan- 

 tity before November next, statistically the posi- 

 tion appears exceptionally sound. — Chemist and 

 Druggist, April 30. 



