186 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



that which is coraiDg into flower. If the pole 

 be cut out when first noticed the plant will give 

 its full quota of leaves for that year, though if 

 the pole is allowed to grow the leaf will be 

 practically worthless. Hence the flower stalk 

 should always be cut on first appearance unless 

 bubbils are considered more valuable than 

 the former when the latter will be sacrificed 

 to the former. 



The original machine for working the fibre 

 is called the Raspador. In the automatic and 

 semi-automatic machines which are now in use 

 the principle is the same as in the original 

 Raspador, though improved in respect of 

 mechanical arrangements, for the automatic 

 and semi-automatic handling of the fibre and 

 in some other respects. The extraction of the 

 fibre by hand is unpleasant on account of skin 

 irritation caused by the sap. 



In selecting a site for the factory, the ac- 

 cessibility of a copious water suDply, space 

 for sufficient amount of drying ground, means 

 of disposing of the refuse, and ease of despatch 

 of the fibre deserve consideration. 



After the extraction of fibres they are washed 

 and dried and are taken to the press and baled 

 for shipment. The fibres are used for ropes 

 and cordage, carpets, mats, matting, brush 

 making and the waste for paper making. 



Apart from the cost of sisal hemp plants, the 

 actual cost of planting out a garden and bring- 

 ing it to maturity will be a little under that 

 of bringing a tea estate of the same size to the 

 same point under similar conditions. 



As stated above a minimum outturn of lu 

 cwt of fibre per acre is expected from five 

 years old plants. The manufacturing cost in- 

 cluding cutting, carting, baling, freight to 

 Europe, insurance, etc., amounts to £12 a ton. 

 To this has to be added the expenses of culti- 

 vation, rent, supervision, etc., which are on 

 the average about £3 per ton, thus bringing 

 the total cost of the fibre landed in Europe to 

 £15 a ton. A few years ago Agave fibre was 

 selling at £30 to £40 per ton. The present 

 price is about £23. At this lower figure thure 

 would be a profit oi £8 per ton or £4 per acre. 



The soil and climate of Bhar seem suitable 

 to the cultivation of Agave. There are several 

 lands that at present are giving a very poor 

 return from either indigo or country crops 

 and yet many of these are most suitable for 

 Agave and will give a better return than what 

 is now being obtained from even the better 

 class of lands. There are few concerns in Bihar 

 that during the last few years can show a profit 

 of even twelve rupees per acre. So that Agave 

 cultivation is well worthy of the attention of 

 all planters. — Indian Trade Journal, Dec. 12. 



THE SO IL SOLUTION. 



The latest issue of the Fear Book issued by 

 the U.S.A. Department of Agriculture contains 

 a very instructive paper on the Agricultural 

 Duty of Water contributed by the Soil Water 

 Expert of the Department, in the course of 

 which the author discusses the important part 

 played by water as a medium of plant nutrition. 



A fundamental fact in the chemistry ot the 

 plant is that the organism can take up its food 



only in the form of solutions. While, therefore, 

 the presence of soil water is necessary to enable 

 the plant to avail itself of the food derivable 

 from the SDil, it is also essential that that food 

 should in the first instance be in a condition 

 that renders it capable of being dissolved, that 

 is to say it should consist of soluble compounds. 



At present we are not concerned with the 

 latter condition, which, as every practical agri- 

 culturist knows, is favoured by proper methods 

 of tillage and which results in the aeration of the 

 soil and the conversion of potential factors into 

 actual elements of fertility. 



What we here desire to draw attention to 

 is the important role filled by water as a 

 circulatory medium in the absence of which 

 the soil may be said to, be inert or dead, 

 as in seasons of excessive drought when 

 plant nutrition is practically arrested. In 

 order, however, to fulfil its function, it is 

 necessary that the water present should be in 

 a condition which, as the author puts it, renders 

 it efficient according to its quantity in relation 

 to the texture or porosity of the soil. 



A soil may be in a condition of saturation to 

 that the interstices between the soil particles 

 are completely filled with water to the total ex- 

 clusion of air. It will be apparent that in this 

 condition the soil is incapable of serving the 

 plant, inasmuch the water present cannot act 

 as the circulatory medium, since stationary and 

 inert, and will continue to be so till the excess 

 is removed by drainage or other means. 



For the best results the quantity of water in a 

 soil should be sufficient to form a film round 

 such soil grain so as to allow of capillary action 

 going on through the whole mass, and at the 

 same time leave room for air in the interstices. 

 These films promote physical and chemical 

 action both within the soil particles and between 

 them and the grass, and ultimately become 

 charged with plant food. 



The physical charactor of the soil, on the 

 other hand, must be of such a degree of poro- 

 sity as wiil permit of the soil water being held 

 under the best conditions. Where the soil is too 

 dense or too open association of soil particles 

 and soil water which should exist is absent and 

 capillary action is retarded or arrested. 



The movements of soil water, though affected 

 by rain and drought, are chiefly controlled by 

 the action of growing plants. Water entering 

 the soil, from whatever source, is retained, 

 as already explained, as films round the 

 soil particles, till it is drawn up into the 

 plant through the root hairs. Thence it passes 

 through the plant body and is transpired by the 

 leaves after leaving its freight of plant food 

 behind. 



As fast as the water in the upper layer of the 

 soil is taken up, it is supplied by the lower 

 layer which acts as a sort of reservoir. 



In order, therefore, to favour the action of the 

 soil solution it is necessary to ensure (1) that 

 the soil possess the proper degree of porosity 

 which will make it capable of retaining moisture 

 and giving it up when required to the p ant 

 through capillary action, and, (2) that the sur- 

 face soil is kept in such a state of tilth as to 

 prevent the loss of moisture through general 

 evaporation. 



