November, 1910.] 



439 



Miscellaneous, 



than ordinary seeding trees. The yield 

 greatly varies, but crops of 500 to 1000 

 per tree per annum are not uncommon. 



Nitro-Bacterinr.— A small quantity, 

 received from the Nitro-Bacterine Distri- 

 buting Agency in London, was used 

 according to the instructions given, but 

 the tests were not followed by any 

 noticeable results, i,e., there was no 

 appreciable difference between the 

 treated and the untreated plots. 



V.— Saltbush is not a grass and does 

 not thrive in the tropics. Oongyam grass 

 (Pennisetum Cenchroides) is well suited 

 to dry areas. 



Gliricidia Maculatais not an evergreen. 

 It sheds its leaves in February. 



M. 0. G. — There is no reliable means of 

 distinguishing between manioc that is 

 poisonous and that which is not. The 

 fact is that all varieties contain the 

 poison to a greater or less extent and 

 should be treated alike. The belief that 

 particular forms are entirely free from 

 poison is undoubtedly a contributory 

 cause of poisoning. It is well known 

 that the poison tends to develop under 

 conditions which are not fully re- 

 cognised. Under these circumstances the 

 safest course is to look upon every kind 

 of manioc as poisonous, and to adopt 

 measures to get rid of the poison. This, 

 fortunately, is a simple matter, for the 

 poison is easily driven away by heat. 

 What is necessary is that the manioc 

 should be thoroughly boiled, the water 

 in which the boiling has been done 

 thrown away, and the heating continued 

 for a few minutes to get rid of super- 

 fluous moisture. This is the surest way 

 of making manioc wholesome. On no 

 account should raw or half boiled tubers 

 be consumed. 



A.M.— The disease in Turkeys which 

 you report as characterised by growths 

 about the beaks and nostrils, which 

 continually enlarge till the birds are 

 blinded, and also by pustules on the 

 body and tongue is, according to the 

 Government. Veterinary Surgeon, either 

 "chicken-pox" or. "epithelioma con- 

 tagiosum." It may possibly be the latter, 

 and the best thing to- do is to kill all 

 affected birds and burn thtm, and make 

 a fresh run altogether, 



M.H.M.— For pineapples manure may 

 be applied within a month of planting, 

 i.e., as soon as they have established 

 their roots. Good cattle manure or leaf 

 mould, if available, is very suitable ; 

 otherwise the following mixture may 

 be used:— 7 lb. rape seed, 3 lb. kainit and 

 and 2 lb. superphosphate-- per acre, If the 



plants are to be put into a dry highland 

 soil, it would be an advantage to plant 

 them in depressed beds ; if in a soil in- 

 clined to be damp, on raised beds. 



B.— The vegetable cardoon is used in 

 soups and stews : the leaf stalks are the 

 parts used. 



Grape.— A mixture of dried blood 

 manure (2 lb.) and bone-dust (2 lb.) with 

 a basket of wood ashes applied after 

 mixing with a couple of baskets of soil, 

 is a good fertiliser for grape vine. If a 

 chemical manure is to be used, 2 lb. 

 castor-cake, 1 lb. each of nitrate of soda, 

 superphosphate, and sulphate of potash 

 may be recommended. Pruning should 

 be done in the second year, and fruits 

 should be available in the third. Page 

 364 of " Tropical Agriculturist" for No- 

 vember, 1907, gives fuller information. 



Oxalis weed is a most troublesome 

 pest in cultivated land and requires the 

 most thorough weeding out since it is 

 easily and quickly propagated from 

 tubers left in the ground. 



RID CITY OF PESTS. 



Plan to Exterminate Mosquitos— 

 Need of Co-operation op Manila's 

 Inhabitants in the Campaign. 



(Manila Bulletin 5, September, 1910.) 



The Bureau of Science has started a 

 campaign to rid the city of the 

 dangerons mosquito pests and requests 

 that all inhabitants of the city co-oper- 

 ate in the work. The campaign is 

 now on and is already showing results. 



Dr. Charles S. Banks of the Bureau of 

 Science, twho is heading the campaign, 

 has the following to say on the anti-mos 

 quito campaign. 



The citizens of Manila have an oppor- 

 tunity at the present time to co-operate 

 in a plan which will help toward their 

 comfort and safety with little outlay of 

 time and expense. 



Our nights are made unbearable by 

 the hordes of mosquitoes which begin 

 their pernicious attacks at dusk and 

 keep them up until one goes to bed 

 beneath his mosquito net. 



We have mosquitoes which bite only 

 during the day and, others only after 

 dark at night. Those biting during the 

 day are neither so abundant nor are 

 they so troublesome, because people are 

 visually stirring round during the day 

 and are, therefore, not so liable to be 

 bitten. The day mosquitoes are black and 

 white, and the night mosquitoes brown. 

 Mosquitoes must have water at least 



