410 



[May, 190 9 



herring bone or half-herring bone, in 

 which only a quarter of the tree's cir- 

 cumference is tapped at a time. Inci- 

 dentally we may point out that Professor 

 Fitting's observations explain the pheno- 

 menon observed by Mr. Chas. Northway 

 in the application of his basal V system. 

 After paring one V at the base of the 

 tree for some time, a second V was 

 started a foot above the old one, and 

 it was found that the yield from this 

 second V was now little less than that 

 from the first, although if two Vs are 

 started simultaneously, one a foot above 

 the other, the initial yield from the 

 upper V is very much smaller than that 

 from the lower. This must be due to 

 the fact that the downward stream of 

 food-laden sap is checked by the first 

 basal V, and the concentrated food 

 supply is then used by the cells above 

 in the production of a larger amount of 

 rubber than would otherwise have been 

 formed. 



New systems of rubber tapping are in 

 the air, and we strongly recommend 

 Professor Fitting's observations to the 

 serious consideration of the authors of 

 these new systems. 



We append a diagram showing the 

 distribution of the food materials as 

 they pass downwards and become 

 cheeked by the operation of tapping. 



R. H. L. 



COTTON CULTIVATION: ITS EX- 

 TENSION IN CEYLON. 



Report by Mr. J. Stewart J, McCall, 

 Director of Argiculture, Nyasaland. Cir- 

 culars and Agricultural Journal of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, Vol. IV., 

 No. 19, March, 1909. 



The world's demand for cotton in- 

 creases steadily ; the supply does not at 

 present show signs of responding to 

 the demand by a proportionate increase. 

 Egypt and America, the two great 

 sources of better class cottons, are, it 

 appears, already producing almost up 

 to their full capacity for this kind of 

 crop. Now, if ever, is the time to extend 

 the cultivation of cotton into new 

 territories, and to improve the yield 

 and value of the fibre in regions where 

 it is already grown. 



Extensions are already being rapidly 

 made in Africa. The West African crop 

 for 1907, we learn, was promising, but 

 the East African crop, on the other 

 hand, was injured by disease. Nyassa- 

 land has now the advantage of having 

 a cotton expert as its Director of* Agri- 

 culture in the person of the writer of 

 the report under review. It seems un- 

 likely, however, that the extension of 

 cotton cultivation in Tropical Africa 



will either meet the demand or materi- 

 ally reduce the price of this commodity 

 for some time to come. 



Under these circumstances Mr. Mc- 

 Call's report appears at a very opportune 

 moment. And the view which he takes 

 of the prospects of cotton as a staple 

 crop for the drier regions of Ceylon is, 

 we are glad to observe, on the whole, 

 distinctly favourable. The account given 

 of the poineer work already carried out 

 at the Experiment Station at Mahailup- 

 palama is an appreciative one, and the 

 writer believes that when certain sug- 

 gested modifications have been made 

 in the methods adopted, this experi- 

 mental cultivation will rapidly be 

 brought to a highly satisfactory condi- 

 tion of efficiency. 



The report is an eminently practical 

 one ; and the writer gives a detailed 

 account of the exact methods which in 

 his opinion should be adopted for the 

 cultivation of cotton under the condi- 

 tions obtaining in the North-Central 

 Province of Ceylon. For details re- 

 ference must be made to the report it- 

 self, which was reprinted in full in the 

 last number of this Journal. 



One point upon which Mr. McCall 

 lays stress may here be emphasised. 

 The introduction of a new annual crop 

 into any country is invariably followed 

 by certain changes in habit and quality, 

 which ought to be carefully watched in 

 order that beneficial variations may 

 be encouraged and harmful ones elimin- 

 ated. In the case of otton, especially, 

 it is well known that, in order to keep 

 up the quality of the crop, careful me- 

 thods of selection must be applied. This 

 necessary selection of seed-bearers is 

 a task which can be undertaken to some 

 extent by the ordinary cultivator under 

 expert supervision. On the other hand 

 we are faced with a strictly scientific 

 problem in the desirability of breeding a 

 special cotton ot the highest possible 

 quality suited to the conditions of 

 Ceylon cultivation. 



Mr. McCall very properly calls atten- 

 tion to the Imperial aspects of cotton 

 cultivation. He considers that more 

 than a fifth of the population of Great 

 Britain is more or less directly connect- 

 ed with cotton in trade. There are 

 therefore reasons, apart from those of 

 gain, which make the growing of cotton 

 desirable in a British Colony ; reasons 

 at least strong enough we trust to make 

 the intending cultivator favour this 

 particular cultivation in perference to 

 one ot smaller imperial importance so 

 long as the latter has not been shown 

 to be the more paying proposition of 

 the two. 



R. H. L, 



