742 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUBIST. [May 1, 1901. 
large percentage of worthless truit, especially so 
on old vines which have become impoverished 
through age or lack of proper fertilizers. The 
succeeding crop, viz., that which is just now 
setting, is comparatively free from these worthless 
fruits. 
No. lil.—Heami, cold, and poor Soil and Sub- 
soil. — On sucli soils the vines have, after the 
first couple of years, steadily gone back, pro- 
ducing small crops of fruit which in niany in- 
stances are almost wholly worthless, e-,pecially as 
regards the Kaster and Spring crop.s. 
No. IV. Improper Fertilizers, or neglect to 
supply any. — Vineyards planted in any soil show 
signs of distress sooner or later unless they re- 
ceive a liberal dressing of manure periodically, 
and it is claimed by some that rows which have 
been well dressed with kainit and other manures 
rich in potash have produced heavy crops of 
good fruit, while adjoining lows which wereun- 
manured had a large percentage of poor fruit. In 
fact, the growers are atone in their opinion on 
manuring, and assert that to grow good crops 
they must manure, and that where this important 
work is neglected the vineyards soon weaken 
aud cease to produce either good crops or good 
fruit, such as are generally tuken from all vine- 
yards the first year or two. 
No. V. Insufficient Moi'ituri, dJC.—Ma.n-^ oi 
growers attribute the failure to the excessively 
dry summers which have prevailed lately in many 
distiicts, and say that the vines did much better 
with them in those years when occassional soaking 
showers fell during the summer. 
No. VI. Soil and position best adapted for the 
Passion Vine. — The soil which has been found 
best adapted for the growth of the passion vine 
is a rich, loamy soil, or sandy loam with a good 
natuial drainage. In these soils they will live 
and continue to bear good crops from six to ten 
years, and on such soils there is the least diseased 
fruit found. They may also be found doing very 
well on )ioor light soil, but when they have ex- 
hausted the soil, which they do in a year or two, 
they must be constantly manured to keep them 
in a healthy and profitable condition, and as 
this vine pruduces three main crops of fruit each 
year, unless the land is very rich it soon exhausts 
itself if not well fed. 
" No. VII. The life of the Passion Vine— The. 
age to which this vine produces the best fruit, and 
when least woudy fruit is noticed is during the first 
four years of its lifetime. In some vineyards, on 
rather poor soil, a shorter jieriod (from two to 
three years) exhausts its productiveness, and on 
good soils, or those whi'di are well manured, 
there are vineyards which have produced good 
crops up to twelve years old, but, generally 
speaking, the older the vineyard the more sus- 
ceptible it has shown itself to woody or diseased 
fruit. It is therefore best to renew the vines 
before they become too old. 
No. Vlil. Fungus Disease. — An examination 
of the stalks and leaves of the passion vine re- 
vealed a fungus disease, which may or may not 
be the cause of the ill-shaped fruit. This is tor 
the Pathologist to determine. 
1 do not consider this partial failure of the 
passion vine in a few of the vineyards to be a 
very sei ious matter. Many of the vineyards have 
been planted among trees, and as these attain 
to any size, there has not been sufficient mois- 
ture to keep both j^oing properly, and the vines 
have become weakened, and suffered accordingly- 
In such instances a large proportion of the fruit 
has become diseased, and of no commercial value. 
The growers, however, are alive to the fact that 
they cannot continue to grow trees and vines 
together for more than three or four years with- 
out seriously damaging them, and consequently 
many of them are now taking out vines from 
between bearing trees. 
As this vine does particularly well under ordi- 
nary conditions, bearing three large crops of fruit 
each year, that is to say in an almost per- 
petual state of fruit-bearing, it is not to be 
expected that it can keep up this strain without 
the application of proper lertilizers; therefore, 
at least every year, suitable manures should be 
applied, and as potash manures have given good 
results, I would recommend their use. 
Pruning should not be neglected, as anunpruned 
vineyard with a lot of dead and useless laterals 
furnishes a harbour for disease, and the unpruned 
vines do not continue bearing or growing so well 
as do those which are well pruned back once 
a year. 
i'or the fungus disease I would recommend a 
spraying with Bordeaux mixture (summer strength) 
just before each of 'he main crops blossom, and 
another as soon as the crop is fairly well set. 
Tins would not be found very expensive, and 
should be the means of keeping the vines fairly 
clean of tungus A\s&a,'s,eB. —Agricultural Gazette 
of N. S. Wales. 
♦ 
THE POSITION IN CASSAVA. 
A recent analysis made by Professor Carmody, 
Government Analyst, confirms the previous work 
of Francis as to the presence of Prussic acid in 
sweet cassava, the proportion found varying from 
0 005 to O'OlO per cent. The skin was found to 
yield from O'OH to 0'0i2 per cent., while the 
inner part gave only 0 0u3 to 0 015 per cent. 
The interior part of bitter cassava yielded 0'013 
to 0-037 per cent., while the skin and outer layer 
yielded from 0 012 to 0 035 per cent. Peeling 
sweet cassava before cooking is therefore a wise 
precaution. Professor Carmody also suggests that 
the acid may in part be formed by fermentative 
change. — Trinidad Bulletin.. 
The Metric System, whatever may be said against 
it, is so infinitely more convenient than our present 
idiotic weights and measures, that it is very wonder- 
ful that even British conservativeness should have 
been able so long to obstruct so practical a reform. 
Other countries have adopted the metric system with 
little difficulty, and not one has evinced the slightest 
wish to return to chaos. — Gardiners' Chronicle. 
GuTTA Cultivation in Java. — The sabject of gutta- 
percha cultivation in Java has been brought 
before the States General. The Minister for the 
Colonies explained that the Government intend to 
start ^utta-percha plantations in Java only. There 
the soil and climate favour the undertaking, and 
labour is cheaper than in Sumatra and Borneo. A 
beginning will be made with planting on a large 
scale the palaguiutu variety, which has been found 
to thrive very well. Within the next five or ten 
years, it is intended to plant large areas with three 
kinds of this variety. The Director of the Govern- 
ment Botanical Gardens at Buitenzorg will be charged 
with the supervision work at the oniset.— Plant in^ 
Opinion. 
