July 1, 1902.1 Supplement to the " Tropical AgricuUmist:' 
73 
same diligently, and sent to town for the 
operator. When he arrived the haemorrhage had 
ceased spontaneously, and the animal made a 
good recovery, although having lost a large 
amount of blood. 
Ifc is a point worthy of note that in bleeding 
after castration the animal generally keeps the 
hind legs moving and frequentaly disturbs the 
clot, and so favours a continuance of the haemor- 
rhage. When haemorrhage does occur itis absurd to 
attach blame to the operator ; in spite of every 
precaution it will occur in some instances, and we 
believe that a similar result would ensue from a 
wound'in any other part of the body. 
We are aware how profuse is the haemorrhage 
in some animals after the operation of docking, 
and how difficult is its suppression. If asked 
what suggestions we would give in the prevention 
of this annoying sequel, vi'e would say : — 
First. Avoid exciting the animal before oper- 
ation, and have him cast as quietly as possible. 
Secondly. In weak animals, take especial care 
in twisting the spermatic artery, and in every 
instance see that the animal gets an opportunity 
of rising without knocking himself about. Do 
not walk him immediately after the operation, 
but keep him at rest so as to give the arteries a 
chance of being properly sealed. On no account 
permit an animal to be wnlked home the same day 
if it is any distance. The owners of animals 
usually exaggerate the extent of bleeding, and 
become very much alarmed at a small amount of 
bleeding. Our experience teaches us that in many 
instances the bleeding will cease spontaneously 
without any plugging, and the latter is certainly 
to be avoided if possible. 
In our next article we shall consider some more 
ssquelae of castration. 
THE COCONUT PLANTER ABEOAD. 
One of the greatest troubles of Coconut growers 
on the river has hitherto been the destruction 
caused by the natives, who cut step in the trees 
to reach the nuts. The trees never bear after this 
mutilation. They have, however, had it explain- 
ed to them that they are "killin'g the goose that 
lays the golden eggs" by this proceeding, and 
further more that it is very displeasing to the 
white residents. They have consequently pro- 
mised not to do this for the future, and will not 
allow their picaninnies to do it, so that now there 
is very little danger of loss by coconut planters. 
When planting the nuts, all the protection they 
get is three stakes driven into the ground round 
the spot to keep off horses. In cases where there 
is danger of fire, sweet potato vines are planted 
about the young trees, which are thus quite pro- 
tected from that element. Once the trees have 
made wood, cattle and even goats may be allowed 
amongst them, as they never touch them, and 
trees under which cattle camp thrive better than 
others. 
In planting coconuts, Mr. Pentreke says : — 
"I shall in future always plant them in an up- 
right position with the eyes uppermost. The 
reason is that when a tree is sheltered, the nuts 
will remain in their place till the germ pushes 
the nut off (unless it is forced by some extraneous 
cause), and if in falling it strikes the sand or soft 
earth, it will stand upright and grow into a 
straight upright tree. The nuts only turn on their 
side when they fall on hard ground. When the 
nuts stand in the natural, upright position, the 
gases or volatile oils float on the top of the con- 
tained liquid near the embryo, which liquid and 
oils serve the purpose of lubricating the kernel 
near the seed, and supply the germ with its first 
food, and continue to do so till the young plant 
makes its appearance on top. Crooked growing 
plants should be removed as they indicate the 
first stage in degeneration.'' — Queensland Agri- 
cultural Journal. 
If the "cutting of steps" by the natives (ready 
to obey when told not to do it again) is the 
greatest trouble of the Coconut Planter in Queens- 
land, then the Queenslander is fortunate, as also 
in having so effectual a means of insurance against 
fire in the sweet potato plant. But the scientific 
expln nation of the advantage of planting nuts 
uprifTht, viz., to bring the embryo within the 
influence of the "gases or volatile oils" which 
"float on the top of the contained liquid" is some- 
thing new even for Ceylon. — Ed. A,M.~\ 
GENEEAL ITEMS. 
The Station, Farm and Dairy of June 12th 
referring to the variability in the composition of 
cows' milk, says that there are many causes for 
variation as conclusively shown by a series of te.sts 
carried out by the Highland Agricultural Society 
(Scotland) where 700 analyses were made of the 
milk of 18 cows during a period of 21 days, 
each cow's yield being collected and analysed, 
separated both morning and evening. Samples 
containing less than 3 per cent, or even 2 per cent, 
often occurred, and a few days later tests of the 
milk for the same cow would give 5, 6 and 7 per 
cent of fat. Of course the average milk of a herd 
would not vary so greatly, but according to the 
best authorities tests might go more than 30 per 
cent above or below the average for the year. It 
was found in England that the average of a herd 
during drought was much lower than the same 
period in the previous year. Variation might be 
classed as due to three causes: (1) those that are 
natural and progressive, (2) those that are acci- 
dental and usual temporary, (3) those that are 
unknown. 
O.valis Crenata, the "oka "of the Peruvians, 
is spoken of as a vegetable worth cultivating, 
though not likely to take the place of the 
'* tubers " already in cultivation, such as sweet 
potatoes or artichoke. Sir W. Thistleton Dyer 
referring to it says : — " The tubers should be plan- 
ted 3 feet apart in sandy soil and treated like the 
potato. New tubers are formed at the end of the 
season, and under favourable conditions they are 3 
inches long and weigh 2 oz. When lifted they 
should be exposed to sunlight for 2 or 3 days. To 
cook them boil for 20 minutes in water containing 
a pinch of carbonate of soda; they then turn into a 
