Feb. 1, 1904.] 
Supplemeni to the " Tropical Agriculturist. 
577 
to have a feeding value just about equal to that 
of beans. A daily allowance of 4 to 6 lbf>. of 
cake given in the fonu of paste and mixed with 
2 or 3 lbs. bran constitutes a perfect food for milch 
cows. 
As Fodder. — The vines are largely used in some 
parts of the wcrld for fodder, and under the name 
of " peanut hay " are highly esteemed in the 
United States. ...The food value of the hay is of 
course higher, the greater percentage of nuts left 
on the vines in harvesting. The bulbs nlso appear 
to possess a considerable value as a feeding stuff, 
being much richer in valuable food constituents 
(protein, fat and carbohydrates) than cotton bulbs 
■which are extensively used in some localities in 
the south of the United States as a coarse fodder 
and abcut equal to the poorer grades of hay. 
In order to ascertain their value in the British 
market, the department awarded in 1902 two 
small consignments of ground uuts for valuation 
and report. * 
The samples sent consisted of nuts selected for 
size and general appearonce. 
Messrs. Leete, Son, and Co., of Liverpool, on 
21st April, 1902, reported as follows : — " Having 
examined the sample of ground nuts, we are of 
opinion that same are very fine in size, and would 
be saleable in considerable quantities for eating 
purposes at a value of about £16 10?. to £17 per 
ton, if the outside shell could be kept clean and 
bright {this is important as people buying for 
dessert purposes require a nice appearance), also 
the nuts should be dry when shipped, as we find 
that inside the shell the kernels are inclined to be 
mouldy in the sample. 
" Should it be impossible to obtain the nuts in 
any better condition than the sample shows, they 
would only be fit for crushing purposes, and the 
value would only be from £10 to £11 per ton, but 
no doubt large quantities could be sold for this 
purpose. 
" This year there is a partial failure in the 
Senegal ground nut crop, while India (East) has 
produced a considerably larger crop than usual." 
Messrs, James Philip and Co., to whom the 
second sample was sent, replied : — 
"With reference to the ground nuts we shall be 
happy to try and sell any you may send over, but 
the brokers say they ought to be cleaner looking ; 
much belter specimens come from the States ond 
elsewhere, and they will fetch about £3 to £4 a 
ton more without the shells. At present they are 
worth about £9 to £12 a ton here, perhaps more, 
but, like everything else, it is nil a question of 
supply and demand." 
lu both reports it is to be observed that stress is 
laid on the importance of the nuts being clean and 
in good colour. 
One method of improving the appearance of the 
nuts which suggested itself was by bleaching, ns 
is carried out with other kinds of nuts, on a 
commercial scale, in some parts of the world. 
In the experiment made, the method adopted 
was that described by Professor E. W. Ililgard as 
having given satisfactory results in California. 
The nuts were immersed in a solution made up in 
the proportion of 6 lb. of blenching powder and 12 
lb. of washing soda to 50 gallons of water 
After remaining in this bath for five minutes, the 
nuts were washed under a tap ond placed in a 
second bath ccntaining about 6 oz. of sulphurous 
acid to 2 gallons of water. 
The weak solution of sulphurous acid was 
employed in place of bi-sulphite of lime, this 
chemical not being procurable in Barbados. After 
five minutes in this bath, they were again washed, 
and then spread out in the sun to dry. The whole 
bleaching process (exclusive of drying) took about 
fifteen minutes. 
The results were very satisfactory. The nuts 
60 treated had a nice, bright, clean appearance. 
They were free from any objectionable smell, and 
their flavour was not injured in any way. 
One ready method of ascertaining whether the 
treatment had had any injurious effect on the nuts 
was to test the germinating power of bleached and 
unbleached nuts from the same original sample. 
This was done. The percentages in the two cases 
were : — Bleached, 71 per cent ; unbleached 72 per 
cent. 
The bleaching may safely be regarded as without 
harmful effect on the nuts. — West Indian Bulletin. 
« 
THE LUCERNE TREE. 
{Medicago arborea, Linn.) 
In the Bulletin de la Societe Nationale d'Agri- 
culture, M. Andre refers to a plant which he 
strongly recommends for forage purposes in hot 
and dry climates, and in places where the soil is 
poor and stony. This is the lucerne tree (Medicago 
arborea) a rather low-growing shrub, which 
bears an attractive yellow flower, and must not be 
confounded with the so-called Tree Lucerne or 
T'3gasaste [Cytisus proliferus) seeds of which were 
distributed in New South Wales by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture several years ago, and with 
which many readers of the Gazette are no doubt 
quite familiar. The tree lucerne is to some extent 
regarded more as an ornamental than a commer- 
cially valuable plant in France ; but M, Andre 
finds that on the Mediterranean littoral its feeding 
value is fully recognised, and it is extensively 
grown. 
Chemical analysis of the lucerne tree gave the 
following results : — 
Per cent. 
Nitrogenous matter 
13-12 
Fatty matter 
... 0-99 
Non-nitrogenous matter ... 
... 42-47 
Cellulose 
...23-00 
^Minerals 
... 5-42 
Moisture 
... 15-00 
100-00 
Thus it will be seen that although there is a 
rather high percentage of woody indigestible 
matter, the feeding value is great, and it is 
notably richer in nitrogenous matter than meadow 
hay, and is even superior in this respect to the 
best lucerne. Experiments have shown that it 
may be used successfully as food for all kinds of 
farm animals to their advantage. From a 
nutritive point of view, it is a fodder of the first 
order, and leaves nothing to be desired from an 
alimenary and hygienic point of view. 
