72 
Stippkment to tlu "Tropical Agnculiunsi.” 
[July I, 1890. 
the anin-igated wheat crop of the Punjab and the 
North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and an indif- 
ferent harvest must be looked for in about one- 
half the total area sown in the two provinces. 
In Bengal conditions are better than last year as 
regards both area and outturn. In the Central 
Provinces an average crop on an average area will 
probably be secured. In Berar a smaller area than 
usual has to be sown, and the outturn as reported 
will be poor. In the Bombay Presidency there is 
a considerable decrease in area ; the Deccan ■ crop 
will be a short one, but a fair harvest is anticipa- 
ted in Gujarat and the Caranatic. In Sindh a 
larger area than usual lias been x)ut under wheat, 
and prospects are favourable. 
Fruit-evaporation is carried on to an enormous 
extent in America, especially in New York State 
and California. The fruits evaporated are princi- 
pally apples, but nearly every fruit is utilized. 
The value of evaporated fruit from California 
alone amounted in 1888 to nearly half a million 
pounds sterling. It takes 8 lb. of fresh fruit to make 
1 lb. of evaporated apples. We get an idea of the 
work entailed in the operation of fruit drying and 
the scale on which it is carried out by the follow- 
ing particulars regarding New YorkState: — In 1888, 
250 million lbs. of green apples and 50 thousand 
quarts of rasijberries were operated upon, which 
produced about 40 thousand lbs. of evaporated 
fruit, valued at nearly 30 thousand pounds 
sterling. During the operation 19 thousand tons 
of coal were burnt in 1,500 drying-liouses, and 
45,000 hands were employed. 
Babu Atal Krishna Eay, a graduate of Cirencester, 
has published a small work on the improvement of 
cattle in India. The evils caused by neglecting the 
principles of breeding and good feeding are, he says, 
so great in India, that they are almost beyond 
remedy. 
The Agricultural Journal of Cape Colony of the 
10th April contains much information under the 
headings of cultivation of sugar sorghum for 
manufacture of sugar in Cape Colony, steeping of 
grain in bluestone solution, measles in pig, 
cheese-making, phylloxera, cultivation of vines of 
pleuro-pneumonia, agricultural prospects, &c. 
The results of experiments to test the value of 
woodshavings as litter for cattle have been pub- 
lished. They are recommended for .softness, dry- 
ness and cleanliness ; while with regard to manu- 
rial value, they coirtain more nitrogen and phos- 
phoric acid though less irotash than straw. 
Dr. Weismann states that the horse and bear 
attain an age of 50 years at the outside ; the lion 
lives about 35 years, the wildboar 25, the sheep 15, 
the fox 14, the hare 10, the squirrel and mouse 6 
years. On the other hand, whales live for some 
hundreds of years, and elephants for 200 years. 
The shortest life is found in the images of cer- 
tain mayflies which only live foirr or five hours. 
Horse-shoeing even in England is considered to 
be in a very backward state. A writer in the 
Eoyal Agricultural Society’s Journal says that 
farriers as a body are sadly ignorant of the essen- 
tial principles of their art, and valuable horses 
are often liable to be injured in consequence. 
The Worshipful Company of Farriers of London 
have just formulated an important national scheme 
for the improvement of farriery by the examina- 
tion and registration of shoeing smiths, an ex- 
ample that might well be imitated. 
The sweet xjotato (convolvulus batata ) is a great 
staple in Natal, being much valued for its agree- 
able and nutritive qualities as food, growing 
luxuriantly everywhere, especially on light sandy 
soils. There is nothing better for livestock of all 
kinds than this useful root. 
We have to thank Mr. Van Starrex, of Crj’stal 
Hill, Matale, for seeds of Anatto, Croton-oil plant, 
and the Musk plant. Our thanks are also due to 
Mr. H. D. Lewis, sub-inspector of schools, for 
seeds of Sun hemp and Cuttack paddy. 
We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the 
[ St. Thomas’ College Magazine for May. 
