April  1,  1896.]  Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist'^ 
727 
reported  to  have  clone  considerable  damage  to 
young  paddy  and  small  millet  crojcs  in  Oiitral 
India. 
Ij'ichnostenia  — Dr.  Watt  mentions  that 
the  larva  of  this  species,  or  of  a beetle  very 
closely  allied  to  it,  attacks  the  roots  of  rice  and 
Indian  corn  in  Cliittagong,  emerging  from  the 
ground  in  July  and  August.  Paddy  kept  covered 
with  water  during  these  months  is  said  to  be 
unaffected. 
Cecidomyia  oryzoi.  This  insect,  which  is  of 
special  interest  as  belonging  to  the  same  genus 
as  the  destructive  “ Hessian  Fly”  of  Europe  and 
America,  was  desciibed  and  named  by  Mr.  Wood- 
Mason  about  ten  years  ago  ; but  though  it  is  said 
to  have  played  great  havoc  among  the  paddy 
crops  in  some  parts  of  India,  it  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  heard  of  since. 
THE  PRESERVING  OP  FRUIT. 
There  is  much  that  has  been  written  about  fruit 
cultivation  in  Ceylon  and  the  capabilities  of 
certain  districts  in  the  Island  to  produce  good 
fruit  in  abundance.  But  though  the  required 
conditions  of  soil  and  climate  may  e.vist,  it  is  a note- 
worthy fact  that  fruit  culture  has  not  made  much 
if  any  progress  with  us.  Large  native  capitalists 
will  continue  to  invest  all  their  capital  in  coconut 
cultivation  as  long  as  coconuts  continue  to  give 
anything  like  the  returns  they  do  at  present. 
It  is  only  among  the  comparatively  poorer  classes 
that  any  attention  is  given  to  fruits  as  a source  of 
revenue;  the  produce  coming  from  more  or  less 
scattered  clumps  of  fruit  trees  found  in  the 
villages.  It  is  true  enough  that  fruits  fetch  good 
prices  in  town  markets,  but  these  prices  may  be 
e.vpected  to  be  appreciably  diminished  as  soon  as 
the  out-put  is  increased  when  the  systematic 
cultivation  of  fruits  is  taken  in  hand.  It  is  no 
doubt  from  an  apprehen.-ion  of  this  latter  fact 
as  well  as  owing  to  the  perishable  nature  of  our 
succulent  fruits  which  require  a ready  market,  that 
fruit  cultivation  is  not  being  e.xtended.  Some 
fruits  can  no  d3ubt  be  packed  for  transport 
without  suffering  deterioration.  Oranges  and 
lemons  after  undergoing  what  is  known  ns 
“curing”  can  be  carried  long  distances  without 
spoiling,  and  even  grapes  come  all  the  way 
from  Australia  in  fair  condition.  But  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  such  succulent  fruits  as  the  mango 
and  pine-apple  or  even  the  plaintaiu  will  remain 
good  through  a long  voyage.  One  solution  of 
the  difficulty  of  disposing  of  fruits  produced  on 
a large  scale  is  undoubtedly  to  adopt  the  system 
of  preserving  them  by  canning.  If  the  fruit 
canning  industry  can  possibly  be  started  in  Ceylon 
it  will  give  life  and  energy  to  fruit  cultivation  in 
the  Ifland.  That  there  will  be  a demand  for 
canned  topical  fruit  may  be  reasonably  anticipated, 
['’ruits  proiierly  canned  will  “keep”  for  an 
iiuletinite  period  in  any  climate,  and  canned  fruit, 
more  nearly  than  that  preserved  by  any  other 
method,  resembles  in  flavour  and  texture  the 
natural  article.  “Nothing,”  sayS  Prof.  Shelton, 
“ is  truer  than  this, — that  the  demand  for  fruits — 
preserved  and  green — can  be  almost  indefinitely 
increased.  The,  a[ipetite  giows  o.i  wliat  it  feeds.” 
And  again,  “ The  canning  of  fruit  is  not  alone 
work  for  the  factory  or  capitalist  ...  it  is  one 
of  the  ‘ home  industries’  that  is  within  easy  reach 
of  every  adult  person  of  ordinary  intelligence. 
There  is  nothing  occult,  mysterious,  or  difficult  in 
the  work.  It  recpiires  no  more  skill  or  greater 
knowledge  than  is  employed  in  making  a good 
article  of  bread  or  butter.” 
It  is  as  well  to  have  a thorough  understanding 
of  the  object  with  which  canning  is  carried  out, 
and  this  is  well  explained  in  the  following  j)ara- 
graph:— The  work  of  placing  fruit  in  airtight  cans, 
bottles  or  jars,  and  then  subjecting  them  to  heat,  and 
the  final  sealing  of  the  jars,  have  no  other  object 
than  to  exclude  the  germs  of  fermentation.  The 
sugar  employed  in  making  the  syrup  has  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  preservation  of  the  fruit. 
JIuch  or  little  sugar,  or  none  at  all,  may  be  used 
in  the  process  to  suit  the  taste.  These  germs 
require  certain  conditions  of  temperature,  moisture 
and  food  supplies.  When  we  dry  fruit  by  means 
of  an  evaporator  or  drier  we  prevent  the  action  of 
the  germs  by  depriving  them  of  the  necessary 
moisture  ; in  freezing  meats  the  temperature  is 
made  too  low  for  their  existence,  and  in  canning 
we  by  the  aid  of  heat  drive  out  the  germs  of 
fermentation  and  keep  them  out  by  hermetically 
sealing  the  jars. 
It  has  been  found  by  experience  that  the  germs 
of  fermentation  canrot  find  their  way  through  a 
mass  of  fluffy  cotton,  and  the  plan  is  sometimes 
adopted,  after  cooking  and  seasoning  the  fruit  as  in 
the  ordinary  process  of  canning,  lo  close  up  the 
ve.ssel  with  a close-fitting  plug  of  cotton  wool 
which  should  be  secured  on  the  outside  of  the 
neck  of  the  bottle  or  jar,  and  covered  with  a wrap 
of  paper.  This  will,  however,  only  do  where  the 
preserved  fruit  is  for  home  consumption. 
Further  details  on  canning,  as  given  by  Frof. 
Shelton  in  his  b ulletin  on  the  subject,  will  follow. 
W.  A.  D.  S. 
♦ 
SOIL  ANALYSIS. 
BY  F.  B.  GUTHIUE. 
[Agricultural  Gazette  of  N.  S.  IVales.) 
The  analysis  of  soils  constitutes  a large 
part  of  the  routine  work  of  the  chemical  branch 
of  the  New  South  Wales  department  of  Agricul- 
ture, the  number  of  complete  analyses  of  different 
soils  made  during  the  four  years  of  its  existence 
being  about  .350,  exclusive  of  a large  number  of 
which  only  a partial  e-vamination  was  made. 
(Jjacerning  the  value  of  soil  analysis  to  farmers, 
1 am  aware  that  there  is  cnn.'^iderable  difference  of 
opinion,  some  e.xcellent  authorities  denying  its 
value  altogether,  whilst  there  are  not  wantino- 
those  who  go  to  the  other  extreme,  and  expect  a 
chemical  analysis  to  indicate  both  the  nature  and 
the  exact  quantity  of  fertiliser  which  is  required 
to  make  the  soil  productive. 
In  this  as  in  most  other  debatable  matters,  1 
believe  that  the  truth  lies  somewhere  between  the 
two  extremes,  and  that  a great  deal  can  be  learnt 
as  to  the  proper  treatment  required  from  a ra- 
tional system  of  analysis,  which  shall  take  into 
account  the  nature  of  the  operations  going  on 
within  the  soil  as  well  ns  its  percentage  com- 
position. 
That  soil  analysis,  rationally  conducted,  has  a 
considerable  economic  value  I am  cuiviuced,  and 
this  conviction  is  strengthened  by  the  contiiiually 
increasing  number  of  soils  sent  in  for  report  from 
all  parts  of  the  Colony,  by  the  number  already 
