358 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 5, 1904. 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



Thorn Apple. 



The thorn apple or 'Jiinsoii weed,' as it is cidled in 

 America, is a common weed in Barbados and in other West 

 India Islands. The botanical name of the plant is Datura 

 Stramoniwn, and it belongs to the same Natural Order 

 (Solanaccae) as the tobacco, tomato, English potato, Petunia, 

 etc. 



Not only is the thorn apple a common weed in the West 

 Indies, but it occurs all over the world in warm, and even in 

 some temperate, regions. 



The i>lant is somewhat coarse-growing, reaching a height 

 of 2 to 3 feet ; it branches vigorously and the blanches spread 



Fig. 



Datura Stramonium. Bean(jhes with 



Flowers and Fruit. 

 [From Dictirinart/ of Ganhiihi;/.] 



out widely, so that a single plant will cover quite a large area. 

 The leaves are large and ovate with toothed margins (fig. l.'i^. 

 The flowers also are large and distinctly ornamental. Tlie 

 corolla is funnel-shaped, aliout 6 to 8 inches long, and 

 generally pure white in colour. Other species of the genus, 

 for e.xample. Datura fait mm, are often found in gardens as 

 ornamental jilants. 



The fruit (fig. U) is a capsule which is covered with 



Fig. 



1-1. Mature Fruit of Datura Stramonium. 

 [From Dictionary of Gardening.] 



The plant is exceedingly poisonous, containing the 

 alkaloids known as atropin and hyoscyamin. The.se occur in 

 all parts of the pilant, but the seeds are esi)ecially [loisonous. 

 The effects of the poison are somewhat similar to those of 

 belladonna : small quantities are sometimes used medicinally 

 in cases of neuralgia, epilepsy, mania, etc. In India and 

 China the seeds of an allied species are used by poisoners. 

 The Peruvians are said also to prepare an into.xicating 

 beverage from the seeds which induces stupiefaction and 

 furious delirium if partaken of in large (piantities. 



Nitragin. 



In hi.s address a.s President of the Siib-sectiou 

 Agriculture of the recent Cambridge meeting of the 

 British Association, Dr. Somerville made the following 

 remark.s regarding the artificial inoculation of soils 

 with organisms from the nodules of leguminous 

 plants : — 



A few years ago nuich interest was e.xcited in this and 

 other countries by the announcement that the scientific 

 discoveries of Helhiegel and Wilfarth had received com- 

 mercial application, and that the organisms of the nodules of 

 the roots of Ltjumiiwsae could be i)urclia.sed in a form 

 convenient for artificial inoculation. The specific cultures 

 placed upon the market were largely tested practically and 

 experimentally, but the results were such as to convince 

 even the patentees, Nobbe and Hiltner, that the problem 

 which promised so much for agriculture had not been 

 .satisfactorily solved. Since that time, however, investigators 

 had not been idle, and the jiresent jiosition of the subject 

 was to be found in a recent report by Hiltner and Stcjrmer. 

 The nitragin piut on the market a few years ago was used in 

 two ways, lieing either aiiplied directly to the fields, or 

 mixed with water and brought into contact with the seed 

 before sowing. Under the former method of procedure, an 

 increase of crop was obtained only when the nitragin was 

 u.sed on land containing much humus. The exiilanation 

 given for failure under other conditions was that the liacteria 

 artificially introduced perished fijr want of food liefore the 

 leguminous seed germinated and produced plants. Failure of 

 the nitragin to effect an inqirovement in the crop when it 

 was sprinkled on the seed was now believed to be due to the 

 action of secretions proiluced liy the seed in the early stages 

 of germination. This difficulty was found to be got o^•er by 

 moisteniiig the seed and allowing it to sprout before the 

 nitragin was apjilied ; but manifestly such a procedure would 

 always be difficult, and often impossible, to carry out in 

 practice. The object, however, would aiipear to have been 

 gained in another way, namely, by cultivating the bacteria 

 in a medium that imparted to them the neces.sary power of 

 resistance. Such nourishment might take various forms, 

 but that which gave the best results consisted of a mixture 

 of skim-milk, grape sugar, and peptone, and it was in this 

 medium that the organisms of the nitragin now distributed 

 were cultivated. 



the stout spines that give to the plant its comnioH name of 

 thorn apple. It opens by four valves. 



Ram Goat Wanted. A correspondent in Barbados 

 writes ; ' I Ikuo an incpury from Demerara for a young 

 ram goat of good milk strain.' Any person having for 

 sale a ram goat of good breetl, preferably one of the ott'spring 

 of this Department's 'Black Kock' or 'Bruce,' should com- 

 municate full praticulars to the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture. 



