Vol. rni N'o. 431. 



THE AGRIUCLTUKAL NEWS. 



no leguminous green manure has been used. Green 

 manuring has resulted in a -"JO-per cent increase in size 

 ijt" tree. The total yields at the age of ten years were 

 ■v)>S per cent, greater on the green-manured plot. Not' 

 ijnly wa.s more fruit produced but the proportion 

 vf fancy and choice frr.it was larger. Green 

 manuring had a marked effect upon the size of the 

 fruit, there being (io per cent, n lore of the desirable 

 sizes than on the plots not green- manured. The trees 

 where legume green manure had been used were in 

 much better health, as evidenced by the fact that only 

 o per cent, of the leaves were 'mottled' during the 

 seasons of 1912, l!tl:^ and 1914, while on plots simi- 

 larly fertilized, vvhere legumes had not been used, the 

 average was 13'.5 per cent. 



Green manures have additional values in that 

 their growth prevents serious washing of the soil 

 during heavy rains. 



Large amounts of nitrogen are saved from leaching 

 Ibelovv the limits of roots by growing winter-green 

 manure crops which utilize the exce.ss nitrogen, and 

 hold it until they are ploughed under. The decay of 

 the roots of the crop tends to make the soil more open 

 tj'i the access of air and water. 



GreeK-tnanure crops may be expected to give most 

 satisfactory results when ploughed under to a depth of 

 from 7 to 10 inches. They should never be ploughed 

 ynder when the land is dry, as this will result in 

 poor incorporation of the green tops, and slow decay. 



Devil's Grass. 



There is an old proverb, give the devil his due', 

 which may also reasonably apply to devil's grass 

 (Ci/noilon dactijlon), known in the Southern Stales of 

 America as Bermuda grass. West Indian planters 

 know well that this grass is a pestilent weed among 

 crops, a!ino.->t imp.issible of eradication once it has taken 

 hold of a field, and that it can only be kept under con- 

 trol by careful cultivation. Still it is always interest- 

 ing to hear another side of any tjuestion, and a veri- 

 table <xd>()catVLH dinhoii in this matter is Mr. Samuel 

 il. Tracey, whose interesting paper, 'Bermuda Grass', 

 is published bv the United States Department ot 

 Acrioulture as Farmefi' Bidletii\, 814.. 



Mr. Tracey considers that as a permanent peren- 

 nial meadow grass, Bermuda grass is the most valuable 

 in the south-eastern part of the United .States, where it 

 lQrt.s bo;en "rown for more than a hundred years. 



There are several distinct varieties, differing in 

 vigour of growth and in the character of the under- 

 ground running stems or stolons. The best variety 

 for a hay crop is said to be the Giant Bermuda grass 

 {C'/nodon dartylun. var. maritimv.s), which was 

 introduced into the United States from Brazil a few 

 years ago. This variety, on a rich moist soil often 

 makes runners' 20 feet or more in length, with an 

 abundance of • ivct stems 2 feet of more in height, 

 affording two or three annual cuttings, and yielding 

 ni'ire than any other variety yet tested by the United 

 State.'? Department of Agriculture. It is true that the 

 vifld of hav varies greatly with the locality where the 



grass is grown. i.Jn favourable soils it has been known 

 to yield annually from (j to 8 tons per acre. 



As a pasture grass on lands of ordinary fertility in 

 the South-eastfrn States it is calculated to support one 

 steer per acre for eight to nine month.«. 



In spite of these data, it would hardly be wise to 

 import into these islands the giant variety — the rlwart 

 devils we know are probably better than this unknown 

 giant — or rather not ijuite so bad from our point of 

 view, 



< )ne value of Bermuda grass mentioned by Mr. 

 Tracey is quite comprehensible from the nature of its 

 grow-th. It has been found of great use in stopping the 

 wash of gullies, and in binding the slopes of embank- 

 ments. 



The Position of University and HigQer Tech- 

 nical Education. 



In Nature, .\ugast 1.5, lirtlS, there appeared a very 

 striking article on this subject from the pen of Professor 

 R A. Gregory, a well-known authority on such subjects. 

 The aiticle is a review so to speak of the report, issued 

 early this 3-ear, of the Government Committee under 

 the championship of Sir J. .J. Thompson, on the positiou 

 of natural science in the educational system of < Jreat 

 Britain. 



Professor (Gregory points out the very inadtjuate 

 assistance affori led by the <>overnment of the United 

 Kingdom to higher technichal education, when com- 

 pared with what is done by the (j'overnment of the 

 TJnited States, and of ( lermany. He concludes that it 

 is evident that in the domain of higher education the 

 United Kingdom coiupares very unfavourably with 

 those two powers. V:t the conditions of industrial 

 development, and, we may add, of agricultural develop- 

 ment also, and the conipetiti'in in both fields of other 

 nations, make it essentia! to secure an adequate supply 

 of traineil workers. 



Increased grants to universities and technical in- 

 stitutions are needed to enable the tuition fees to be 

 reduced, and .so to attract a large number of men to 

 such institutions who are now unable to stand the 

 expense of the cnursi' of training. lncrea.sed grants 

 are also needed to enable the tuition fees to be reduced, 

 and to ensure that the staffs are paid salaries co?nnien- 

 surate with the high <malitications demande<l of the 

 members of such staffs. The present aid given by 

 Parliament is in no way adequate to modern needs, 

 and compares very unfavourably with what is available 

 in the United .States and in ' lermany. 'I'he grand 

 total of all Parliamentary grants to universitiea 

 and technical colleges in the United Kingdom 

 is about i:.iOO,000, whereas the Fedeml and 

 .States grants in the United .Stales amount to 

 £7,000,000, and in (iermauy to nearly t;2,000,000. Tha 

 provision made by Parliament f(ir highi r rdueation is 

 thus obviously not that which should be expecteii of a 

 State which intends to maintain its position among 

 leadinc P: ■%►"•= •■.t-.^ especial'v '■■ ''•>» ■'v'< ■■f peir.\ 



