890 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June 2, 1884. 



thinner; but even at the summit they have a diameter 

 of 0*04 mm. The thinnest fibres of the nettle are there- 

 fore as thick as the thickest of hemp. In consequence of 

 their isolatinn they are seldom polygonal. At the commence- 

 ment of the time of flowering the fibres in the upper portion 

 of the stem only are completely thickened; those in the 

 lower part have still large cavities. There are no pore- 

 canals. Fibres were measured 22 mm. in length; they are 

 very irregular in form. They consist of nearly pure cellulose; 

 their behaviour with cuoxam is characteristic. They swell 

 with extraordinary rapidity from without inwards; a sharply 

 differentiated internal layer resists the action for some 

 minutes ; but this is also at length dissolved ; and in ad- 

 dition to a small quantity of contents of the fibres a delicate 

 network remains, the primary membranes of the parenchyma 

 cells which surrounded the fibres. 



Fibres baked or treated with acids or alcohol show two 

 peculiarities. They are very irregularly isolateil, being either 

 united into bands or disintegrated into separate fibres; there 

 are no tliin bundles, like those of combed flax or hemp. 

 This peculiarity depends on the structure of the primary 

 and on the want of secondary bast-fibre-bundles. The second 

 peculiarity is their complete and nearly regular investment 

 vfith parenchyma, in consequence of which they are rough 

 and dull; resulting from the incomplete differentiation of 

 the wall of the fibres and of tnat of the parenchyma-cells. 



Both these peculiarities are very disadvantageous to the 

 employment of the nettle-fibre as a technical product. The 

 chemical means employed to separate the fibres completely 

 from zhe suiTOunding parenchyma would affect injuriously 

 the fineness of the fibre. 



Af^empts have been made to naturahze in Germany the 

 North American Laportea pustidata; but similar disadvant- 

 ages attend the structure of the fibre. In August the bast- 

 fibrt-s in the upper third of the stem are not yet developed ; 

 in the lower portion they are but imperfectly thickened. The 

 cortex, bast and fibres, resemble those of Urtica dioica; but 

 the fibres are considerably larger at the base of the stem, 

 usually, 05 mm. in diameter, and more than 80 mm. long; 

 in the middle part of the stem they have still a diameter 

 of O'l mm. They consist of pure cellulose; they dissolve 

 rapidly and completely in cuoxam, leaving behind a paren- 

 chymatous network and the protoplasmic contents of the 

 fibres. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



SUBSOILING AND TILLAGE. 



Prof. Sanborn, of the Missouri Agricultural College, has, 

 the past Sumoier, been conducting experiments bearing 

 upon the question whether subsoiling and frequent stir- 

 ring of a cultivated soil tends to make land dryer or less 

 dry during a continued drouth. He gives his experience 

 in Bulletin No. 5, from which we condense the following 

 extracts: — Two areas of similar land, side by side, of one- 

 tenth acre in area, each, were plowed seven inches deep. 

 No. 1 was subsoiled nine inches deep, or stirred sixteen 

 inches deep in total. September 12, when the severe 

 drouth had become very pronounced, 1 drove an inch gas 

 pipe fifteen inches deep in four places on each plat ; mixed 

 the soil of each plat thoroughly, and tested for moisture. 

 From 960 garins subsoiled plat, 97 grains of water were 

 evaporated. From 960 grains of soil not subsoiled, but SO 

 grains of water were lost by evaporation, making a differ- 

 ence of much importance in the total moisture of an 

 acre, and which was made evident in the total product 

 of the two plats. The subsoiled plat yielded of corn at 

 the rate of 70"1 bushels per acre, while on the unsubsoiled 

 plat the yield was but 49-3 bushels, while the variation 

 in the yield of stover was only the difference between 

 4,734 pounds and 4.022 pojinds, the diminished grain jneld 

 on the unsubsoiled plat being undoubtedly due to a lack 

 of moisture at the critical period in the growth of the 

 crop when the ears were being filled out. To show the 

 difference in another way it may be stated that on the 

 subsoiled plat it required only 675 pounds of stover to 

 yield a bushel of grain, while on the plat not subsoiled, 

 it required 81*6 pounds of stover, or stalk.s. for a bushel. 



The experiments in tillage were made upon bare soil, an 

 area being stirred daily, to the depth of two inches from 

 Aug. 10 to Sept. 7, during which period the drouth had 

 become very severe. On another plat adjoining, the surface 

 was stirred but once daring the period named. At the 



expiration of the period, samples of soil were taken 

 at half-past five o'clock in the morning, from both plats, 

 dried and weighed, the scales showing that the upper six 

 inches of soU contained most moisture from that portion 

 which had been stirred daily. Prof. Sanborn, however, 

 woidd have it understood that tillage, to conserve moist- 

 ure, must be very shallow, say not over two inches in 

 depth, the aim being to get a thin layer of dry surface 

 soil, that will act as a non-conductor of moisture between 

 the dry air above, and the moist surface below. "Hence, 

 deep tillage of surface rooted crops, like corn, is an errone- 

 ous prac tice, founded in erroneous views. Plowing out 

 corn iu^'olves too deep tillage in dry weather, but adds 

 to the mischief by severing the roots of corn needed at 

 such times. Our double shovel plows work too deeply. 

 Our true policy in drouth for corn is frequent and shallow 

 tillage." The Professor thinks that nearly all our cultiv- 

 ators are defective in that they run too deeply for the 

 best results in dry weather. — New Englatul Farmer. 



A NEW DEPARTURE IN QUININE. 



One of the natural results of pernicious tariff legislation 

 is now brought forcibly before the people. A few years 

 ago the cry of free quiuiue^became a popular one and dema- 

 gogues and tricksters urged that a duty on quinine was 

 taxing our fever stricken poor. The result was that in 

 deference to this clamor quinine was placed on the free 

 list, although some of the crude materials used in its 

 manufacture had to pay an import duty. The alkaloid 

 could be produced cheaper iu foreign countries by reason 

 of cheaper labor and cheaper materials, and the natural 

 result could be foreseen — either that the foreign article 

 would take the place of that of domestic manufacture, or our 

 manufacturers would be compelled to establish factories 

 abroad. The first of these probable results was averted by 

 reason of the superior excellence of the American manufact- 

 ure, the foreign made quinine selling in this market for about 

 ten per ci^nt less than is realized for the domestic make. The 

 effect of the removal of the duty iu the other direction has 

 been averted so long only because the manufacturers here had 

 expensive plants which could not be allowed to remain idle. 

 A change has, however, been precipitated by the recent de- 

 struction of ilessrs. Powers &]AVeightmau's quiniuejmanufact- 

 ure at Philadelphia. As it will take some months at least 

 to rebuild their works at Philadelphia, this firm concluded 

 at once to inaugui-ate a new departure, although they will 

 push the erection of new works on the site of the buildings 

 recently destroyed with as much haste as practicable. 



Mr. Alexander Ijoehringer arrived iu this country, on a 

 contemplated trip through the country, a day or two after 

 the fire in Philadelphia, and at once tendered the use of 

 one of the factories in which he is interested, and Messrs. 

 Powers k "Weightuian have made arrangements to operate 

 the factory at Milan, the largest quinine manufactory in 

 the world. To this end they have already shipped about 

 3,fX)0 bales of bark to Genoa, and Dr. Jolm F. AVeightman, 

 with his family, departed for Milan, where he will super- 

 intend the manufacture of quinine as he he has heretofore 

 done at I*hiladelphia, employing the same processes that 

 have produced such satisfactory results here; and, although 

 the quinine will be made at 'Milan, it will practically be 

 the same American quinine that has always been produced 

 by this firm. This transfer of the manufacture to a foreign 

 country at first caused some surprise in the trade, but there 

 were none but acknowledged the wisdom of the course. 

 "What the outcome of this move on the part of the Phil- 

 adelphia firm will be is not certain, altuough if it is proved 

 that tlie article can be manufactured cheaper at ^Milau than 

 at l*hiladelphia. it would be folly to expect that the firm 

 will again manufacture quinine in this country as extens- 

 ively as heretofore. Other manufacturex's will watcli this 

 experiment with keen interest, and some are of the opinion 

 that this is the beginning of the end of this industry in 

 the United States, and that it received its death-blow in 

 the unwise removal of the entire duty formerly levied on 

 this article. During the present agitation of the traiff 

 question, it would be well for the advocates of sweeping 

 reductions, and of the pronounced free traders,^ to study 

 these results, and possibly they may learn caution, if not 

 wisdom, from the lesson here presented. There are many 

 articles which will bear a material reduction in the duty 



