422 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1883. 



of nitrogen per cent in the first nine inches of di'y soil 

 in several fieUls at Rotlxamstetl, will certainly prove: — 



Nitrogen per cent. 



1. Hoot crops grown continuously by mineral 



manure 0"09I14 



2. AVheat crops „ „ „ O'lOOO 

 8. OrUiiiary arable laid just land to pasture O'l'I'Sb 



4. Pasture laid down in IH?:? 0-15tt9 



5. „ „ 1863 01740 



6. „ „ 1858 0-2048 



7. „ „ 1838 0-1949 



8. Very old pasture, age unknown 0*2466 



These fit;ures are very instructive. If wu multiply the 



four decimal figures by 2^, we shall have approximattly 

 the number of pounds per acre of nitrogen in the first 

 nine inches of soil. In cases Nos. 1 and 2 we see the 

 etfect of a succession of exhausting crops in depriving the 

 soil of nitrogen. Equally do we see that the laying down 

 land to giMss is a recuperati\'e business. The organic matter 

 increases chiefly by root growth. The treatment has 

 apparently little to do with this result. Field No. 6, we 

 are told, has been mown every year, aud dressed each year 

 with pm'chased dung or artificial manures — the two alternat- 

 ing. On No. 5 field stock has been fed with decorticated 

 cutton cake, and no hay has been talcen for eighteen years; 

 whereas the analysis of No. 8 was made after twenty uu- 

 manured crops of hay had been removed. It is therefore 

 evident that if we get a thick close sward, the soil will 

 be enriched year by year, and therefore the tenant who 

 has laid down such grass is entitled to compensation, but 

 only to the extent of this accumulated nitrogen, which 

 would all be taken out by thiee or four crops. 



, There will, especially at first, be great difficulty in arriving 

 at just conclusisns as to value of an improvement to an 

 incoming tenant, because there will not, iis a rule, be re- 

 liable evidence as to the condition of the farm at the 

 time of leaving, as compared with that on entry. Valuers 

 must be guided to a large extent by the nature of the 

 work done, the period at which it was done, and the 

 probable duration of ctTect upon the particular class of land. 

 Eventually, the particulars to be given in the award will 

 be an important guide as to the state of the land on entry. 

 The public are once again indebted to Sir J. B. Lawcs for 

 vahuiblo information which will help them to distinguish 

 bol ,veen inherent and acquired fertility. — Field. 



CULTIVATION OF THE BEAN. 



(Faba vulgaris, Muench.) 



This vegetable is an annual, and one of the oldest cul- 

 tivated plants we possess. Some uncertainty exists as to its 

 native habitat, however it is generally supposeil to be a native 

 (jf ]*ersia. There are two distinct classes cultivated iu giivd- 

 ens, viz., the long pod and broad AVindsor. The pods of 

 the former are from o to 9 inches long, and contain from 

 four to six medium-sized beans. Those of the latter are 

 from 3 to 6 inches long and much broader than the long 

 po ', and generally contain throe flat large-sized beans. There 

 are numerous varieties detailed in European nurserymen's 

 catalogues, however all are referable to either of these two 

 classes. The long podded varieties are the most prolific, and 

 succeed best in this country. They acclimatize without any 

 pGrceiitible detei'iorntion iu quality, and should therefore 

 be always grown in preference to the broad Windsor sorts. 



In the Plains, beans come in use about the mi(idie or end 

 of February, and continue iu season until the end of April. 

 They should be sown in succession from the middle of 

 September to the end of October. Two sowings are suffici- 

 ent for ordinary requirements, but when it is desired to 

 have them in season for as long a period as po>;sible, three 

 Bowings should be made at intervals of a fortnight between. 

 They succeed best in a deep, rich, and somewhat heavy 

 loam. Where the soil is light and sandy, hea\^' meanuring 

 must be resorted to in order to uieet with success. I find 

 the following to be a good and economical mode of preparing 

 the ground. Dig trenches 1 foot deep and 18 inches wide, 

 at distances of 3 feet apart for long podded, and 2^ feet 

 for broad Windsor sorts. Half fill the trenches with old 

 rich manure, and dig or fork it into the subsoil at the 

 bottom of the trench. Then fill up the trenches with the 

 surface soil and also give it a liberal supply of manure. 

 Tlie trenches will now form low ridges owing to the manure 



and looseness of the soil. They should next be pressed with 

 the feet, and if the soil is still above the surrounding level, 

 part of it should be drawn to each side, leaving a space 

 18 inches wide down the whole length of the rows. The 

 soil drawn away may be left along both edges of the latter 

 for the pinpose of facilitating the retention of water when 

 irrigating. The seeds should be inserted 2 in",hes below 

 the surface, in double or single lines in each row at 6 inches 

 apart and the same distance between the lines when two 

 are sown. The double line is preferable to the single one 

 for the following reasons. If the seeds are imported many 

 of them fail to come up, aud the resulting vacant spaces, 

 besides being a waste of ground, give the plot an untidy 

 appearance. In a double row, vacant spaces, as a rule, are 

 not so numerous, besides the plants are much benefited by 

 the support and protection they afford each other during 

 storms. 



The germinative power of the seeds is much increased by 

 being soaked in warm water for six or eight hours before 

 sowing. Care, however, must be taken that they are not 

 again dried iip by being inserted in hot and dry ground. 

 AVheu the latter is in the state mentioned, water should be 

 given immediately after sowing, and the ground kept damp 

 by subsequent waterings until the seedlings appear above 

 ground. During their progress, water should be freely given, 

 the ground kept free of weeds, and the soil frequently 

 sttired between the plants. When the flowers begin to ap- 

 pear, a slight earthing up around the neck of the plants 

 is beneficial. When the stems are well covered with flowers 

 or when about 1^ or 2 feet high, the point of every shoot 

 should be nipped out. If this is not done they will con- 

 tinue to grow and flower without forming any pods. As 

 already mentioned the long pod acclimatizes readily. AVhen 

 seeds for future use are desired, they should be collected 

 from the pods lowest down on the stems, as these are 

 invariably the largest and best developed. The beLm is not 

 subject to disease or to the attacks of insects when cult- 

 ivated on the plains. 



On the Hills — autumn sowings come in use in May, and 

 by successive spring sowings beans can be kept in season 

 until August and Septembei'. A small sowing should be 

 made in October or November for the early crop of the 

 follo\viug spring. Those for the main crops should be sown 

 in succession from the beginning of March to the end of 

 May, at intervals of a fortnight between. The mode of 

 cultivation is the same as described for the Plains, and 

 need not again be detailed. The plants are sometimes at- 

 tacked by a species of Aphis or green fly. The best renietlv 

 is frequent syrmgings with soap and lobicco water. — AV. 0,-^ 

 Indian, Furestcy. 



TEA : TIMBEKS FOK BOXES AND OTHER PURPOSES. 



{Continued.) 



Uriam, or Joki, as it seema called in Cachar, I see, has 

 had its botanical name changed since I made out my list 

 some years ago, and is now Bishoffia Javanica. This tree, 

 of which the Assam Rajas used sometimes to have their 

 coffins made in above times, seems to grow almost eipially 

 well in high or low land, and is common on the flats 

 near rivers ; Assamese were, I am told, not allowed to cut 

 it formerly. II attains a girth of some 6 or 8 feet, but 

 the bole or shaft is not generally so long as the preced- 

 ing trees, and runs 30 to 40 feet. It has a large and 

 dense crown of rather dark foliage; the stem is seldom 

 so straight as in the Sopas. The bark outside is very 

 dark brown and rough, remarkably free from stains and 

 lichens ; the inner bark is thick, fleshy, and pink, exuding 

 red sap. The leaf is in 3 distinct lobes, like a bramble, 

 but larger, and dyes a yellow color; the seeds are in large 

 open clusters of dark berries, the size of large peas, eaten 

 by monkies and natives. 



The young leaf-shoots have a good reputation as a 

 febrifuge, and arc extremely bitter. Properly this wood 

 has no distinct heart, strongly marked in conspicuous 

 contrast with the sap wood. It more generally gets denser 

 and darker towards the centre gradually. When wet it 

 is a deep red, and when dry is of a dull purple, i)retty 

 hard and heavy, though it will float. It is a more com- 

 mon tree than Nahor or Sopa, and useful for posts, 

 planks, canoes, &c., but too heavy for boxes, which need 

 a strovff light wood, that is also tough. 



