134 



THE AGrJCULTURAL NEWS, 



April 26, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date April 7, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



About 200 bales of West Indinn Sea Island cotton have 

 teen sold since our last report, comprising about 80 bales Kar- 

 bados 19(?. to lOAc?., 110 St. Kitts chiefly 18(Z. to -lOd., with 

 a few inferior bales IGhl. to I'd. and a few bale.s of Superior 

 Montserrat at I8d. 



The market is firm, but the demand is chiefly for fine- 

 libred cotton 19'7. to 20d., and in consequence the chief sales 

 are Barbados and St. Kitts, the latter being preferred on 

 account of its extra fineness. Lower qualities from the 

 Leeward Islands and the finer sorts from St. Vincent are 

 neglected at the moment, but we are of the opinion, judging 

 from crop reports, that prices will remain firm throughout the 

 season. 



The report of Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending March 29, is as follows: — 



The market has been quiet throughout the week, with 

 sales of 150 bales of off cotton, and in the absence of any 

 further demand remains unchanged and we have only to 

 .confirm our previous advices and quotations. 



We quote, viz: 



Extra Fine 28c. to 29c. = IGrf. to 16id. c.i.f., & 5 per cent 



Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = 14|d. to iBirf. „ „ „ „ 



Fine 2.5c. = 14>rf. „ „ ,,, „ 



Extra Fine off) „ , i oi j 



in preparation / ■= " " " " 



r'*"y^^'"t"'^|l8c,to20c.= 10UtollH. „ „ ,, ., 

 in preparationj - . " >> i > 



Fine off in 1 



preparation J 



This report shows that the total exports of .Sea 

 Island cotten from the I'nited States to Liverpool, 

 JIanchcster and Havre, up to March 29, 1913, were 421 

 bales, 1,07."! bales, and 4,008 bales, respectively. 



18c. 



lO.W. 



Information has been received to the effect that, at the 

 110th meeting of the British Cotton Growing .'Association 

 held in Manche"ter on April 1, 1913, it was reported that 

 the cotton yields in the Sudan this season are most satis- 

 factory, as much as 660 ft), of lint per acre having been 

 obtained in the Tayiba district. In West Africa the crop is 

 kte, but a record total output of 20,000 bales is e.stimated. 

 In Xyasaland the crop continues to be held up through bad 

 transport facilities, but the position will improve with the 

 construction in the near future of a railway from I'ort Herald 

 to Zambesi. The prouuction of cotton in Uganda continues 

 to increase, but at present the transport facilities on the 

 I'ganda railway are inadequate. It is thought that it will 

 he necessary at an early date to double the line. 



THE COMPLEXITY OF THE MICRO- 

 ORGANIC POPULATION OP TEE SOIL. 



During 1910, the interest of agricultural scientists was- 

 deeply aroused by liussell's and Hutchinson's announcement 

 of their results on the phagocytic protozoa in the soil, and! 

 the effect of partial sterilization upon fertility In this 

 Journal the subject was explained at considerable length (see 

 Agricultural News, Vol. IX, p. 33), and further developments 

 along the same line have been noted from time to time 

 (Vols. X, p. 33.5; Xt, pp. 131 and 151) In the last issue of 

 this journal appeared an abstract of the work of llussell andt 

 Petherbridge on soil sickness and partial sterilization, and the 

 present article should be an appropriate and arresting addi- 

 tion to those just referred to. 



It concerns a letter by Russell, published in a recent 

 number of Srieiv, (April 4, 1913), refuting the adver.«e 

 criticisms of American workers on the phagocytic theory 

 which this author has established on the basis of the 

 Rothamsted researches. 



In order to indicate the stability of his contentions, 

 Russell first proceeds to enumerate the experimental facts 

 upon which lie bases his arguments. Briefly they are as 

 follows: — 



(1) Partial sterilization of the soil brings about are 

 increased bacterial content. 



(2) Simultaneously there is an increase in the produc- 

 tion of ammonia formed from organic nitrogen compounds. 



(3) Partial sterilization improves the soil as a mediunc 

 for bacterial development. 



(4) The improvement is permanent. 



It is evident from (3) and (4) that the factor limiting 

 bacterial numbers in ordinary soils is not bacterial, nor is it 

 any product of bacterial activity, nor does it arise sponta- 

 neously in soils. 



(5) The limiting factor can be reintroduced by 

 inoculation. 



(6) The efl'ect of increased temperature on untreatedl 

 soils makes it evident that the limiting factor in untreated 

 soils is not the luc/i' of anything but the presence oj- 

 somethiiig actii; . 



(7) If the partial sterilization is sutficient to kill nitri- 

 fying bacteria (which are susceptible organisms) the limiting 

 factor is also extinguished; if the nitrifying bacteria are only 

 temporarily suppressed the factor is also only put out for 

 a time. 



(8) The properties of the limiting factor are: (a) It is 

 active and not a lack of something; (b) it is not bacterial; 

 (c) it is extinguishe<l by heat or poisons and does not reappear 

 if the treatment has sufficed to kill sensitive and non sporing^ 

 organisms; it may re appear, however, if the treatment has 

 not been sufficient to do this; (d) it can be reintroduced into 

 soils from which it has been permanently extinguished by 

 the addition of a little untreated soil; (e) it develops more 

 slowly than bacteria and for some time may show little or no 

 effect, then it causes a marked reduction in the numbers of 

 bacteria, and its final effect is out of all proportion to the 

 amount introduced; (f) it is favoured by conditions favoura- 

 ble to trophic life in the soil. 



(9) It is impossible to escajje the conclusion that the 

 limiting factor is a living organism. 



(10) Protozoa naturally suggested themselves. Lnrge 

 numbers of ciliates, ama-bic and flagellates were found ia 

 the soil, and whenever they were killed the detrimental factor 

 was found to be put out of action. Whenever the detri- 

 mental factor was not put out of action th^ protozoa were 



