Vol. XIII. Xo. 31 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



125 



THE SOIL 



INVESTIGATION WORK IN THE 

 FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



On the completion of the programme outlined in the 

 AfjricidUtral Bulletin, Fedetated Malay .States (January 

 1914), a knowledge will have been acquired of the types of 

 soil best suited for the staple cultivations of that country, 

 and the belief may be expressed that it will then be possible 

 to att'ord to possessors of capital reliable information as to 

 where, in planting pursuit.?, it may be most profitably 

 employed. 



During 1913, 121 samples were accepted for full 

 analysis, and it is expected that during 1914, 150 to 250 

 samples will be dealt with. An important line of soil 

 investigation has been the examination of coco nut soils. 

 Whereas rubber grows well and afi'ord.s satisfactory yields on 

 almost any class of soil, the coconut tree is much more fas- 

 tidious. In some places a yield of twenty nuts per tree each 

 year may be taken as the average: in others, it reaches eighty 

 or even 100. Work on coconut soils is at present confined 

 to districts of noted fertility, but will subsequently be 

 extended to others in which the yields are low. 



A considerable amount of work was done during the 

 year on padi soils, and also in regard to the question as to 

 whether land suitable for cultivation was to bo found at high 

 altitudes. In the latter case the result w^as disappointing, 

 for although at a height of 4,500 feet surrounding a hill 

 station there is a very large area (probably 3 sq. miles) that 

 is covered with a characteristic growth and might therefore 

 be expected to be of value, the soil is almost entirely 

 composed of peat and therefore unsuitable for cultivated 

 crops. 



AN ARTIFICIAL SOIL. 



An account in the (Queensland Agricultural Jijurnal 

 (February 1914) deals with the somewhat remarkable sub- 

 stance known as Jadoo fibre. The foundation of this material 

 is absorbent peat moss. In a large boiler, partly filled with 

 water, the following ingredients are put in, in various 

 proportions : soot, pink gypsum, bone meal, phosphoric asid, 

 potash, nitrate of soda and sugar. The boiler is then filled 

 up with peat moss in a dry state, and the whole is kept at 

 boiling point for thirty minutes. 



The moss is then taken out and stacked. To it is 

 added yeast, and the moss is fermented and kept in that 

 state and at a certain temperature for a month or five weeks, 

 when it is then fit for use. 



The (^>ueensIaDd Department of Agriculture has supplied 

 a quantity of this material to the Agricultural College for 

 experimental purposes and the results of the trial will be 

 awaited with interest. Analysis has already shown that the 

 material is very rich in plant food, a fair amount of which 

 is readily available for absorption Jadoo fibre must be 

 considered highly fertile artificial peaty soil. 



The opinion is expressed in the article under considera- 

 tion that the manufacture of this product could be success- 

 fully started in Queensland by utilizing as a foundation 

 material, finely crushed megass from the sugar mills. Megass 

 by itself has only a very slight manurial value (about 6s. per 

 ton), but megass possesses great absorptive power, and 

 retains water just as well as jadoo fibre, and, again, does not 

 rot quickly in the ground. It is suggested that perhaps 

 finely chopped trash or, again, dried filter-press cake, might 

 be added with advantage to the megass. 



ALKALI SOIL AND THE GROWTH OF 

 THE RICE PLANT. 



Rice plants were grown in water cultures of varying 

 concentrations of salts of sodium, potassium, magnesium 

 and calcium, separately and in combination. 



The growth of the plants under the different conditions 

 was noted and the following results obtained: — 



A. Single salts of the above metals. 



(1) The salts act as stimulating or to.xic agents accord- 

 ing to the concentration. 



(2) The toxic concentrations of magnesium sulphate 

 and chloride, calcium chloride and sodium chloride and 

 carbonate are greater than ,'^' while those of sodium sul- 

 phate and bicarbonate are greater than JL. 



(3) The concentrations of greatest stimulation were 

 for magnesium sulphate J^^^ for magnesium chloride and 

 calcium chloride n' _ to _?•' _, for sodium chloride 1 to 



. , . 1 n J u ij u 5 'J 



iTTn' for sodium carbonate and bicarbonate -- to ^'_ 

 b. iwo salts in combination. 



(4) Different kations are mutually antagonistic; the 

 same effect occurs between different anions, but in a les.s 

 degree. Thus the limit of concentration producing toxic 

 effects is higher in mixtures of salts. 



(5) The curve for concentration and antagonism between 

 sodium and potassium salts shows two maxima. 



(6) The antagonism between potassium and magnesium 

 or calcium is almost complete, so that at certain proportions 

 the toxic effect completely disappears. 



(7) The antagonistic action of calcium cannot be 

 replaced by barium or strontium. 



These results have considerable bearing on soil fertility, 

 especially in alkaline soils. {Montldi/ Bulletin of Agricultural 

 Intelligewe and Plant Diseases, January 1914.) 



A note on the classification of Egyptian soils according 

 to permeability appears in the Experiment Station Record, 

 Vol. XXIX, No. 9, in which it is stated that these soils 

 have been classed as per;neable soils, soils of average or 

 only slight permeability, permeable soils with impermeable 

 subsoils, soils more or less impermeable at the surface over- 

 lying permeable subsoils in underground communication 

 with irrigation canals, and impermeable soils. Consequent 

 on their permeability, only a considerable development of 

 drainage and the use of mechanical means for elevating water 

 will permit the rapid reclamation of the uncultivated 

 lands in the north of Lower Egypt. Concerning the south 

 and centre of Lower Egypt and also Upper and Central 

 Egypt, it is suggested that systems of drainage canals should 

 be situated lower than and bordering on the lands 

 irrigated, and that the lands be irrigated by means of 

 mechanical lifting devices throughout the greater part of 

 the year. 



In the Monthly Bulletin of Agricultural Intelligence 

 and Plant Diseases (January 1914) appears an article on 

 cultural experiments on sick soils. The solution of sick soils 

 contains substances injurious to plants which may be 

 eliminated by filtering through charcoal. Boiling only 

 eliminates these injurious substances from some soils. The 

 solutions of soils not previously sown to cereals do not 

 contain injurious substances. It does not appear that the 

 soil solution exerts an injurious action for only one plant, 

 but on vegetative development in general. 



