Vol. XIII. No. 328. 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Explosives and the Blow-Lamp in the Garden. 



Whether the spade ami the rake will ever become 

 only vahiable anti(|ues may reasonably be doubted, but 

 experiments are beiii<r made by daring horticulturists 

 to extend thi' list of garden imph'nients so as to render 

 cultural operations less iaboriotis, and more lasting in 

 effect. In a paper in the Journal. of the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society (August 1914), Dr. H. E. Durham 

 iliscusses in a pleasant way the use of e.xplosives and 

 rhf blow-lamp in the garden. By using small (11 to 

 '1 oz.) charges of cheddite at a depth of :i| to :H feet 

 and 2 to i\ yards apart, he came to the conclusion 

 that, comparefl with tlie work done by the spade or 

 lork in digging and breaking up the soil, (juite ten 

 tiint'S as much energy vvas put into the .soil in this way. 

 Although his experiments have not been conducted 

 long enough, he says, to warnxnt any definite generali- 

 zation, yet he considers that in all cases a beneficial 

 effect was prcnluced by the explosive treatment. He 

 also believes that the u.se of explosives gives a means 

 of subsuiling old bodies of herbaceous plants without 

 removing the plants. 



As regards the plumber's blow-lamp as a gardening 

 tool, Ur. i)ui-ham thinks that its range of usefulness is 

 such that others might like to try it. Pests of the 

 insect world can in some cases be destroyed by it, 

 especially ants' nests. But the chief use to which it 

 may be put is the eradication of weeds in a rapid and 

 effectual manner. They should be attacked while 

 rpiite small, for then the very slight scorching from the 

 cpiick passage of the flame over them is enough to 

 destroy them. Even when the weeds in a bed have 

 reached the seeding stage, the lamp may usefully be 

 employed to destroy the seeds, and to prevent a new 

 an<l probably more prolific crop of the weeds. 

 Another useful function of the blow-lamp is the clean- 

 ing off of the unsightly green algal growth which so 

 often disfigures walks and drives, especially in damp 

 weather. l)r. Durham says that a drive so treated 

 by him was rendered free from such growth from 

 October to February, the dampest months in Kugland. 



There are therefore, at least, four ways in 

 which a blow-lamp can be put to use in the 

 garden: first, to destroy young weeds: .si-c(jnd, to 

 prevent weeds from seeding; third, to tidy up (juickly 

 a green walk or weedy path; fourth, to destroy some 

 insect pests. 



Should anyone care to experiment in the garden 

 with a blow-lanip, the following description of what 

 it is may be of some assistance: — - 



The phimber's blow-lamp is a lamp with a blast 

 attachment. It may bum kerosene (parafin) or 

 gasolene (petrol). The burner is arranged so that a jet 

 of the vapour of the kerosene or gasolene is ilirected 

 into a tubular chinmey, usually horizontal. The 

 position and the intensity of the flame is i-egidated by 

 air pressure, which is produced by a small pist.m pump 

 incorporated in the body of the lamp. 



The United States Department of Agriculture. 



All article which appeared in Science, for (.)cto- 

 ber 2 last, gives an illuminating aecoimt of the amount 

 <:if money appropriated for the several Bureaus and 

 Divisions of the United States Depamment of A^'vicul- 

 ture, in support of theii- usual and routine work, and 

 tor new developments. The total amount carried by 

 the Act pnividing for the fiscal vear ending January 30, 

 191.5, is !?19,.S(i.5,832, which is an increase of $1,87S"887, 

 or more than 11 per cent, over the amount grantad for 

 the previous fiscal year. This inci'ease is distributed 

 throughout the several sections of the Department, in 

 certain instances specified sums being definiteh" allo- 

 cated to special lines of work. 



Some of the largest increases are made in coimex- 

 ion with the demonstration and extension activities, in 

 which work gTeat interest has been manifested. For 

 instance, the sum of §5400,000 is definitely allocated to 

 farmers' C(j-operative demonstration work outside the 

 cotton belt, and 8(373.240 for similar ilemonstrations 

 in the areas threatened by the boll weevil: while 

 for the campaign against the attle tick, funds to the 

 amount of S400,000 are provided, of which S50,000 may 

 be used for 'lenKinstration work in areas ft'eed of ticks. 



li^l.s impossible in the brief space available tbr 

 tlii.s extract to mention the lines of work projected, 

 and the amounts of money made available for the 

 cj.viTying out of them. A persual of the article under 

 co/isideraticn however records the m:ignitude of the 

 work of that great Department, and the value of the 

 results attained by the scientific officers attached to it 

 is attested by the amounts of the appropriation, and 

 especially by the increase over the sums provided 

 in the preceding year. These tacts also emphasize the 

 recogiiiti'jn on the part of the (iovei'nment, and the 

 people as a whole, of the importance of agriculture as 

 a fundan.ental pursuit embracing all branches of science, 

 am I of the necessity for fostei'ing its development. 



Whi n it i,s stated that in addition to the amounts 

 ali-eady refen-eil to as being provided for the agi-icultu- 

 ra! work in th<. ••.mnng year, large appropriations will 

 be available foi agricultural education in the land- 

 grant colleges, foi rural education work, demonstiaticin 

 w ork in agriculture among the Indians, and the payment 

 of the oovcrnrreiit quota towards the support of the 

 International Institute of Agriculture, the wide extent 

 to which federal assistance to agi-iculture is being 

 carred out becijines apparent, and the aggi-egate 

 expendituj-e fi'om the federal funds appears increas- 

 ingly imp-"essive. 



It ifi aiared, however, that the entire agricultural 

 appropriation is still inconsiderable as compared with 

 the total federal appropriation, the magnitude of the 

 agri'-ub Tu-al interests of the country, or even of the 

 anniia! losses to faiin products sustained through insect 

 pest.s and plant, diseases. 



Moreover, the conviction is deepening that these 

 appn\priations a.re lai-gely in the natui-e oi' a pei-manent- 

 ir, vestment for the benefit ol the nation as a whole 



