Vol. XI. No. 268 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



251 



SULPHUR AS A MANUUE. 



The following article ilesci'ibing investisafcions 

 r<J:ii(Jing this subject a]i])eareci in the Gardeners' 

 (Jhronlcle for June 1.5, l'.)\-l. It may bo read with 

 interest in connexion wiili the articles on the supply' 

 t>f sulphur to cultivated crops, and on soil sterilization, 

 in the Agricatarcd News, Vols. X. p. 241 and IX, 

 jj}). 17 and 3-S. 



Experiments made by >L K. Boullanger, reported in the 

 (yijiapUs Jttndus of the French .Academy of Science and 

 summarized in Dli- Gartenwrlt (XVf, 17, p. 228), tend to 

 show that the appHcation of small quantities of Howers of 

 sulphur to the soil results in a very considerable increase in 

 the crop grown on that soil. As a result of the addition of 

 flowers of sulphur at the rate of 7 decigrams to 30 kilograms 

 of .soil, il. Boullanger claims that the plants experimented 

 -with— beet, beans, celery, potatoes, .spinach and others — 

 gave a higher yield of produce than the control plants grown 

 in unsulphured .soil. 



Nor is that all : according to M. BouUanger's e.tperi- 

 uieuts the yield from the soil treated with sulphur, but 

 otherwise unmanured, was actually greater than that from 

 -soil which received a complete manure. When both com- 

 plete manure and sulphur were added the best results of all 

 were obtained. One example will suffice to show the extent 

 to which sulphuring the soil increased its fertility. The 

 numbers to be given represent the results (in grams) in the 

 case of celery: — 



Complete 

 No Sulphur ( 'offiplete manure and 



manure. only. manure. sulphur. 



360 635 398 676 



The increase of yield in the case nf the soil treated with 

 sulphur is indeed remarkable, and if further experiment 

 •onfirms M. BouUanger's conclusions we shall have to add 

 dowers of sulphur to the list of artificial fertilizers indis- 

 pensable to the garden. 



Apart from the practical aspect of the discovery — which, 

 we repeat, yet awaits full confirmation— the question arises 

 J.S to the mode of action of sulphur in enhancing soil fertility. 

 M. Boullanger has himself supplied the clue to the answer to 

 the question. By means of a series of experiments involving 

 the use of sulphured and unsulphured soils, he was able to 

 demonstrate that sulphur produced its stimulating effect on 

 plant growth oidy in soil which was not heat sterilized. 

 When soil to which sulphur had lieen added was sterilized by 

 'Leat it gave no larger crop than that yielded by unsterilized, 

 unsulphured soil. The yields obtained in these experiments 

 were, in round numbers: — 



Not sterilized soil ... ... ... 1.5 grams. 



Sulphured, not sterilized soil ... 2.5 „ 



Sterilized soil ... ... ... 15 



Sulphured and sterilized soil ... 16 ,, 



Whence it is to be concluded thai the beneficent effect 

 of the sulphur is due to its action on some of the living 

 constituents of the soil, possibly on certain races of soil 

 bacteria. The experiments, especially when considered in 

 •conjunction with those of other observer.s, open a promising 

 ■ field for further investigation, 



THE PRESERVATION OP LARGE TREES. 

 The information below is presented in the 

 M.ratldy BaUefin of the State Commission on Hor- 

 ticulture, California, for .June 1912. It has relation 

 more particularly to methods for preserving large 

 trees growing in streets for an ornamental purpose:— 



As regards damaged trees, if the wound is fresh 

 and the wood only slightly injured, prompt aid ma,y 

 heal it in one year. .A.II ragged tears must be cut smooth, 

 the wound then painted with J'.ordeaux mixture or ca.r- 

 bolineum. and completely covered with a tree wax or 

 putty made of 1 part of coal tar and 4 parts of ground 

 slate, If trees have been badly neglected, large limbs 

 broken off, the wounds not properly treated, the stubs 

 of large limbs or branches left instead of smooth cuts to the 

 trunks or limbs, and rot has set in, then the stubs must be 

 cut smooth to the trunks or limljs, all decay chiselled out, 

 and the cavities filled with (-oncrete made of 1 part 

 Portland cement and 2 or ;] parts of sharp, coarse sand or 

 fine rubble. 



Street shade trees often have large, old wounds near the 

 ground. In such cases the exposed wood should be thor- 

 oughly examined, for sometimes a hard shell harbours 

 entirely dry, rotten wood beneath it. All unsound wood 

 should be chiselled out; this often leaves nothing but an 

 outer shell of sap-wood and bark. If the tree isT old and 

 large and the whole inner root rotted away, it is best to 

 drive three 1 inch iron pipes inside the cavity of the tree 

 well into the ground— say 3 feet deep— and fill the hole 

 with a strong concrete of 1 part of Portland cement and 

 o or G parts of coarse rubble. After this has set it 

 should be .-smoothed off with a finer concrete of 2 parts of 

 sand and 1 part of cement. 



If the tree is vigorous enough to callous over in a few 

 years, the concrete should only come even with the cambium 

 layer. Where the tree is old, and the wound very large — 

 say half the circumference of the tree — then the concrete 

 ca'i be placed to conform with the outside curve of the 

 trunk, but the edge must be looked after every ye&r and 

 chiselled away if the growing rim of the tree wound pre.sses 

 too hard against it. All injuries will try to heal over, even 

 though very slowly 



Every wound or cavity should be painted or sprayed 

 with a strong Bordeaux mixture or carbolic acid emulsion 

 before being filled with concrete. The filling should be 

 painted the colour of the tree bark. Large cavities often 

 take a ton, or even several tons, of concrete. 



This work piys well, especially along streets where 

 a lost tree is so difficult to replace, and where symmetry 

 counts for so much. Many trees sufter when comparatively 

 young from the decay of the heart or pith wood near the 

 foot, and this decay slowly affects the adjoining wood layers, 

 and will sooner or later show on the outside. As soon as this 

 defect is known, an opening should be made into the tree so 

 as to work out all decayed v.ood and replace it with concrete. 



A note in the Louisiana Planter for July 6, 1912, states 

 that the imports of sugar into the United States from 

 foreign countries, and including the Philippines, for the ten 

 months ending April 30, amounted to 1,611,000 short tons, 

 valued at over 92 million dollars. The similar export for 

 the preceding period was 1,483,000 short tons, value 73 

 million dollars. During the first of the periods mentioned, 

 Cuba, the largest supplier, sent to the L^nited States 1,200,000 

 short tons value 71 million dollars. 



