328 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 12, 1912. 



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gijjricultural fleiufi 



Vol. XI. SATURDAY. OCTOBER 12, 1912. No. 273. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The leading article in this issue deals with the 

 practical value of soil analysis, and is written with the 

 object of pointing out where this is valuable and the 

 limitations that the results possess in npplication. 



An article on page 323 gives an idea of the 

 very many uses possessed by sugar, in addition to its 

 fonsumption for food and flavouring. 



Information concerning silk cotton, or kapok as it 

 is generally known in commerce, has been given several 

 times in the recent volumes of the Agricultural A^ewi^. 

 The additional details on page 324 have been provided 

 in order to afford an answer to enquiries concerning its 

 production in the West Indies. Particulars as to 

 yield and price are also given. 



On page H25 there appears an article having for 

 its subject a new ground bean that has been discovered 

 in recent veai-s in West Africa. 



The Annual report for 1911-12 of the Director of 

 Agriculture and Island Chemist, Jamaica, is reviewed 

 on page 327. 



The Insect Notes in this issue reproduce matter 

 concerning plant protection in the Ignited States. 



Pages 333 and 334 present the Fungus Notes, 

 which give information regarding three well-known 

 inut diseases and their control. 



A Way of Using Calcium Cyanamide. 



An abstract of a paper in the Experiment Statlun 

 Record for May 1912, p. (i22, describes an investig;*- 

 tion regarding the suggestion that has been made to u.se 

 calcium cyanamide or nitrolim with nitrate of lime in 

 order to overcome its injurious etlect on some youn^ 

 plants. 



Pot experiments with oats were made, in whick 

 the manures were applied separately and in mixtures^ 

 of 1 and 2 j)arts of calcium cyanamide to 1 of nitrate- 

 of lime, applied as a top dressing or thoroughly mixed!: 

 with the soil before sowing. In every case the soil 

 was manured with a mixture supplying the necessary- 

 amounts of constituents other than nitrogen CDmpounds. 



When the materials were mixed with the soil 

 before the seed was sown, the effect of nitrate of lime 

 was found to be greater than that of sodium nitrate- 

 Good results were also obtained with calcium cyana- 

 mide, the yield of grain being slightly greater thar* 

 that with sodium nitrate; there did not appear to be 

 any injurious effect from its use. The best result? 

 were obtained from mixtures of the two manures, the 

 most useful projiortion being apparently 2 parts o* 

 calcium cyanamide to 1 part of nitrate of lime. 



The application of the two manures as a top dress- 

 ing appreciably increased their effect: calcium cyanamide 

 employed in this way, however, proved injurious, anfi 

 in some cases the plants were killed. 



Manganese in Hawaiian Soils. 



A consideration of the presence and effect of man- 

 ganese in the soils of Oahii is given in Bulletin No. 26 of 

 the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, and 

 a summary is presented here of the conclusions that 

 have been reached with reference to the matter. 



The soils bearing the manganese occur in local 

 areas as surface accumulations in the alluvial super- 

 stratum, and never in the sedimentar}' strata below;: 

 this indicates that the collection of the manganese 

 salts has been brought about through solution and 

 leaching, the manganese compounds being subsequently- 

 oxidized and deposited. 



The manganese is derived from the basaltic lavat^ 

 of the islands, in the course of whose normal weatherinjr 

 they became soluble. This fact, together with the 

 occurrence of the manganese-bearing soil in the lower 

 altitudes, shows that water has been the active 

 agent in its transfer and ultimate depositiim. Indica- 

 tions also exist that submergence was taking place 

 during the time that the alluvial soil was beinpr 

 deposited. 



Further, it is probable that manganese exists iu 

 the water in the soil in greater quantities than an\~ 

 other element. The manganiferous soils are superjor 

 to red soils, as regards physical properties, so that theji 

 afford a freer circulation of air. 



The presence of manganese in the soil does noS 

 appear to influence nitrification and the formation of 

 ammonium salts. The former certainly takes place 



