r 



66 i 



I'HE rRQPlCAL AGRICULTURIST. 



LfKiL I, 



finest state of snb-division possess the power of capil- 

 lary attraction in the greatest degree. Its imijortance 

 to plant growth in dry seasons and on dry soils can 

 Scarcely be over-estimated. It will be referred to 

 again in connection with land drainage. 



12. As regards the principal causes of infertility 

 in soils the following are the conclusions arrived at 

 under this head by the late Dr. Voelcker as set forth 

 in his paper on the subject in the Journal of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society : — Soil appear to be barren 

 or more or less unproductive — (aj When they conta"u 

 something inimical to vegetation, f'bj When they are 

 deficient iu one or more important constituents which 

 enter into the organisation of the living plant, (cj 

 When they contain too large a preponderance even of 

 a valuable ingredient, such as organic matter, sand, 

 lime, and even clay, fd) When there is but a thin 

 layer of soil resting on the bare rock, fej When the 

 land is thin, and rests on an impervious and verj' thick, 

 clay subsoil, or on subsoils containing something iujurious 

 to vegetation, (f) When they are badly drained. (;/) 

 When they are affected by a bad climate. The soil 

 constituents which are injurious to vegetation briefly 

 are — («) Superabundance of organic(humic) acids, (b) 

 Sulphate of iron (green vitriol), even when present in 

 the soil in small quantities, ('.j Sulphate of iron (iron 

 pyrites), and especially finely-divided black sulphide of 

 iron which in the smallest proportion, is most perni- 

 cious to plants, (d) Abundance of protoxide of iron, 

 and absence of pero.xide, indicating a bad physical 

 condition of the land, (e) Chloride of sodium (commou 

 salt) in proj)ortions of 1-lOtb per cent and upwards. 

 (/■) Nitrates, and all soluble saline matter, in quantities 

 exceeding small fractions of 1 per cent of the whole 

 mass of soil, 



13. The presence of injurious constituents in soils 

 can be readily ascertained by bringing a strip of litmus- 

 paper iu contact with wet soil. If the blue colour 

 of the test paper turns rapidly red, the soil is certain 

 to contain something injurious to plant life. All good 

 and fertile soils either have no effect upon red or 

 blue litmus-paper, or show a slight alkaline reaction; 

 that is to say, in wet condition they restore the blue 

 colour to reddened litmus paper. 



14. Put a given quantity of soil into a large glass 

 jar of water; then shake well, and allow to stand. 

 The ingredients settle and the following order, and 

 their proportions can then be estimated : — (1) Sand or 

 gravel ; (2) clay ; (3) organic matter. 



15. A soil is said to be exhausted for a pirticular 

 crop when it will no longer grow that crop — or, prac- 

 tically speaking, will no longer grow enough of the crop 

 to afford the cultivator a profit. This can only be 

 brought about by a continued course of cropping 

 without manuring. But when a soil will no loager 

 grow a certain crop, it may still have all the elements 

 requisite for the growth of some other crop. 



16- The Silurian soils are for the most part high- 

 lying, cold, and poor. Where limestone predominates 

 the soil is better, but as a whole they are deficient 

 in lime. Even where the soil is naturally good on tl is 

 formation, the climate and position are generally un- 

 favourable for the cultivation of wheat and the high"r 

 vegetables. Finger-and-toe in turnips and louping-ill 

 in sheep are very prevalent diseases on these soils. 

 The old red sandstone furnishes some of our best 

 soils, but these, too, are generally deficient in lime. 

 The old red-sandstone formation may be called the home 

 of the Hereford breed of cattle, and of the old Ry- 

 land breed of sheep. The new red sandstone soils 

 are light and moderately fertile. The greensands are 

 light soils of great adaptability and productiveness. Want 

 of space prevents a full reply to this and some of 

 the other questions, but discussion is invited. — Scottish 

 Agricultural Gazette. 



WnifETVASH. — The following recipe for whitewashing 

 hde been found by experience to answer on wood, 

 t)rick, and stone, nearly as well as oil paint, and is 

 ittuch cheaper : Recipe. — Shake half a bushel of un- 

 elacked lime with boiling water, keeping it covered 

 dutitij; tb& poaer^'. Strain it aud add n. peck; of salt, 



dissolved in ^trtrm water; three pounds of ground rice 

 put iu boiliug water, and boiled to a thin paste ; half 

 a pound of powderc 1 Spanish whiting, and a pound 

 of c"ear glue, dissolved iu warm water ; mix these 

 well together, and let the mixture stand for several 

 days. Keep the wash thus prepared in a kettle 

 o- portable furnace, and when used put it on as hot 

 r : possible, with painters, or whitewash brushes, 

 —Uural Australian.— iThis whitewash might be useful 

 in adding to the amount of light iu the interior of tea 

 houses. — Ed.] 



AVoOD Pulp vou making liAHKELs.— The latest 

 novelty m the application of wood pulp comes to us 

 from America, namely, for making barrels for holding 

 both solids and liquids. The following account of this 

 manufacture is given in a recently issued report from 

 America:— "Wood pulp, so conspicuous of late years 

 as a material for the manufacture of paper, has been 

 found to afford one of the best means of making 

 light, cheap, and durable barrels, adapted for all 

 purposes for which these useful packages are de- 

 manded. The barre' is made in one piece of coarse 

 wood pulp, subjected to a pressure of 400 tons. The 

 heads are made in the .same way, giving a degree of 

 compac ness of grain that is sufficient for every use. 

 When the barrels are put together they are very 

 light, very strong, and very satisfactory in every way. 

 Two kinds of barrels are made— one for fruit, fiour, 

 and other dry substances; the other for oil. lard, 

 beef, pork, and liquids of all kinds. These latter are made 

 impervious to the infiltration of oil and other liijuids 

 by a simple process. The (lour barrels are so strong 

 that when filled they cau be dropped from a waggon 

 without injury, and fruit packed iu them keeps along 

 while, being exc.uded from all contact with the air. 

 Thf-se packages can be made for half the cost of 

 ordinary barrels." — Indiua Gardner. — [If cheap barrels, 

 why not cheap tea boxes ^ Wood not suitable for eat- 

 ing into dials could he converted into pulp aud then 

 solidified. — Ed.] 



The Drying up of Rivees.— Though the belief 

 that forests increase the i-ainfall has been given up 

 everywhere, except in Forestry Conventions, there is 

 still a clinging to the belief that they regulate the 

 How of springs, I| would be of great value to 

 hydraulic science if 'eme exact facts and figui-es could 

 be given — facts collected by men trained in geological 

 observation. Unfortunately, the only "science" that 

 we have in the matter is furnished by "some of the 

 oldest inhabitants" in variojs places, whose verdant 

 memories tell them that "something has gone wrong 

 since they were boys." It is pitiable to see a govern- 

 ment report on American forestry sent forth with such 

 "facts" and quoted abroad as if it were the work of 

 an intelligent investigation of the facts involved. If 

 we were to take the view.s of the "oldest inhabitants' 

 on many other questions, besides those on forestry 

 the only wonder would be that the world altogether 

 had not come to an end long ago. Some of the "younger 

 inhabitants " have, however, some tales to tell. Only 

 "six years ago" an "intelligent " observer at Berlin, 

 New Hampshire, had an "unfailing brook that ran 

 three hundred gallons an hour." Now it is "cut short 

 in summer and in winter by drouth." Another speci- 

 men is this ; "At Richmond, ..Sew Hampshire, in 1865, 

 there was water power for four saw mills all the 

 year. Now the water has wholly disappeared." 

 Now, everyone conversant with geology knows that 

 these things are liable to occur anywhere, even in 

 countries that never had a tree at all. The writer 

 knows of a tract of country in which every well went 

 dry last year, and numberless springs failed. But it 

 was not referred to the cutting away of forests, but to 

 a huge railroad whi'h cut oflt all the supplies from the 

 spring. Now nature herself often does just what this 

 railroad did, opens new avenues under ground for the 

 hidden streams, and turns them away in other directions. 

 It would be very important to ascertain just what 

 influence forests have on our water supplies, but to 

 give iu a government document mere .street corner 

 gossip as forest science is putting Bcieoce ia a degrad-' 

 ing febape.— ffa/'f^ewri' Monthly, 



