86 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July r, 1882. 



that the ammonium salts in a very short time be- 

 came nitrififd, and io one case a distinct increase 

 of nitric acid was traced in the drainage water within 

 forty hours of their application. In fact, as far as 

 could be judged, the whole of the ammonia applied 

 might be completely nitriKed in a month. Another 

 set of experiments showed that the application of 

 nitrate of soda resulted in a still more striking in- 

 crease in the nitric acid draining from the land. Seeing 

 that nitrates found their way so quickly into the 

 drainage water and were lost, it was of the higliest 

 importance to the farmer that he should not apply 

 the costly manures which produced the nitrates be- 

 fore the crop «a3 able to make use of them ; and 

 if they conid only make sure of the seasons, they 

 would be able to arrange their dressings accordingly. 

 If they could anticipate a dry season, thej would like 

 to apply the manures in the autumn ; while, if the 

 winter was wet, of course a spring application of the 

 manures would be preferable. — Field. 



INDIA -.—CROP AND WEATHER REPORT. 



(For the week tiidituj 13th June 1882.) 



General Remarks. — The monsoon has been pro- 

 gressing rapidly up the western coast, and tnost of 

 the provinces which usually beuetit thereby have re- 

 ceived rain. Thus the Bombay Presidency, part of 

 the Nizam's territories, the Berais, part of the Central 

 Provinces, aud the Central India and Raj putana States, 

 record more or U-ss heavy ramfalls. From the Bay of 

 Bengal the monsoon is now gaining strength, aud more 

 or less rain h;is fallen in all parts of Orissa and the 

 Central Provices, districts bordering thereon, as well as 

 in all parts of Bengal Proper and Behar (excepting the 

 Patna district and Durbhunga). British Burma too 

 has received heavy rain. In Southern India the rains 

 have continued heavy in Coorg, on the Malabar Coast, 

 aud in Travancore, and fair in the greater part of the 

 Madras Presidency and ol' the Mysore State. In the Mul- 

 nad portion of Mysore, hnwever, the fall has been heavy. 



In Assam the southern districts outinue to receive 

 heavy rainfall, and other parts comparatively less, In 

 the North-western Provinces sliaht rain has again 

 fallen m nearly every district ; and in the Punjab f^ur 

 districts have had ram, 



Ge/ieral prospects are favourable throughout the 

 country ; crops, where on the ground, are doing well ; 

 and ploughing and sowing almost everywhere are pro- 

 gressing satisfactorily. These operations are. hnwever, 

 retarded somewhat in parts of the Mysore State, and 

 in some of the southern districts of Bombay by too 

 much rain. In the Madras Presidency two districts 

 need more rain. 



Madras. — General prospects good. 



Bombay. — Eain throughout Presidency proper, heavy 

 in the south, retarding sowing operations ; slight fever 

 and cattle-disease continue in a few districts ; flights 

 of locusts in Ahmednagar and Satara ; cholera in Bel- 

 gaum, Kaladgi, Satara, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad and 

 parts of K ithiawar : prices generally steady. 



BkN(jal. — More or less rain in all parts of the pro- 

 vince during the week, except in Patna and Dur- 

 bhunga ; prospects everywhere very favourable ; early 

 rice. jute, and other autumn crops being ^-own ; early 

 sowings doing well ; si wing of winter rice also com- 

 menced in some districts; sugarcane, mdigo and other 

 crops in the ground progD ssing ; spring rice harvest 

 almost finished, geueral outturn good ; cholera much 

 diminished ; sporadic cases ot small-pox and cattle- 

 disease still reported from a few districts. 



Assam (Cachak). — Days hot and sultry, nights 

 rainy ; more than half of dumabi and murali crops 



sown ; 2 cases of cholera reported from Lakhimpur ; 

 common rice 26J seers per rupee. 



Mysore and Coorg.— Kain has fallen throughout the 

 Mysore States ; agricultural operations retarded in the 

 Mulnad, owing to excessive rainfall ; 4'54 inches at 

 Hassan, above 3'39 inches at Cliickmangalur ; crops in 

 good condition; prospects good; prices satisfactory; 

 public health generally good ; cholera continues slightly 

 in the Yedattore and Ashtagram taluka of the Mysore 

 district. 



Pickling Onion.s.— The New York Tribune states 

 that the aggregate length of the onion rows on a 

 pickle farm near Chicago is 320 miles. 



Protrcting tue Blossoms op Fruit Trees. — Now 

 that the time for taking action in the matter of 

 protecting the blossoms of our choice fruit trees 

 from the effects of frost, with a view to securing 

 crops of fruit therefrom, is near at hand, a word or 

 two respecting the next best material to glass for 

 this purpose may be acceptable to those of your 

 readers who may now, with this object in view be 

 contemplating the protecting of their fruit trees, 

 bet find it difficult to decide upon the best material 

 with which to protect them. To those I would say, 

 obtain from Messrs. B. Eddy & Co., Porthleven', 

 Cornwall, the desired quantity ot their No. 5 Web 

 Hexagon Cotton Shading ; it is made in three widths — 

 54, 72, aud 100 inches respectively— to suit walls 

 varying in height, and is sold at Is. 3d., l,s. 8A, and 

 2.S. tid. per running yard. The nature and make of 

 this material render it more durable, elastic, and 

 better adapted to serve the purpose for which it has 

 been specially manufactured than any other material 

 that has been bad in use here or noticed elsewhere 

 for a similar purpose, aud for these reasons I think 

 it is worthy of being noticed in the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle. — H. W. Ward. 



Giant Grass.— Last May, Messrs. Klunder and Co., 

 Soerabaya, wrote to the Madras Government to eay 

 that they had forwarded a copy of instructions for 

 cultivating "giant grass." This letter was cimmunio- 

 ated to the Superintendent, Government Farms, for 

 remarks. The instructions referred to were, however, 

 not received. The Superintendent reported that he 

 bad no personal knowledge of the grass in question: — 

 "It is not an Asiatic species, but is indigenous in 

 the region of country lying to the west of the Missouri 

 River, United States, where it is found widely spread. 

 Referring to this grass, in his report for the year 1870, 

 the United States Commissioner of Agriculture wrote: 

 'The early pioneer, however, has already learned 

 how soon the good native grasses are destroyed by 

 the clipping and treading of domestic animals, and 

 he sees with regret their places immediately occupid. . . 

 Paniciim cappiUnm, Piinicun sanguinale, &c., Ac, 

 worthless weeds and grasses that occupy the soil to 

 the exculsion of every profitable production.' From 

 this quotation, it would appear that the grass has 

 not a good reputation in the oountiy where it is 

 indigenous. Of course, it is possible the grass may 

 have since been improved by undergoing special cult- 

 ivation and treatment. I cannot, however, recommend 

 that Government should incur any expense in endea- 

 viiuriug to introduce the grass. At the same time, 

 it may be worth while to get some seed and try it 

 here. Thi.s I can readily arrange to carry out. I will 

 also write to the Director »f Botanical Gardens and 

 pl.autations, Batavia, Java, with whom I am in corre- 

 spondence and who, I know, will gladly afford any 

 information in bis power about the grass." — Madras 

 2'i?nes. 



