408 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



December 23, 1911. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 Barbados. 



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^gnritlliiral |;Inu!i 



Vol. X. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1911. No. 252. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



In this issue, the editorial deals with the subject 

 of The Substitution of Bases in Plant Nutrition, and 

 summarizes the results of much of the investigation 

 that has been carried out in connexion with this matter. 



Page 403 presents an article giving the general 

 results of the sugar-cane experiments conducted in 

 Antigua during the past season. It will be remembered 

 that the similar experimentation in St. Kitts received 

 attention in the last number of the Agricultural News. 



The succeeding page contains an article in which 

 are presented useful recommendations in connexion with 

 agricultural shows-, based on experience in India. 



An interesting description of the production of 

 cocaine in Peru is given on page 407. 



The Insect Notes, on page 410, are concerned with 

 an account of work that has been done recently in con- 

 nexion with the possible eniployment of a disease of 

 grasshoppers for the control of this pest. 



Reviews of the Reports on the Botanic Station 

 and Experiment I'lots, ftlontserrat, 1910-11, and of the 

 Report of the Director of Agriculture for the Federated 

 Malay States, 1910, appear on page 411. 



The Fungus Notes of this issue (page 414) are in 

 the nature of an interesting and useful summary of the 

 information that has been given under that heading 

 during the present year. 



The West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1912. 



Information has been received from the Govern- 

 ment of Trinidad to the effect that the following have 

 been appointed as an Organizing and Reception Com- 

 mittee, for the forthcoming Agricultural Conference: 

 the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. S. \V. Knaggs, C.M.G ; 

 the Director of Agriculture, Professor P. Carmod}-, F.I.C. 

 F.C.S.: the Hon, G. T. Fenwick, C.M.G.; the Hon. C. 

 de Verteuil: Messrs. J. B. Rorer, J. Morton, D.D., 

 E. Tripp; the Hon. Adam Smith, Lt.-Colonel CoUens, 

 W. Burslem, Captain M. Short, H. Hotl'mann, E. C. 

 Skinner and W. G. Freeman (Secretary). 



In regard to the English delegates to the Confer- 

 ence, information is to hand to the effect thut a repre- 

 sentative of the Imperial Institute cannot conveniently 

 be sent. 



Inoculation Experiments with Different Legum- 

 inous plants. 



Experiments have been made recently in the 

 inoculation of new moor soil for the growing of soy^ 

 beans, yellow and blue lupines, serradella and hybrid 

 clover. In the trials, which receive attention in the 

 Experiment station Record for Augn.st 1911, 

 p. 123, the inoculating materials consisted of a new 

 trade preparation of nodule bacteria called A20togen, 

 nitragin, and soil vvhich, except in the case of the soy 

 bean, had been previously used for growing the same 

 legume. 



Beneficial results were obtained in all cases, 

 except in that of soy beans; here, the inoculating soil 

 had previously grown garden beans (PJiaseolus vul- 

 garis) and no nodules were formed on the roots of the 

 soy bean. The best results were obtained with Azoto- 

 gen, and with the soil that had been used previously 

 for growing the plants: while the effects of nitragin 

 were less fa\<)urable and more uncertain. 



Mineral Food for Nitrogen-Fixinar Organisms. 



Recent interesting work concerning the mineral 

 nutrition of the nitrogen-fixing organisms of the soil 

 (Azotohacter spp. ) receives attention in the Zeit- 

 schrifi fi'.r das LaiHlwirtscliaftlicltc Versuchsivesen 

 in Oesterreicli, Vol XIV, p. 97. 



This has shown first!}", that for Azotob.uter and 

 other soil organisms to flourish in solutions, these must 

 contain soluble iron and aluminium, especially in the 

 case of bacteria using the niirogen of the air: for the 

 supply of the elements mentioned, silieo-phosphates 

 ha\e been the most useful. The growth of Azoto- 

 bacter is also fjivoured by manganese. 



Provided that sufficient mineral food is supplied, 

 the assimilation can be brought about by Azotobacter, 

 even in pure cultures, if dextrose is employed to 

 supply carbon. 



In regard to the presence, again, of iron and 

 aluminium, these are held to be the cause of the 

 favourable influence of humus, of soil extracts and of 

 organic salts in regard to Azotobacter. , 



