6 Developmcnffi i)i Agrieidtural Zooloffij 



And Mr Goodey, working at first on their samples and more recently 

 at the new Birmingham Station, has determined the protozoan fauna 

 of certain small samples of soil, the properties of which have been tested 

 in other ways at the Rothamsted Station. By these and other alhed 

 observations carried out by C. H. Martin and Lewin in this country and 

 by A. Cunningham in Germany, it appears that a rich fauna of ciliate, 

 flagellate, and amoeboid protozoa are present in certain soils ; that some 

 of them at least are capable of active life therein under ordinary con- 

 ditions ; and that they are to be seen, when raised in cultures, ingesting 

 masses of bacteria. Much work however still remains to be done on 

 these organisms both from the purely zoological aspect and from the 

 point of view of their effect upon soil fertihty, and inasmuch as sound 

 results on the life-history of protozoa involve concentrated study 

 continued over a long period, it would be idle to expect a rapid advance 

 in such a difl&cult field of research. There can be no doubt however 

 that the results will be of great interest both to the science and practice 

 of husbandry. 



Another branch of soil science which is being promoted at Birming- 

 ham University relates to the free-hving Nematodes and to those of 

 parasitic or saprophytic tendencies. 



That these play an important part in soil metabolism and in the 

 germination and growth of crops can hardly be doubted, but no data 

 are as yet forthcoming except for those essential parasitic species of 

 Tylenchus and Heterodera that occur sporadically on various cereals 

 and vegetables. 



The case of the recent serious outbreak of disease in the nee fields 

 of Bengal shows how important the study of these eelworms may prove. 

 The rice-plant in certain districts dies ofE in patches or the crop may 

 fail altogether from the attack of Ufra disease. This term " Ufra " 

 meaning " from above " suggests that the blight is due to atmospheric 

 conditions, but an investigation conducted by the Agricultural Research 

 Institute at Pusa (Bulletin No. 34, 1913, Diseases of Rice by E. J. Butler, 

 M.B.) has shown that the main cause of " Ufra " is not atmospheric 

 but is a small Nematode, Tylenchus angustus, which by injuring the 

 epidermis of the unprotected parts of the rice-shoot causes weakening, 

 discolouration and ultimately the death of the plant. Moreover as this 

 worm multiplies rapidly and swims through the muddy fields from one 

 plant to another, a single focus of infection may spread over a consider- 

 able area in a short time. The serious nature of the outbreak lies in 

 the proximity of the infected district to the great rice-producing countries 



