Tio April. 191--] General Notes. 



impracticable as they clogged up the combs of the harvesters. Mr. 

 ranson did not wish to abandon the crop, however, so he hit upon another 

 i)lan. He fixed a bar from which long prongs projected in front of and 

 above the comb of the harvester. These prongs were wide enough to 

 allo'.v the wheat to pass through to the comb of the harvester, but were 

 sufficiently close to catch the thistles. The arrangement was worked bv 

 a lever and was kept pointing forward above the crop when a clean patch 

 was being stripped, but on coming to a thistly patch the prongs were 

 lowered and pointed backward beneath the comb, so that the thistles were 

 y)ushed down beneath it. Instead of having to abandon t"he crop the 

 inventor stripped 16 bushels to the acre. A brief description of the 

 above is given in the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales for 

 January, and it is anticipated that the contrivance, which the inventor was 

 advised to patent, will prove of real benefit on thistlv crops. 



LUCERNE— 



Regarding the needs of lucerne we could almost sum the matter up 

 in four words — lime, drainage, humus and inoculation. Perhaps we have 

 given these in the order of their relative importance. Lime is necessary 

 on soils not naturally of limestone formation or filled with limestone 

 pebbles. The importance of this is impressed on us more and more each 

 year; in fact, we believe to-day that there have been more failures through- 

 out the United States on account of insufficient lime in the soil than from 

 any other cause. Then as to drainage ; there is no use in planting lucerne 

 on any soil where water may ordinarily be found at a depth of less than 

 3 feet. The lucerne may grow all right until its roots strike this water, 

 but then it will d e. Fertile soils contain enough humus. Impoverished 

 soils may be so deficient that special preparation must be made before 

 lucerne can possibly succeed. Where stable manure is not available, 

 on impoverished soils we would recommend preparation for lucerne one or 

 two years in advance growing such crops as crimson clo-ver. mammoth 

 clover, cow peas, Canada field peas or soja beans, and preferablv turning 

 them under, or else pasturing them off so as to give the soil the greatest 

 benefit possible from them. We recommend inoculation, not that it is 

 always necessary, but it is an inexpensive process, and in five cases out 

 of six it will actually pay. — Irrigation Age. Chicago. 



THE NEW NITROGENOUS MANURES— 



There is an increasing demand fcr nitrogenous manures in the more 

 humid districts of the State, and this is likely to extend as cultivation 

 l>ecomes of older date. In view of this fact and the present excessive 

 price of some of these manures the discovery and rapid development of 

 two chemical proces.ses wherebv nitrogenous manures are manufactured 

 from atmospheric gases has m^cre than passing interest. The two new 

 fertilirers are known as nitrate of lime, and cyanamid of lime. They are 

 both products of the electric furnace, the necessary energy being obtained 



