1869,] Archteology. 249 



mineral known as " Larderelliti," named after the proprietor of the 

 estate, and containing a considerable percentage of ammonia. A 

 large block of this mineral, which is a borate of ammonia, was 

 shown in the International Exhibition of 1862. Since then M. 

 Becchi has continued his researches, and obtained by the recrystalli- 

 zation of the residual salts left when some water from a lagoon 

 at Travale was evaporated, a sample of ammoniacal mineral, contain- 

 ing no less than 80 per cent, of the pure salt. The announcement 

 of such a fact as this is a very important point in the recent history 

 of agriculture ; and, though an Italian discovery, it wiU very soon 

 tell upon English fertility. 



Coming home again, we have to report the activity of our local 

 farmers' clubs, on whose operations, as well as on imported fertilizers, 

 English fertility very materially hinges. The subjects of deep culti- 

 vation, steam culture, hve-stock management, dairy farming, the in- 

 crease of home-meat production, the condition of the labourer, the 

 serviceableness of benefit societies on his behalf, the best way of 

 dealing with pauperism, the relations of railways and agriculture, 

 have been thus discussed. And it is not only the strictly Agri- 

 cultural Society which thus benefits the farmer. The Society of 

 Arts has interested itself in, among other agricultural topics, the 

 provision of contrivances for the safe transit of milk and meat by 

 railway. And, in competition for its prizes, some thirty or forty 

 devices have been exhibited, more or less simple and efficient, out of 

 which, probably, some improvement may arise in the present very 

 imperfect arrangements by which so large a proportion of the food 

 of the metropolis now reaches the consumer. 



From the annual returns of the Board of Trade, giving the 

 agricultural statistics of the years 1867 and 1868, it appears that 

 a considerable increase took place last year in the area under wheat, 

 and a diminution under all other grain crops. There was an in- 

 crease in the area of the potato crop, and a diminution under all 

 other green crops. An increase in the number of cattle and sheep 

 was returned, and a diminution in the number of pigs. 



2. AECH^OLOGY (Pee-Historic), 



And Notices of Recent Archaeological Worhs. 



Mr. G. V. Du NoYER. late of the Geological Survey of Ireland 

 (whose death we regret to record), communicated a paper last year to 

 the Geological Society,* " On Flint Flakes from Carrickfergus and 

 Larne." These worked flints (a series of which is placed in the 



* Which appears tivst in the list of postponed papers published in the February 

 number of the Society's Journal, p. 48. 



