184 



Landlord and Tenant. 



Vol. XL 



part attributable to the first, and in part to 

 the second, of the causes pointed out. He 

 supposes that this substance is generally 

 useful to all plants, from its property of fix- 

 ing ammonia; and also especially service- 

 able to certain species, by supplying them 

 with a salt which they require for their de- 

 velopment. He was principally anxious, 

 however, to bring forward this subject, in 

 the hope of inducing chemists to institute 

 such experiments for the purpose of setting 

 the question at rest. 



A long discussion followed; — several ag- 

 ricultural gentlemen remarking on the ef- 

 fects of carbonate of lime on wheat crops, 

 and on the resulting weakness of the straw, 

 owing to a deficiency of the silicate of pot- 

 ash necessary for the formation of the sup- 

 porting epidermis of the grass. Some spe- 

 cimens of the disease in turnips, commonly 

 called fingers-and-toes, were exhibited; and 

 it was stated that the superphosphate of lime 

 was a remedy for that disease. The Bishop 

 of Norwich, however, remarked that the 

 cause assigned for this disease was not that 

 to which he believed it must be attributed. 

 The flow of the sap was checked by the ac- 

 tion of an insect, and then an abnormal con- 

 dition developed. This year, in many parts 

 of the country, this and similar diseases 

 were very prevalent ; and the reverend pre- 

 late was disposed to regard the existence so 

 abundantly of this insect as in some way 

 connected with the electrical condition of 

 the atmosphere during the exceedingly hot 

 weather which has prevailed — producing 

 with extreme rapidity the decomposition of 

 animal and vegetable matter. Dr. Faraday 

 made a few remarks on our general igno- 

 rance of the chemistry of vegetable life, 

 and on the importance of such meetings as 

 the present, where the chemist and the ag- 

 riculturist might meet and compare results. 

 Since the days of Davy the science of agri- 

 culture has considerably advanced ; but all 

 that he heard convinced him of the fact, 

 that we were only standing on the very 

 threshold of an inquiry which would even- 

 tually, now that attention was so generally 

 turned to the subject, advance our know- 

 ledge in an extraordinary degree. 



Professor Grove spoke of the decomposi- 

 tion of water into its constituent gases by 

 heat, and in the first place, called attention 

 to the fact, proved by Cavendish and the 

 French philosophers, that oxygen and hy- 

 drogen being exposed to a high tempei'a- 

 ture, or the electric spark, immediately com- 

 bined to form water. He then announced 

 his discovery that all the processes by which 

 water may be formed are capable of decom- 

 posing water. 



A description of ' the Fairy-rings of Pas- 

 tures,' with which most persons are familiar, 

 was given by Professor J. T. Wray ; and it 

 was stated that the grass of which such 

 rings are formed, is always the first to vege- 

 tate in the spring, and keeps the lead of the 

 ordinary grass of the pastures till the period 

 of cutting. If the grass of these fairy-rings 

 be examined in the spring and early sum- 

 mer, it will be found to conceal a number of 

 agarics, or 'toad stools,' of various sizes. 

 They are found situated either entirely on 

 the outside of the ring, or on the outer bor- 

 der of the grass which composes it. Decan- 

 dolle's theory, that these rings increased by 

 the excretions of these fungi being favour- 

 able for the growth of grass, but injurious 

 to their own subsequent development on the 

 same spot; — was remarked on, and shown 

 to be insufficient to explain the phenomena. 



The author's view of the formation of 

 these rings, is as follows: A fungus is de- 

 veloped on a single spot of ground — sheds 

 its seed, and dies: on the spot where it grew 

 it leaves a valuable manuring of phosphoric 

 acid and alkalies — some magnesia and a lit- 

 tle sulphate of lime. Another fungus might 

 undoubtedly grow on the same spot again ; 

 but upon the death of tfie first, the ground 

 becomes occupied by a vigorous crop of grass 

 rising like a phoenix on the ashes of its pre- 

 decessor. It would thus appear that the in- 

 crease of these fairy-rings is due to the 

 large quantity of phosphated alkali, magne- 

 sia, &c., secreted by these fungi; and whilst 

 they are extending themselves in search of 

 the additional food which they require, they 

 leave, on decaying, a most abundant crop of 

 nutriment for the grass." 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Landlord and Tenant. 



To THE Editor, — In the last number of 

 the Cabinet, page 164, under the head. An 

 Important Decision, the statement of a case 

 is given, involving the question, whether in 

 the absence of an agreement on the subject, 

 a landlord is entitled to retain on land leased 

 by him, the straw of the crop raised during 

 the tenancy, so that it may be consumed on 

 the land, or whether the straw belongs to 

 the tenant absolutely, so that he may re- 

 move it from the land and dispose of it as 

 he pleases. 



According to the report of the decision of 

 Judge Lewis of Lancaster, the landlord's 

 right was sustained. Near the close of the 

 extract from Judge Lewis' opinion, he al- 

 ludes to the case of Craig vs. Dale, ruled 

 in the Supreme Court of our State, and 

 which is in direct opposition to his opinion, 



