AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 349 



the scissor handles to draw the split together, thus compressing 

 the soil within so as to retain it in place. Thus he transports it 

 to a hole ready to receive it. All this occupying a very few 

 minutes. 



The cylinder used by Baron Von Call, is 



High, _ 6 inches and a half. 



Diameter, 5 do do 



Breadth of the split 1 do do 



Length of the scissors, 20 do do 



Thickness of them at top — nearly half an inch. 



Thickness of them at bottom — nearly five-eighths of an inch. 



[Bulletin Mensucl De La Societo Imperiale D'Acclitnatation, Octobrc, 1857.] 



THE BAMBOO, LV ALGERIA. 

 France is trying to make the Bamboos of the Orientals grow in 

 Algeria, with good prospect of success, including with the great 

 Bamboo, some small kinds from the Himmalaya mountains, grow- 

 ing near the snowy region. These are only as thick as a finger 

 and about 5 ^ feet high. 



BARN- YARD MANURE. 



The subject of the day — the icintcr treatinenf of ham-yard ma- 

 nure — was then taken up. 



Professor Mapes said, that it was a well understood fact, that 

 manures exposed so as to allow their tiuid ingredients to pass 

 away, lose in that fluid a large amount of soluble inorganic mate- 

 rial susceptible of being taken up by plants. The loss of the 

 ammonia from a manure heap, is an evil. The addition of 

 swamp-muck renders manure doubly valuable. We ought to lose 

 no part of the manure that is either volatile or soluble. In Flan- 

 ders, manure is carried to the field from the cistern in solution, 

 and until it is in a condition to iiass into solution it is not used. 

 With us the question would be one of economy, as the expense 

 of manipulation is heavy. In this plan, whatever be the chemi- 

 cal tlieory. no ammonia is given off", fur the instantaneous employ- 

 ment of water prevents it. There ought to be no waste of either 

 volatile or soluble matter. The box-feeding process in England 

 proves, that the plan of spreading manure at once, is not nearly 

 so economical as that which is properly manipulated. 



