44 J. H. MAIDEN. 
of the two former ones, and also a second and enlarged edition of 
his ‘“‘ Companion to Queensland Student of Plant Life and Botany 
Abridged.” 
Steady work has been carried on at the Technological Museum 
of Sydney during the year. Mr. R. T. Baker has published in 
the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of N. 8. Wales a flora of 
the Rylstone and Goulburn River districts, a part of the colony 
hitherto but little known to botanists. ‘The geographica] range 
of many species has been extended, and several new species have 
been discovered, seven of which have already been described, viz.: 
Acacia Muelleriana, Helichrysum tesselatum, H. brevidecurrens, 
Daviesia recurvata, [sopogon Dawsoni, Prostanthera discolor, P. 
stricta. Mr. R. T. Baker is an indefatigable worker, and he and 
his colleague, Mr. H. G. Smith, have collaborated in a paper read 
before this Society on the occurrence of a true Manna on a grass, 
Andropogon annulatus. 
2. AGRicuLTURE.—a. Green Manuring and cognate matters.— 
Let me allude, if only for a few moments, to the especial necessity 
for nitrogen in our soils, and to the room for experiment and 
research, in this direction, in New South Wales. In many parts 
of our colony we have not the advantage, (from an agricultural 
point of view), of severe frosts, which break up the soil to a fine 
tilth. On the other hand, our sub-tropical rains beat down the 
surface and render it comparatively impervious. Such consoli- 
dated soils do not properly perform their functions, an open soil 
being necessary, amongst other things, to ensure free access of 
atmospheric nitrogen, which may be fixed by the tubercle-bacteria 
of leguminous plants. Free access of air is also of importance in 
providing the conditions favourable to the growth of the nitrifying 
organisms of the soil, The consolidation of the soil referred to is, 
however, to some extent counteracted by the roots of Leguminose, 
for many of them are deep-rooted, and their ramifications cause 
zeration of the soil, while their decomposition adds humus to it. 
We cannot entirely follow the precedents of other countries in 
regard to the particular plants to be selected as nitrifying agents, 
