224 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



October. 1913 



TURNER, ROBERTSON & CO., 



Electrical Engineers, 

 Contractors and Suppliers. 



126, 6RENFELL STREET, ADELAIDE 



(Basement of Robert Harper'*). 

 EstimatcB Given Free for all 

 Electrical Work. 



NOTE. -SPECIAL QUOTATIONS for 

 BUILDEES and ARCHITECTS. 



Ring up Telephone No. 996 (cer.tral). 

 Mr. Turner, late Elevator and Motor 

 Foreman, Messrs. Unbebaun & John- 

 atone ; Chief Electrician Zino Corpor- 

 ation, Broken Hill. 



1216, GRBNEELL ST., ADELAIDE 



Some Aids to Agriculture. 



Ohne Phosphor kein Gedanke 

 (Without phosphorus no thought) 

 is a German saying which may 

 soi^md verv materialistic, but which 

 nevertheless contains an element 

 of truth. Phosphorus in one form 

 or another enters very largelv into 

 the composition of the human 

 frame. Pones, brain, and nerves, 

 with the healthful condition of 

 them all depend upon the constant 

 and sufTicient snpplv of this ele- 

 ment of life. Our bones are 

 largelv m'ade up of phosphate of 

 lime, and if we reflect for a mo- 

 ment I'jpon the prodigions quanti- 

 tv of bonv •matter which is form- 

 ed everv vear in a dense and ever- 

 <rro\ving population, and realize 

 that this matter is in one form 

 or another derived from the soil, 

 it becomes evident that to avoid 

 the inevitable exhaustion of the 

 land the amount abstracted from 

 it must be replaced. Phosphoric 

 acid constitutes nearly one half of 

 the substance of the ash of wheat, 

 and more than one-third of that 

 of oats, or of barlev. Pho.sphoriis 

 does not occur in nature in a pure 

 state. It is found combined with 

 other substances, chit-H'- with lime, 

 potash, and soda. Its combina- 

 tions v^ath these sub.stancer are 

 termwl phosphates. As phosphate 

 of lime it is used in the manufac- 

 ture of chemical manures. It is a 

 si'ibstance larpelv diffused m the 

 strata which form' the successive 

 la\"ers of the earth's cru.st. When 

 this mineral has been mined f)r 

 quarried it is ground to a fme 

 powder and made soliuble hV the 

 action of sulphuric acid. In this 



formed it is called superphos- 

 phate, and incidentallv it mav be 

 mientiohed and welcomed as one of 

 the greatest blessings ever intro- 

 duced to South Australian agricul- 

 ture. Thus from the fulness trea- 

 sured up within itself is the earth 

 replenished. Its stones are made 

 into bread, and the waste of re- 

 mote ages ministers to the life of 

 to-day. 



— Limestone. — 



Tvimestone abounds in the strata 

 of the earth's crust ; some of the 

 beds are comparativeh- pure lime- 

 stone, others are more marly in 

 their occurrence. The latter con- 

 tain a larger proportion of earthy 

 matter. When treated with fire 

 the lime is quicker in its operation 

 on the soil than if utilized in a 

 crude pulverised condition. The 

 beneficial effects of the incorpora- 

 tion of lim.e with the soil are very 

 various. Jt acts mechanically, im- 

 parting strength and solidity to 

 light soils, and lightens those that 

 are of a heavv nature. It promotes 

 the richne.ss of the soil by assist- 

 ing to dissolve its m-ineral consti- 

 tuents, and thus it places new food/ 

 within the reach of the iilant. 

 Taken up into the plant, it is sup- 

 posed that it acts as a tonic or 

 gentle stimulant, assisting its di- 

 gestion and increasing its power 

 to , take up and assimilate to itself 

 the food lying within its reach. 

 There used to be an old saying 

 that barrenness was caused by an 

 excess of acid in the soil. One 

 action of lime is either to nullify 

 the deleterious action of such acids, 

 or bv entering into combination 

 with them, to produce comDoimds 

 which, instead of beiny hurtful, will 

 be healthful to the plant ; hence 

 the sweetening effect of a lime- 

 dressintr upon sour or coarse herb- 

 atre. Not only does lime give it- 

 self to the growth of the plant, 

 but it also facilitates the extrac- 

 tion of other nutritious properties 

 from the soil. It follows, there- 

 fore, that I'mless these are replaced 

 by other fertilizers, ihe constant 

 application of lime will accelerate 

 the utter exhaustion of the soil. 

 Hence the old saying, " T/ime en- 

 riches the father, but it impover- 

 ishes the .son." Here again, as in 

 the instance of phosjihates, we see 

 an element which in distant a(res 

 was evolved from the trreat labora- 

 tory' within the earth's crust. 



— Salt. — 



The use of salt as a fertilizer 

 has never been taken into serious 

 account in the agricultural eooino- 

 mies of this country. Years ago 



the use of it become very general 

 in Europe. It appears, " however, 

 to have been used indiscriminate- 

 ly, without due regard to the na- 

 ture of the soil oxj to those condi- 

 tions of climate and atmosphere on 

 which its successful use depended,. 

 In all coastal districts, and foi- 

 some distance inland, the soil is 

 supplied with a sufficiency b}' the 

 evaporation of salt vdth the water 

 from the sea, to be subsequenth- 

 thrown down upon the land in the 

 form of rain. Several hundred 

 pounds of salt per acre are thus 

 annually deposited around our 

 coastal districts. Like lime, the 

 beneficial effects of salt upon the 

 soil and plant declare themselves 

 in various ways. Salt contributes 

 directly to the food and life of 

 plants, and causes certain chemi- 

 cal changes in the soil that make 

 the latter more productive. 



— Ammonia. — 



Another ingredient, however, that 

 requires a greater amount of in- 

 telligent thought and clever mani- 

 pulation in its extraction than the 

 above is ammonia. This takes its 

 name from the district of Am- 

 monia, in Libya, where it is said 

 that the Arabs first obtained the 

 pungent salt known as sal am- 



ALSTON'S PATENT STEEL 



JAMES ALSTON, 



Queen's Bridg^e, Melbourne- 

 •«U AcMta lor aauth Anrtr>U»— 



H. C. RICHARDS 



8 and 8, Bljth StrMt, AdaUidf. 



