April, 1914 



Nitrogen Enrichment of 

 Soils. 



Summarise olkscrvalions and the 

 ros'.ilts of work in the lieUl 

 and laboratory in Canada since 

 i<^o5, on the nitrosfent enrichment 

 of soils, appear to indicate :— 



(1) That, as re.cfards the cultures 

 of nitroj;"en-fixin<r bacteria experi- 

 mented with, while there were 

 many instances in which thev dis- 

 tinctly favoured the growth of the 

 lejjume, their action on the whole 

 was more or l^s uncertain. The 

 profitable employment of these 

 preparations seems, therefore, pro- 

 blematical. Their vitality is very 

 quickly impaired by lio^ht and heat 

 an-d unless made by a reputable 

 finr.' or institution, and still fresh, 

 sati.sfactory results can scarcely be 

 looked for. 



(2) The emplo-yment, as an ino- 

 cnlatine material, of the soil from 

 the surface of a field bearinGf a 

 luxurious crop of the specific le- 

 tnirne has ori\'en better results than 

 the use of cultures. Where cost of 

 transportation is not nrohibitive, 

 inoculation with soil will be found 

 the most reliable for the eeneral 

 fanner. Provided the nroner pre- 

 cautions were observed, the au- 

 thors have never found it to fail 

 on any soil which merely lacked 

 the specific nitrosren-fixinT Jjacteria. 

 notable instances of successful 

 inoculation bv this method have 

 been recorded for Alfalfa in the 

 Nortli-Western Provinces of Can- 

 ada. 



Failure in many cases has 

 been caused by one or more of the 

 follo\vin"- ; deficiency of moisture, 

 unsuitable mechanical condition of 

 the soil due to lack of humus ; 

 inadequate drainasre, or improper 

 workinsr of the soil, acidity of soil 

 denoting deficiency of lime. 



(4) The systematic analysis of a 

 soil continuously in clover shows a 

 constant increase in its nitroiren 

 content. The work reported was 

 continued for nine years, and at 

 every examination was fovind to 

 be richer in nitrog^en. In spite of 

 losses which must have ensued 

 from bacterial activity and other 

 causes, there had been a constant, 

 i thoug^h not reg-ular, accumulation 

 of this yaluable element. The work 

 points to the hin-h manurial value 

 of the residues from a leECuminoiis 

 crop, and emnh^sises the imnort- 

 ance of a rotation which includes 

 a lesfume, if soil fertility is to be 

 economically maintained. — ^Journal 

 of the Board of Agriculture. 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



Lubrieation of Farm 

 Machinery. 



One of the little thiuj^s that is 

 lackinir on a majority of farm imx 

 plcmcnts is a ^^ood and convenient 

 svstem of lubrication. The com- 

 iiion oil cn]t with open or loose 

 cap is sure to j^et filled with dirt 

 and cfrit which ctits out the bear- 

 inp[s, larji^^ly increasinp the power 

 recpiired to operate the machine 

 and Efreatly reducinsr its period of 

 usefulness. The hard oil cup, 

 which holds enouj^h oil to la.st a 

 week or more, is always tio^ht and 

 can be screwed down a little each • 

 day, thus insuring a clean bearing 

 and a resrular supply of grease. 

 IMany of the common implernents 

 could be vastly improved by re- 

 placing the common oil-holes with 

 hard oil-cups. The oil holes can 

 be easily reamed out and threaded 

 to the oroper standard, and the 

 hard oil cups screwed into them. 

 The amount of work and expense 

 required will be returned many 

 fold in the saving of horseflesh 

 and in the increased life of the 

 machinery. 



^ 



Ostrieh Farming. 



The selection for a suitable hold- 

 ing for ostrich farms is important, 

 savs a Queensland Ostrich farmer. 

 The birds require good grazing 

 ground and fairly well watered. 

 They live on grass and herbage, 

 but thev need plenty of succulent 

 green food to secure the best re- 

 sults. The growth and value of 

 the feathers largely depend on 

 this. It has been estimated that 

 one ostrich requires as much graz- 

 inir ""round as two sheep. Lucerne 

 land is the best, for a good supply 

 of lucerne when a dry spell comes 

 will keep the birds in good produc- 

 ing condition. The hen birds are 

 scwnewhat uncertain in the number 

 of eggs they lay. One has been 

 known to lay as many eggs as 50 

 in a season, while sometimes the 

 number is not more than 12. To 

 keep the hen from sitting, and to 

 use an incubator is often advan- 

 tageous, as the hen will lay more 

 eggs, and the yoimg birds that are 

 brought out and cared for by hand 

 are more tractable and tame. 

 They are not difficult to rear; they 

 need at first to pick up a little 

 gravel, and then to be fed on lu- 

 cerne and bran, or crushed barley 

 or bone meal, and sheltered at 

 nig^ht, and they can be turned out 

 into the runs at two months, and 



at six month.") they can look atter 



thcinsc'hes. At .seven or eight 

 mouths thev arc ready for the first 

 feather pliicking, and at intervals 

 of eiirht months the feathers may 

 llw taken from them. The con- 

 struction of a plucking pen is need- 

 ed where the birds can be treated 

 separately, and during the opera- 

 tion a hood is .slipped over their 

 heads, and the feathers from the 

 large wings and tail are removed 

 with .shears, the quills being left 

 in, /and taken out afterwards, 

 when they ha\e l>ecomc dried or 

 dead. The operation is not a pain- 

 ful one, and the bird seldom shows 

 ani- resistance to it. The labour 

 necessary to work a farm is not a 

 heavy expenditure. 



^ 



A Good Whitewash. 



Whitewash requires some kind of 

 grease in it to make it durable. 

 Any kind of grease, even though 

 it be old and partly spoiled, will 

 be all right, though tallow is best. 

 The grease imparts to the white- 

 wash an oil property the same as 

 in good paint. To a 4'O-gallon bar- 

 rel, say, of whitewash thinned 

 readv to use, have incorporated in 

 it lolb. of taUow or any grease ; 

 mix in lime in the slacking stage, 

 also loft). of salt. In order to in- 

 corporate the grease properly, it 

 is necessary to put it in a vessel 

 on the stove, and boil it into a 

 part of the whitewash so as to 

 emulsify and o-et it into such con- 

 dition that it can be properly in- 

 corporated with the whitewash 

 mixture. Use your judgment ; on 

 smooth wood or hard stone it 

 needs a stronger binder than it 

 wonld on cement or rough sawed 

 timber, which would do with less. 

 Rxperience will lead you up to 

 doinir or having a crood job done 

 this way. — Oueensland Agricultural 

 .Toumal. 



<$> 



Kedzie's Mixture. 



Boil I lb. of white arsenic and 

 2 lb. of washing soda in i gallon 

 of rain water till the arsenic and 

 and soda are dissolved. This formsi 

 the stock solution. To use, take 

 I pint of the stock solution and 

 add it to 40 eallons of water, into 

 which the milk of lime (from 6 to 

 8 lbs. of newly slacked quicklime 

 is strained. Keep well stirred and 

 apply. 



