THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



29 



it was not, however, so much flooded as in the 

 summer of 181)2-3. Acrea of native ccops have 

 been submerged conse(iueDtiy ; but it is hoped 

 no very great loss will be sustained. Four cases 

 of sickness among cattle have occurred, owiog, it 

 is thought, to the undue amount of wet weather 

 experienced. 1 he symptoms are somewhat akin 

 to lumbago with slightly deranged foecal dis- 

 charge. 



A. R. R. TuRNBULL, Magistrate. 



UMZINTO, 2nd March. — During the last 

 three weeks copious rain have fallen at intervals, 

 and, in most places, in ticne to save the mealie 

 crops, which were very much in want of moisture. 

 The c ops of all kinds look refreshed by the 

 grateful showers, and the fruit trees, which 

 have been much parched, seem to have recovered, 

 and t J promise well for a good crop of oranges, 

 naartjes, lemons, etc. The mangoes this year 

 have been a very poor crop The mango is a 

 tree that requires very little moisture, par- 

 ticularly when the fruit is forming, and the 

 short crop this year arose from rain having 

 fallen after the trees had flowered, and before 

 the fruit was fairly formed. But I have noticed 

 that we seldom get a good crop of mangoes 

 too seasons in succession ; and last season's crop 

 was unusually heavy. This has been an ex- 

 ceptionally good season for tree planting here ; 

 and out of fourteen mangoes, six oaks, and 

 one avocado pear, which I have transplanted, 



I have not lost a single tree. The summer 

 has been an exceptionally hot one, but the hot 

 nights and mornings seem now to be over, 

 and the weather altogether very much coole-. 

 I am sorry to say that the young locusts are 

 still a great pest in many portions of my 

 Division, though some poisoning has been done 

 to advantage, in several portions of the District. 

 I fear the time has passed to hope this plague 

 will spontaneously remove itself ; and that the 

 only chance now is to attempt their extermina- 

 tion by determined measures. About six weeks 

 ago considerable damage was done by a flight 

 of large locusts in this immediate neighbour- 

 hood ; and the sugar cane suffered rather 

 severely ; but smce then few have been seen 

 here, though I hear of tbeir ravages in the 

 outlying districts of the Division. I am glad 

 to say that the season has been a very healthy 

 one for cittle. No cases of lungsickness or other 

 epidemic have not baen reported ; and I have 

 not heard j'et of any case of horsesickaess in 

 the District. It is to be hoped we may e cape 

 this latter pest. The grass still continues 

 plentiful, and good as the pasture lands, and, as 

 a result, the cattle everywhere look sleek and 

 fat. The Alexandra Agi-icultural Society, I 

 believe, have decided to hold their Show in 

 July, and I think one may look forward this 

 time, at last, to a creditable exhibition of all 

 things agricultural and horticultural. 



Jas. McL.\urin, Magistrate. 



WaWe Ash for Manure. 



THE Etomologist when recently in the 

 Dalton district had his attention 

 drawn to large accumulations of 

 waste wattle wood, twigs, etc., 

 which, being of unmarketable value, 

 were allowed to rot on the ground, 

 and was questioned as to the manurial 

 value of waste if reduced by fire to ashes. 

 He reported to the Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, and the samples he had collected 

 were forwarded to the Analyst of the 

 Department for analysis. The report is 

 subjoined. 



Commissioner of Agriculture— 



For the purpose of determining the fer- 

 tilizing value of wattle tree ash (Acacia 

 Mollissima), I have examined the samples 

 you forwarded, viz : — 



No. I. — Ash obtained from large 

 branches. 



No. II. — Consisting of ash and earth 

 taken from a heap which had been ex- 

 posed to the atmospheric conditions for 

 two months. 



No. III. — From a heap of ash and wattle 

 leaf mould. 



No. IV. — A sample of soil in which 

 wattle trees are growing. 



The last, although not l)earing directly 

 on the value of wood ash, is of interest as 

 an illustration of the sources from which 

 the trees can draw their supply of food 

 material. 



I have tabulated the percentages of the 

 chief ingredients found in the samples, 

 as under, for the sake of comparison : — 



Potash, Phos. Acid. Lime. Magnesia. 



I i-'.m v:m i-is7 1-458 



II. 0-442 0-135 0490 0-114 



III. 0-428 0-127 0-351 0-246 



It is most probable that samples II. and 

 III. have lost much of their soluble con- 

 stituents from leaching during exposure 

 to rain and moisture, and consequently 

 a comparison cannot be drawn between 

 them and No. I. to show the difference 

 between fresh and leached wood ash, as 

 they contain much foreign matters in the 



