I 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



355 



"actual erosions and loss of tissue" are 

 noted. This appearance is produced by 

 the introduction simply of a small quan- 

 tity of virulent material into the 

 stomach. 



Contractinsj the disease by ingestion 

 would seem to be a manner of infection, 

 presenting- none of the theoretical diffi- 

 culties of the Inoculation Theory, did 

 not one see the ease and certainty with 



which, under given conditions, this lat- 

 ter infection may be accomplished. 



While the possibility of infection being 

 able to take place in this manner is readily 

 understood, the curious intermitting 

 nature of the infecting cause is one of 

 the points requiring elucidation before 

 all the difficulties of the Ingestive Theory 

 can find a satisfactory solution. 



Agricultural Analyses, 



By Archibald Pbarce. 



SOME few months ago — to be exact in 

 the issue of March 29th — this Journal 

 published a Report by the Government 

 Chemist, containing the results of the 

 analyses of eleven locally-sold fertilisers, 

 together with an estimate of their com- 

 mercial value. The other day I had the 

 opportunity of seeing a similar i^eport in 

 the AgriciiUnral GazHte of New South 

 Wales, and though comparisons are pro- 

 verbially odious, I could not help making 

 a few. The Gazette's report contained 

 analyses of no less than sixty-seven sam- 

 ples of manures (with a promise of more 

 to cornel and thirty-six samples of .waste 

 - products, ashes, etc., which ara used as 

 fertilisers, stating also the value as esti- 

 mated by analysis, the price on the market, 

 and the name of the vendor. Such a 

 report shows the importance attached in 

 other countries to giving the users of fer- 

 tilisers every opportunity of obtaining 

 full information as to the quality of the 

 goods they purchase. It must be clear, 

 that if agriculture is to be run on econ- 

 omical lines, the farmer must get the best 

 value for bis money, especially in an in- 

 vestment which may easily run into three 

 figures eve] y year ; and if these analyses 

 are published regularly and completely, 

 they form the best means by which so 

 desirable an end may be nttained. The 

 word " completely " is to be taken to 

 mean that piactically all th'e fertilisers 

 in common use in the Colony 

 should appear in the lists, and the source 

 from vshich they were obtained should 

 be stated. It does not seem to my mind 

 any injustice to the verder to have his 

 nan e gi'^cn ; if he fells a good article he 

 gets a frte advertisement; if otheiwise, 



he deserves to be shown up and avoided 

 accordingly ; and so long as we have no 

 law on the lines of the Fertilisers and 

 Feeding Stuffs Act at Home, such pub- 

 licity is the only protection against dis- 

 honest practices. That such protection 

 is not unnecessary is proved by two cases 

 which came under niy own notice a year 

 or two ago ; one of a manure (now, I 

 believe, no longer on the market) sold 

 at about £10 a ton, which was cer- 

 tainly not worth more than £2, as shown 

 both by analysis and practical results ; the 

 other of a sample of bluestone, supposed 

 to be specially prepared for agricultural 

 purposes, which turned out to be adul- 

 terated to the extent of 84 per cent. May 

 we hope t at the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment will see its way to continue and 

 complete the publication of these analy- 

 tical results, as other countries are doing ? 



Perhaps a simple illustration of how 

 these analyses may aid in the choice of 

 fertilisers would be useful. Suppose a 

 farmer proposes to. use potash in a dressing 

 for his jiotatoes, and is doubtful whether 

 to apply Kainit or Muriate of Potash. 

 The former contains about 1.3 per cent, of 

 Potash, while Mr. Nevill's report shows 

 that the lalter contains about 'iO percent., 

 or rather more than A\ times as much. 

 Kainit costs £3 17s. 6d. per ton, while the 

 Muriate is worth £15, bnt if we multiply 

 £3 17s. Gd. by 4^ it comes to £17 8s. 9d., 

 showing that it is cheaper by £2 8s. 9d. to 

 buy a ton of Muriate than if we bought 

 the same amount of potash in the form of 

 Kainit. Moreover, a further economy is 

 effected by the saving in the freight of 

 3^ tons of manure. 



I hope it will not be considered imper- 



