August, 1912.J 



145 



Organic nitrogen may be in the form 

 of proteids, albuminoids, anides, and 

 alkaloids, and the bulk of the soil 

 nitrogen exists as acid-anides and amino 

 and amino-acids. The tendency at the 

 present day is to refer to ammonia as 

 well as nitrates as being available to 

 plants. 



Neither actual manurial field tests nor 

 water culture experiments have clearly 

 determined the exact form in which 

 nitrogen is taken up. Pitsch and Maze 

 believe that ammonia is not less valuable 

 than nitrates in the case of some plants 

 (e.g., maize). Peaty soils devoid of 

 nitrates support an ample growth, while 

 rice responds well to Ammonia in soils 

 where no nitrification can be detected. 

 The presumption is that certain plants 

 respond readily to organic matter or 

 ammonia, and that nitrification is often 

 not an essential factor. The 



General Conclusion 

 is that Ammonia and Nitrates can be 

 used by plants, but their relative avail- 

 ability lias yet to be determined. That 

 ammonification is the essential thing 

 and nitrification is of secondary import- 

 ance is indicated but has still to be 

 proved. With definite knowledge we 

 shall be in a position to meet, the require- 

 ments of plants by raising or lowering 

 the tendency to nitrification or denitri- 

 fication. To attain such knowledge 

 plant physiology must join hands with 

 soil bacteriology. 



WATER LIFTING. 



Mr. Chatterton, Director of Industries 

 in Madras, speaking at the recent Show 

 held at Coimbatore, made special mention 

 of a pump which he and Messrs. Massey 

 & Go. have brought out, the working of 

 which was demonstrated at the Show. 

 It consisted of a 3£ H.P. oil engine driving 

 through suitable gearing a pair of loose 

 piston pumps. Each pump is 6" in dia- 

 meter, and the pair are capable of lifting 

 about 6,500 gallons per hour from a 

 19 



depth of 40 feet. A smaller pump 5" in 

 diameter is also made. It is driven by a 

 2 H.P. engine, and when fixed to a well 

 29£ feet deep, it discharged 41,140 gallons 

 per hour. A still smaller pump 4" in 

 diameter discharged 1,900 gallons per 

 hour lifting from a depth of 33 feet. The 

 chief advantage cf these pumps is that 

 they can be worked in wells of consider- 

 able depths, and can deal with compara- 

 tively small quantities of water. 



FUNTUMIA RUBBER. 



The following is an extract from a 

 report by Mr. H. N. Thompson, Chief 

 Conservator of Forests, Lagos : — 



(a) Funtumia elastica. The overhead 

 cover of large Forest trees is being 

 gradually removed either by girdling or 

 felling the latter. Since my last visit to 

 the Reserve in February of this year a 

 great many of the girdled trees have 

 lost their leaves and died, so that the 

 shade cast by them is now a negligible 

 factor in retarding the growth of the 

 rubber plants. The latter have respond- 

 ed well to the extra light let in and are 

 showing good growth. The best exam- 

 ples of this species, however, are to be 

 found in the plantations that were made 

 on the sites of abandoned farms free of 

 high Forest growth. Here age for age 

 they are quite as good as any to be seen 

 in the Communal Plantations of the 

 Benin City district. There appear to be 

 large numbers of wild rubber trees in 

 the Reserve, but owing to the drastic 

 treatment they received years ago from 

 the natives (before the forest was created 

 a reserve), they give a comparatively 

 poor yield for their size. However, the 

 results of recent tappings show that on 

 the average their yield is just double 

 that of the plantation trees that are 18 

 inches and upwards in girth. 



Tapping. 



Tapping was started in the Reserve 

 on the 1st of May, and up to the end of 

 June the results were as follows ;— 



