474 



(December, 1912. 



ations on the chemistry of Cheddar cheese, which have been carried out 

 during the past two years by Dr. Nierenstein, has been promised. This 

 work was begun in the first place at the request of the Somerset County 

 Council, a grant for the purpose being given by that body. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries also proposes to make the 

 University the centre for a group of the western counties in connection 

 with its scheme for the provision of technical advice to farmers. The 

 group will probably include Gloucester, Hereford, Somerset, Wiltshire 

 and Worcester, and possibly one or two other adjoining counties for 

 special purposes. An annual sum of £1,000 is provided by the Board for 

 this woik. Under this scheme investigations on problems of local agricul- 

 tural importance will be undertaken. 



THE ORIGIN OF DRY FARMING. 



The following is a translation of some comments on Dr. J. A. Widstoe's 

 "Dry Farming," published in the Bulletin Agricole de V Algerie et de la 

 Tunisie, under the heading "Dry Farming in Algeria and Tunis," by 

 F, Couston :— 



Just one word on the paragraph referring to Jethro Tull in the chapter 

 dealing with the history of Dry Farming. 



It is a curious fact that 200 years ago this English agriculturist devised 

 a system of cultivation for application in his own country based on the 

 Bourdiol method of cultivation, exactly as it is recommended to-day for 

 our dry climate. 



The first idea of his method came to him, says Widstoe, dining a 

 journey which he made to Languedoc in France, It was there that he 

 learned the necessity for continuous working of the soil. 



Our own master, Delierain, loved to relate the following anecdote in 

 his advice to us on the good effects of repeatedly working over the 

 surface : — 



Travelling also in Languedoc, he came across an old vigneron one day 

 in the middle of August who was occupied in digging over his vineyard 

 again with great care although the soil there was perfectly loose and free 

 from weeds. Puzzled to know the reason for the laborious toil which the 

 old man had imposed on himself, and which appeared at least useless and 

 unnecessary, he asked him in that tone of conviction which comes from 

 long expexnence ; the vigneron answered: "It always makes the grapes 

 grow a little bigger." 



In spite of its Anglo-Saxon appearance, Dry Farming has come, 

 directly from the genius of the French.— Agricultural Gazette of N. S. W., 

 November 2, 1912. 



TOBACCO. 



Kingdom op Hungary,— With regard to yield, the tobacco harvest has 

 been very abundant, but it leaves much to be desired as to quality owing 

 to the damp weather which hampered the drying of the leaves. 



Canada.— From 50 to 75 per cent, of the tobacco plants suffered in 

 Quebec and Ontario owing to the cold and wet weather. The quality of 

 the crop in Quebec is low, being very inferior to the average, and in 

 Ontario the yield is about half of the average.— Bulletin oj Agricultural 

 Statistics. 



