Miscellaneous, 



445 



[May, 1910. 



One of the handiest modes of pro- 

 cedure is to select six strips of laud right 

 up the length of a field and number 

 them 1 to 6. To numbers 1, 2, and 3 

 apply phosphate ; to 2, 3, and 4 apply 

 kainit, which is potassium sulphate 

 together with magnesium sulphates and 

 chlorine ; and to 1, 3, and 4 apply nitrate 

 of soda ; to 5 lime ; and to 6 no manure. 

 The plots will then be manured thus : — 



(1) Phosphates and nitrate. 



(2) Phosphate and kainit. 



(3) Phosphate, kainit, and nitrate. 



(4) Kainit and nitrate. 



(5) Lime. 



(6) No manure. 



When the treatment that best suits 

 the land and crop is ascertained, the 

 whole area should be manured accord- 

 ing to the result. An experiment should 

 be next made to discover what minimum 

 quantity of this fertilizer gives the 

 maximum yield of good healthy produce. 



The experiments indicated above have 

 the advantage that they do not interfere 

 with the ordinary working of the area 

 and that they are quite cheap. The 

 advantage reaped by the additional 

 knowledge will depend on the future 

 action of the experimenter. It must be 

 seen in experiments of this sort that the 

 strips manured differently are separated 

 sufficiently to prevent any fertilizer 

 obtaining access to a neighbouring strip 

 and upsetting the arrangements. 



To sum up, for all practical purposes 

 in manuring a few experiments should 

 be made to see that the soil contains (1) 

 a sufficiency of organic matter, or 

 "humus" as it is called, (2) potash, 

 phosphates, nitrates, lime, and earthy 

 moisture, and (3) warm pure air between 

 the particles, as a result of good culti- 

 vation. This followed by (4) a good tilth, 

 or pulverized surface, is what is required 

 of every person who is interested in 

 the production of good crops. 



MARSHALL'S 30 H.P. OIL TRACTOR. 



(From the Agricultural Journal of 

 India, Vol. IV., Pt. III.) 



This Oil Tractor is manufactured by 

 Messrs. Marshall, Sons & Co., Ltd., of 

 Gainsborough, England, with the object 

 of supplying a cheap mechanical power 

 for agricultural purposes, which may 

 possibly be useful in India. 



The Tractor is fitted with a two- 

 cylinder engine and has three speeds, 

 2, 4, and 6 miles per hour. The engine 

 can be run on Petrol, Kerosine, Benzine, 



Gasoline, etc. With tanks filled with 

 kerosine it can be run for ten hours 

 continuously. 



The engine is fitted with wide travel- 

 ling wheels to travel over sandy ground. 

 In working order it weighs approximate- 

 ly 4£ tons and carries 25 gallons of fuel 

 and 75 gallons of water ; it is fitted with 

 a water-cooler and a patent pump for 

 circulating water through the cylinder 

 jacket. 



The engine can be used for ploughing, 

 harrowing, cultivating, sowing, reaping 

 and hauling ; it can also be used for 

 driving any fixed machinery such as 

 threshing and winnowing machines, corn 

 and cake grinding mills, chaff-cutters, 

 etc., without any addition or alter- 

 ation. This engine drives 3' 6" full size 

 Marshall's Threshing machine fitted with 

 Chaff fan, Bhoosa rollers and Bhoosa 

 shifters continuously for five hours with 

 a consumption of H gallons of kerosine 

 per hour. One man is required to 

 operate it- 



Experiments in India show that it can 

 plough 1£ acres of land that has been 

 previously broken, per hour, with a 

 consumption of less than 2 gallons of 

 " Chester Brand" kerosine oil, and un- 

 cultivated land at the rate of one acre 

 per hour with the same consumption of 

 oil. 



The cost is R^. 8,000. The Deputy 

 Director of Agriculture, Bengal, saw 

 the machine at work at Semapore and 

 reported thus :— 



" We were only able to test the 

 ploughing, as there was nothing to thresh 

 and no pumps or ordinary machinery 

 to be worked, Soil tested by ploughing 

 was sandy loam, Two four-furrow 

 ploughs were attached to the back of 

 the Tractor and 8 f urrows 6" deep and 9|" 

 wide were ploughed at one and the 

 same time. 



"Ploughs: — Cockshutt's (Canada) Four 



Furrow: Plough cost Rs. 300. 

 Work done : — 



9 acres in 7 hours. 

 Oil used : — 



15 gals. Chester Oil. 

 i „ Petrol. 

 | ,, Lubricating Oil, 

 Quantity of work done : Excellent. 

 Fuel :— Cost of working par acre :— 

 Rs. A. 



Kerosine ... 8 7 



Petrol ... 10 



Lubricating Oil ... 1 12 



10 13 -:- 9 Re. 1, 3. 

 Cost of fuel per acre= Re. 1,3. 13 acres 

 can be ploughed per day of 10 hours, 



