1906.] 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



695 



this crop has made considerable progress in the United States. 

 It was first introduced from East and South Russia in the spring 

 of 1879, and the production has steadily increased up to the 

 present time. It is chiefly grown in the three States of North 

 Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, and also in Kansas, 

 Nebraska, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast 

 States. 



Among the advantages claimed for the crop are the follow- 

 ing : — It is well adapted to dry regions and to considerable 

 areas where other kinds of wheat will not succeed. Even in 

 those portions of the semi-arid districts where other wheat can 

 be grown, the yield per acre of durum wheat exceeds that of 

 the former by 30 to 100 per cent. Its average rust resistance is 

 very much greater than that of the common sorts. It is there- 

 fore adapted to many parts of the United States where the 

 conditions would be adverse to other grains. 



Destruction of Ants Nests. — A successful method of destroy- 

 ing ants' nests is to treat them with bisulphide of carbon in the 

 following way : — Make a hole 8 to 12 inches deep in the nest, 

 or two holes if the nest be very large, by means of a stick or 

 iron bar. Pour into these holes 2 oz. of bisulphide of carbon, 

 and immediately cover the holes with earth. The bisulphide of 

 carbon will vaporise, and its fumes will kill the ants. The work 

 should be carried out at night, or towards the close of the day, 

 but under no circumstances must a naked light be brought near 

 the bisulphide of carbon or an explosion will occur. Care must 

 also ba taken by the operator not to breathe the fumes, and if 

 these two points be borne in mind the use of the material is 

 both safe and effective. If an ant nest should be found along- 

 side a valuable plant, the bisulphide of carbon must be applied 

 so that the liquid does not touch the roots of the plant. 



Consumption of Fertilisers in fapan. — The French Vice- 

 Consul at Kobe (M. Ay me Martin), has recently reported to his 

 Government on the increasing demand for fertilisers in Japan, 

 noticeable in recent years, owing to the adoption of scientific 

 methods of agriculture. He states that in 1904 the imports of 

 fertilisers, which had been growing steadily for some years, 

 showed a slight diminution, owing to disorganisation caused by 

 the war. During the first six months of 1905, however, the value 



