JUNfe 1, 1894.] 
THii TkOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
THE FIXATION OF NITROGEN BY PLANTS. 
English, Amei'ioan and German chemists and 
biologists are now scientifically investigating an 
important fact in plant life and culture which 
may, and probably will, soon be "fraught with 
consequences the full signifioanco o£ which," says 
the London Times, "is hardly yet grasped, and 
the economical application of which belongs to the 
future." Also our old friend Mr. "H. Marshall 
Ward," writing simultaneously and independently on 
the same subject iu Nature, concludes an able 
review of the present pasitioa of the enquiry in 
these remarkable words: ''Such, thsn, ara some 
of the chief ideas, &o., ifcc." This full and weighty 
article is reproduced at length on page 802 of this 
isBUO ; but here we can only direct the attention of 
our readers to what they will see is like'.y to end in a 
new departure in economical agriculture, whether the 
pl-ut cultivated be wheat or tea, or any other 
staple. The value of the rotation of crops, already 
too long practised by tillers of the soil all over 
the world— one crop being grown as the best 
fertilizer of the one to follow — proves that the 
praotioal observation of the cultivator long foreran 
the explanations of modern science, which neces- 
Bjrily moves slowly to its conclusions in face of 
the stupendous difficulties of proving its hypotheses 
as witbout positive proof, science lags in doubt. 
But new discoveries daily put new powers into scienti- 
tio hands, which scientists do not fail to employ, and 
the light of recent discoveries in bacteriology is at 
once turned upon previously known but little 
understood phenomena, and, lol a new truth is 
unveiled in the secrets of nature, and man ia 
the gainer. At present much has yet to be done 
in the way of experiment, ideas exchanged, and 
differences of opinion reconciled, before a new law 
can be dtfinittly established ; but the scientists 
already know for certain that thoy are on the 
right iraok. And it may yet be discovered, in 
the very near luture, that tea and other plants, 
either by association in growth with other kinds, 
or by some system of inoculation of roots or 
leaves, may be led to absorb their nitrogenous food 
direct Irom the ocean of the atmosphere, as they do 
tboir carbon, and thus the application of correspond- 
ing manurds to the soil be forever superseded. This 
possibility (the most important of all) turns on the 
fact that the roots of certain leguminous plants " are 
i.ivadtd by a microscopic and essentially parasitic 
organism" poesoasing tue power of " fixing and assi- 
milating tue frae nitrogen of the atmosphere," 
resulting in ' ' nodosities or swellings on their roots.'' 
And Mr. Marshall Ward thus suras up the possibilities 
to economic agricu ture this discovery may bring 
about: "At the expense of carbo-hydrates so 
nohly furnished to it by the host plant, the fungoid 
organism alone supplies the machinery for forcing 
the nitrogen into combination, and tuen, when it 
has stored up relatively large quaulitiee, owing to 
lis activity in the incubators — tne root nodules — 
provided for it by its host plant.— and is diiuiuish- 
ing in resisting power — the latter at length turns 
round and abyorbs the stores " ! 
CUOONUT CULTIVATION IN THE NORTH- 
WEST OF CEYLON: 
THE PALM GROWING COUNTaY BETWEEN 
OHIL.\W AND rUTTALAM: NO. I. 
We have just roturued from a visit to tlia dislrict 
bjyond the Daduru-oya, North of Ciiila-.v, Ceylon, 
and feel more impressed thau tver before with the 
m 
iraportauoe of the planting industry, fast developing 
over many miles along both sides of the maio 
road to Puttalam. This makes our fourth visit 
within seven years, and each time we have had 
ccoasion to be more and more struck with the fitness 
of the soil and climate for coconut palms. Our last 
visit took place bo far back as December 18'JJ, 
so that the change witnessed on the present 
occasion in over three years' growth on planted 
fields was, of course, very marked. It is no new 
story to speak of suooesBful palm cultivation along 
the coast North of Colombo : the Negombo district 
has long been regarded as ' good ' ; the Maravilla 
division of Ohilaw as ' better ' ; and the Madampe. 
Ohiiaw section as 'best ' ; of the three. It would be 
a dilBcult matter to beat Madampe in the luxuriant 
growth of its palms and the early age at wh;ch 
the trees there come into bearing. Sueh shrewdly 
Eucoessful native capitalists as Messrs. De Mel, 
De Soyza and JeroniB Peris h»ve long ago prove J 
to their own Batisfaotion the advantage of invis - 
ments in Madampe ; but we believe, we sbull 
have the support of some of these gentlemen, ut 
least, in sayicg that where the land is well- 
selected, carefully planted and attended to, planta- 
tions north of the Daduru-oya are likely to beat 
even those of Madampe, Messrs. De Mel have 
proved their faith in the region we speak of. 
by investing and planting very freely. Their 
young plantation about six miles North of Ohilaw 
is most promising in its growth, and it was 
this promise doubtless that led Jliem very lately 
to purchase another block of land atill farther 
north (though within Mr, Noyea' Ohilaw dis 
trict) notwithstanding that keen competition raised 
the price to IllOO an acre at which the Assistant 
Agent knocked it down to Mr. De Mel, Since 
then several other investments have been made by 
Ceylonese, and one by the Messrs. Sston who are 
opening forthwith. And no wonder, if the ap- 
pearance of the young palms on the existiug 
plantations is to bo taken as a guide. Unfortunately, 
the pioneer plantation— opened by the late Mr, 
G. D. Miller— has fallen on evil days, though the 
native lessee will, we hope, begin to do justioa 
in clearing jungle growth from this fine properly. 
The adjacent estate, which also got neglected about 
the same time, is being rapidly put in order ; 
but the wonderful thing in both oases is, how the 
palms have grown even where beset with a crowd of 
rivals for the advantage of both soil and light. In 
fields taken cara of all along, as on the fine propeity 
of Polgaswella, and on that of Mes ra. de Mei, 
there has been the fullest response. But our tests 
were applied on fields which had suSered tempo- 
rary neglect and yet trees with a circumference of 
6 feet (24 inches diameter) were measured under five 
years old, and quite a thousand of such palms in 100 
aores were blossoming, or in bearing, some with 
big nuts, at the same early oge. The fear may 
naturally be expressed— as we did not fail to express 
it to the experienced Coconut planter who accom- 
panied UB — whether coconut palms coming into 
bearing at so early an age, was a good sign ; but 
in the face of such growth of stem, our companion 
had nothing but satisfaction in contemplating tha 
first fruits. There is, moreover, the fact that the 
most flourishing Madampe plantation>i cama ino 
bearing at a very early age, and have gone on pros- 
pering. 
Of course, it i) not to bo suppjsod that there 
are no drawbacks : both beetle enemios of Iho 
coconut, the big black ouu and the luudi luoto 
deadly smaller red ou". liiul a epUndid tiold for 
their depicilatiou!», oBpeoially whilo neRlcot ot 
decaying timber and junj^la growth has given the 
I beetles admirable breeding scope. We baw beells- 
