June  t,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
75i 
1 AULD  LANG  SYNE.’ 
One  of  the  most  interesting  duties  Mr.  Longmore 
delights  in  attending  to,  is  the  beeping  up  correspon- 
dence with  the  boys  who  have  left  the  institution, 
who  now  write  him  affectionately  from  all  parts  of 
Australasia.  In  a letter  received  during  my  visit 
the  writer  spoke  of  the  “ dear  old  training  school  ” 
with  evident  gratitude  and  pride,  “ my  master  ” he 
says  told  me  this  morning  he  heard  I had  been  in 
“jail  in  Hobart.  No  sir,  I said  I never  was  in  jail 
but  for  three  years  in  the  Training  School  under 
Mr.  Longmore  and  I shall  always  feel  proud  and 
thankful  to  acknowledge  it  ” 
Tasmania  has  been  the  scene  of  many  blunders 
and  some  very  inhuman  wrongs,  but  this  institution 
goes  far  to  make  atonement  for  the  past  and  cannot 
fail  to  bring  its  own  reward. 
At  a little  distance  from  the  “Boys  Training  School” 
is  another  institution  inaugurated  and  supported  by 
lady  Hamilton  during  her  residence  in  Hobart,  this 
is  for, 
THE  REFORMATION  OF  “ LAPSED”  GIRLS. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  hear  that  a number  of  bene- 
volent ladies  are  carrying  on  the  work,  and  that  sub- 
stantial gcod  is  being  effected,  I cannot  give  particulars, 
but  the  “ poor  soiled  doves  ” are  comfortably  quartered, 
in  a pretty  cottage  surrounded  by  a neglected  garden 
where  the  lovely  flowers — like  the  inmates  of  the 
cottage  have  grown  up  in  a wild  and  wilful  way. 
Yet  they  are  none  the  less  heaven-sent  flowers,  and 
as  I cull  a handful  I hear  some  recent  arrivals  singing 
“ Ta-ra-ra  boom  deay” 
We  have  got  no  rent  to  pay.”  The  weak  point  in 
Tasmania  is  undoubtedly 
THE  NEGLECT  OF  CHILDREN 
the  consequent  marked  absence  of  respect  for  parents 
or  old  age.  A contempt  for  honest  industry  and  a 
hatred  of  poor  John  Chinaman.  This  last  is  still 
instilled  into  youth  in  a manner  to  shock  our 
northern  notions  of  civilization  and  fair  play 
This  very  day,  (‘.list  March)  poor  Ah  Kap  one 
of  the  most  inoffensive  and  industrious  of  men — 
watering  his  plants  after  all  Hobart  had  gone  to 
bed  - and  hoeing  them  long  before  the  larrikin  is 
awake.  Ioday  he  was  working  busily  at  noon  when 
from  a board  school  hard  by,  the  boys  began  pelting 
him  with  stones.  This  becoming  uncomfortably 
annoying,  A.  K.  went  round  to  the  street  expostu- 
lating with  the  youngsters  when  by  came  two  big 
cowardly  ruffians  of  men,  who  seized  the  meek  and 
fragile  Chinaman,  and  holding  him  firmly,  invited  the 
boys  to  make  a target  of  his  face.  Nothing  loth  one 
boy  soon  smashed  the  nose  while  another  bunged 
up  both  eyes,  finally  running  away  and  leaving  poor 
John  lying  bleeding  on  the  ground. 
Tomorrow  morning  a brief  para  headed  “a  China- 
man’s grievance”  is  all  that  is  ever  likely  to  be  heard 
in  Hobart  of  this  diabolical  outrage. 
LEAF  MOULD. 
A very  useful  little  pamphlet  has  recently  issued 
from  the  pen  of  M.  Georges  Traffaut,*  on  the 
chemical  and  physical  properties  of  leaf-mould  in  the 
cultivation  of  Vriesia  splendens,  Anthurium  Scherzeri- 
anum,  and  Latania  borbonica.  The  author,  while 
calling  attention  to  the  increasing  importance  of 
artificial  manures  in  horticultural  practice,  deplores 
the  neglect  too  frequently  shown  by  the  gardener  to 
avail  himself  fully  of  the  investigations  brought  to 
light  by  the  agricultural  chemists  during  recent  years. 
The  experiments  of  the  last  twenty  years  in  this 
department  show  conclusively  how  necessary  it  is 
that  the  manure  employed  should  be  suitable  both  to 
the  soil  used,  and  to  the  requirements  of  the  plants 
we  cultivate.  Of  all  the  various  soils  employed  for 
horticultural  and  greenhouse  purposes,  the  author 
considers  the  soil  derived  from  decomposing  leaves, 
humus,  or  leaf-mould  the  most  effective. 
* Extrait  des  Documents  presentee  au  Congres  Horticole 
de  1892. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  leaf-mould  in  use  among 
the  French  gardeners,  called  La  terre  de  bruyere  and 
Le  terreau  de  feuilles.  It  is  known  that  these  two 
kinds  of  mould  are  formed  from  decomposing  plant- 
leaves  and  roots  mixed  with  ordinary  soil  or  sand 
and  ferric  oxide  (irony  matter),  and  that  these 
moulds  have  a peculiar  acid  property  from  the 
humic  acid  which  they  contain. 
The  first  description  of  leaf  mould,  La  terre  de 
bruyere  (peat),  is  formed  on  sandy  heaths  by  the 
decay  of  the  leaves  and  roots  of  Erica  tetralix,  E. 
scoparia,  E.  vagans.  and  frequently  also  from  E. 
cinerea,  which  flourish  there,  the  soil  being  held  to- 
gether in  such  a manner  by  the  roots  of  the  growing 
plants  as  to  allow  of  its  being  cut  into  square  blocks, 
and  so  dispatched  for  market.  To  prepare  the  material 
for  use,  it  must  be  broken  up  and  sifted,  removing 
the  larger  undecomposed  roots  which  hold  the 
mass  together. 
The  second  description  of  soil,  La  terreau  de  feuilles 
(leaf-soil),  is  different  from  the  former,  being  obtained 
from  the  forests,  and  is  the  result  of  the  decompo- 
sition of  the  fallen  leaves  mixed  with  the  earth  upon 
which  they  rest ; that  obtained  from  under  the  Oak 
trees  is  considered  the  best.  These  soils  are  light  in 
character,  and  peculiarly  suited  for  the  growth  of 
most  greenhouse  plants.  The  peculiar  properties  of 
the  leaf-mould  is,  that  it  facilitates  drainage  and 
aeration,  causing  a quick  and  active  plant-growth, 
with  a free  development  of  root.  The  partial  de- 
composing leaves  and  roots  forming  the  mould  require 
a free  passage  of  air,  to  allow  of  the  nitrification 
of  the  organic  matter,  and  given  this,  the  roots  of 
the  growing  plants  develop  rapidly.  As  both  the 
drainage  and  evaporation  are  great,  frequent  waterings 
become  necessary.  The  mould  has  also  a large 
absorbtive  power : one  hundred  parts,  by  weight,  of 
the  mould  will  take  up  one  hundred  and  ninety 
parts,  by  weight,  of  water. 
As  it  is  known  that  the  fertility  of  all  soil  is 
nearly  connected  with  its  powers  of  retaining  plant- 
food,  several  experiments  have  been  tried  of  the  re- 
tentive properties  of  leaf-mould  (or  different  manurial 
substances,  which  have  shown  that  it  has  a great 
absorbent  power  for  potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  but 
that  nitrate  of  soda  is  retained  in  a much  less  power- 
ful manner.  These  facts  agree  with  what  has  been 
found  in  ordinary  agriculture. 
The  following  table  shows  the  amount  of  selected 
chemical  constituents  in  100  parts  of  the  finely  sifted 
leaf-mould  obtained  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
Kambouillet  (Seine-et-Oise). 
Selected  Constituents  in  Parts  per  hundred. 
Nitrogen 
... 
0-587 
Phosphoric  acid  
0T16 
Lime  ..  ... 
0‘260 
Silica  (sand)  
83-600 
Humus  (organic  matter) 
9-530 
It  is  known  that  soils  containing  humus  will  absorb 
ammonia  from  the  atmosphere,  and  thus  increase 
their  store  of  nitrogen.  The  organic  remains  of  for- 
mer crops  or  plants  are  also  oxydised,  the  nitrogen 
being  converted  into  nitric-acid,  The  fragments  of 
silica  or  limestone  will  at  the  same  time  be  more 
or  less  disintegrated  by  the  combined  action  of  water 
and  air,  assisted  by  the  carbonic  acid  and  humic 
acids  arising  from  the  oxidation  of  vegetable  matter, 
and  a portion  of  the  insoluble  plant-food  be  thus 
brought  into  a state  suited  for  assimilation  by  the 
roots  of  growing  plants. 
From  several  carefully-conducted  experimeots,  it 
has  been  found  that  the  leaf-mould  on  being  passed 
througe  a sieve,  yielded  80  parts  per  100  of  fine  soil, 
and  that  the  weight  of  fine  dry  earth  in  one  hecto- 
litre, which  is  equal  to  about  31  cubic  feet,  or  2J 
bushels,  was  143  lb.  The  sifted-out  portion  was 
composed  mainly  of  leaves  in  any  early  stage  of 
decomposition,  which  would  act  on  the  soil  to  which 
it  was  added  by  virtue  of  its  physical  properties. 
The  following  table  shows  the  weight  of  each 
fertilising  element  in  one  hectolitre  of  leaf-mould, 
and  its  degree  of  assimilability. 
