Oct. 1, 1900.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
273 
nianfc sj'steia is a great (lisadvaiitage to tiiem. They 
have been too proiie to expect tlie same conditions 
of life undei' Gei'niaa ruJe tliac tiioy were accus- 
tomed coin India and Z inxibar." — London Times, 
Auk. 27. 
SIR JOHN LAWES AND SCIENTIFIC 
/ AGRICULTURE : 
THE FIRST EXPERIMENTAL STATION 
AND RESULTS. 
In 18i2 a patenr, taken out for treatins; mineral 
phospliates witli sulpluivic acid niariced tiie begin- 
ning of tlie manufacture of artilicial manures, an 
industry \vhi(3h lias since attained enormous dimen- 
sions. In ISio a young cheiuist, Dr, (now Sir) J 
Henry Gilbert, atoriuerpnpilof Liebig, Lecame asso- 
ciated witii Mr. L..IWC3, and the foundation of the 
liotlianntcd Agricultural Bxporiment Station dates 
from jliat year. With the exception of the station 
fouuiled by lji»ii..sirig.-!,ult at Beclielbronn in Alsace, 
the Rothanisted station is older th^n any other, 
for tlie earliest German atation (Mockern) was not 
founded till 1852, whilst the first of the American 
stations (Middletown, Connecticut) dates only from 
1875. 
The plot upon which wheat has been continuously 
grown, yc;u' after year, for more than 50 years 
without manure of any kind, the land merely being 
kept fiec from weeds, is in the highest degree re- 
markable, for it has given over the whole period an 
average yield of between 13 and 14 bushels, o 
dressed grain per acre, which is more than the an 
nual average yield of the crop as grown in the 
United States and several other leading wheat 
countries. The. nianurial experiments upon the 
mixed herbage of permanent meadow, carried out 
over along series of year^, have yielded results of 
the highest practical value, and in particular they 
have shown what a dominant factor is the character 
of, the season in determinice' the size and the 
quality of the crop. The field experiments in 
general have demonstrated how essential are nitro- 
genous manures for cereal crops, potash njanures 
for leguminous crops and phosjjhate manures for 
turnips and swedes. The relative values of .sulphate ' 
of ammonia and nitrate of soda as sources of nitro- 
Eten, the composition of rain and drainage waters, 
he utilization of town sewage, and the manufactmr e 
of silage are other lines of inquiry which in turn 
received attention. The publication in 1S61 of the 
classical memoir on the sources of the nitrogen of 
vegetation marlced an epoch in the history of plant 
physiolo^ry. The question as to whether plants 
assimilate free or uncombined nitrogen was an- 
swered unreservedly in the negative, and for more 
than a quarter of a century this was regarded as a 
cardinal doctrine, if so it may be termed, of physio 
logical faith. But, as our knowledge of micro-orga- 
nisms adv;i,nced, the position taken up with so 
much confidence had to be reviewed, and in 1891 it 
was admitted, in a Rothanisted paper dealing with 
the sources of the nitrogen of our leguminous crops, 
that considerable fixation of free nitrogen may — 
and does — take jilace. In his brochure on "Ferti- 
lity," published in 1S81, Sir John Lawes stereo- 
typed the views which he had enunciated 20 years 
previously, and thereby added much to che diffi- 
culty of modifying his opinions at a subsequent 
date. The 70 pa^es of this masterly pamphlet all 
pointed to one conclusion — tliat the soil is a mine 
and not a laboratory. The author wrote : — *' If 
the evidence of the Rotharnsted experiments up to 
the present time has nob established beyond all 
savil tUab pjacfcieally tlie soufca Pi' the whola gf th§ 
nitrogen in our crops is the store within the soil 
itself, and the nitrogenous manures brought upon 
it, there can be little doubt that in the course of 
their future progress they vv-ill afi'ord conclusive evi- 
dence on this point." Nevertheless, ten years 
subsequent to the publication of these words con- 
clusive evidence came from Rothanisted itself which 
pointed in quite the opposite direction. It is a 
matter of regret that if Sir John Lawes did not find 
an opportunity of rewriting his essay on " Fertility" 
in the light of the fuller knowledge since attained 
of the micro-organisms of the soil.- London Times 
Sept. 1. 
THP: acme TEA CHEST. 
A planter having- complained of the weight 
of the tea chest on inspection in our office, 
we are able to give the following informa- 
tion; -"About 17 lb, are the tares of the 
;tcme veneers complete against say 26 lb. 
for momies including hoops, lead, nails, etc. 
If your planting friend refers to gross weights 
then : A size of chest when filled with Sou* 
chongs, Pekoe Souchongs, or Pekoes comes 
in well under the 129 lb. limit of London 
warehouses, and B size (smaller) suits, ia 
the same way, for B.P., etc." 
PLANTING NOTES, 
The Coffee Crop in Nicaragua for this season 
is estimateil, by both Government and planters, 
at fully 150,000 bags, as against 75,000 bags for 
the last season ; the export duty on which will 
amount to SOO, 000 pesos, or sufficient to pay the 
interest on the foreign debt of §1, 400,000 and 
leave a handsome surplus of 140,000 or .?50,C00 
^o\i], —Br. fish Trade Journal. 
The Nyassaland Agri-Horticultural Society's 
Committee held a meeting on Thursday evening 
when they made some important changes in the 
published list of classes to which they wish 
attention drawn. Also to the additional notice at ' 
the end of the advertisement. Next week the 
prize list, which is a very good one (over £130) 
will be published in full.— Cc«^;-a; African Times, 
August 18. 
Basic Slag on Clay Soils.— A writer in a weekly 
contemporary praises in generous terms the bene» 
fioial effects of basic slag on the stiff weald claya 
of Sussex. The use of this phosphatic manure on 
the Uckfield College and neighbouring pastures has 
been productive of extraordinary results, grass land 
that a few years ago was scarcely deserving of the 
name having been rendered productive and fertile 
by the prudent application of thjs substance. The 
basic slag answered well alone, • but it was most 
effectual when employed with sulphate of ammonia, 
the weight of yield being increased by the addition 
of two cwt per acre of nitrogenous dressing, while 
the quality of the herbage was of a better order 
than when nitrate of soda was the accompanying 
BubstaucG. The writer relates a striking instance 
of an incredible farmer in proximity to the college 
being brought a convert to "the virtues of basic elaff 
through practical demonstration of its effects. After 
much persuasion he was induced to dress part of a, 
grass field with the manure, and so clear and tan- 
gible was the result that he is now an extensive 
user and a strong advocate of the material. For clay 
soils there aeema to be no more serviceable artificial 
manure than basic Blag.— Journal of lioi'ticulf are ani 
Gotta^^ QOfVd&m'f Sept, §^ ' ,i 
