Nov. 1, 1900. J 
Sujiflment to the ^' Tropical Agrkidfurisf. 
.365 
infected with appropriiite orgatiisms, there is a 
development of the so-called legiiminoas nodules 
on the roots of the plants, and, coiucidently, ia- 
creased growth and gain of nitrogen. 
The experiments with farm animals began ia 
1847, and huve been continued at intervals nearly 
to the present time. Amongst the points that 
have been invesriguted are the following : — 
1. The amount of food, and of its several con- 
stituents, consumed (a) in relation to a given live- 
weiglit of animal within a given time, (b) to 
produce a given amount of increase in live- 
weight. 
2. The proportion and relative development 
of the different organs, or parts of different 
animals. 
(3.) The proximate and ultimate composition of 
the animals in different conditions as to age and 
fatness, and probable composition of their in- 
crease in live weight during the fattening process^. 
4. The composition of the solid and liquid 
e.tcreta' (the manure) in relation to that of tne 
food consumed. 
5. The loss or expenditure of constituents by 
respiration and the cutaneous exhalations — that 
is, in the mere sustenance of the living meat — and 
manure-making machine. 
6. The yield of milk in relation to the food 
consumed to produce it; and the influence of 
different descriptions of food on the quantity, and 
on the composition of the milk. lacideutally, 
the results obtained from the inquiries just enu- 
merated have furnished data e-?ential to the 
consideration of such problems as («) the sources 
in the food of the fat produced in the animal body ; 
(6) the characteristic demands of the annimal 
— for nitrogenous or nonruitrogenous constituents 
of food — in the exercise of muscular power _ 
(c) the comparative characters of animal and' 
vegetable food in human dietaries. 
Amongst the field experiments there is, perhaps, 
nothing of more universal interest tlian the field 
— knoivn as Broadbalk Field — in which wheat has 
been grown for fifty-seven years in succession, 
without manure, with farmyard manure, and 
with various artificial manures. The results show 
that, unlike leguminous crops such as beans or 
clover, wheat may be successfully grown for many 
years in succession on ordinary arable laud, pro- 
vided suitable manures be applied, and the laud 
be kept clean. Even without manure, the aver- 
age produce over forty-six years, 18-52-1897, 
was nearly thirteen bushels per acre, or more than 
the average yield of the whole of the United States 
of America, including their rich prairie lands — in 
fact, about the average yield per acre of the 
wheat lands of the whole world. Mineral man- 
ures alone give very little increase, nitrogenous 
manures alone considerably more than mineral 
manures alone, but the mixture of the two con- 
siderably more than either separately. In one 
case, indeed, the average produce by mixed min- 
eral and nitrogenous manure was more than that 
by the annual application of farmyard manure ; 
and in seven out of the ten cases in which such 
mixtures were used the average yield per acre 
was from over to two to over eight bushels more 
than the average yield of the United Kingdom 
(which is rather' less than twenty-eight; bushels of 
60 lb?, per bushel) under ordinary rotation. It is 
estimated that the reduction in yield of the un- 
manured plot over the forty years 1852 — 1891, 
after the growth of the crops without manure 
during the eight preceding years, wa?, provided 
it, had been uniform tliroughout, equivalent to a 
decline of one-sixtli of a bushel from year to year 
due to exhaustion — that is, irrespectively of iiuc- 
tu;itions due to season. It is related that a visi- 
tor from beyond the A.t](.ntic, talking to Sir John 
Lawes in Broadbalk Field, said, "Americans have 
learnt more from this field than from any other 
Agricultural experiment in the world." 
Another field experiment of singular interest is 
that relating to the mixed herbage of permanent 
meadow, for which seven acres of old grass land 
were set apart in Rothamsted Park in 1856. Of 
the twenty plots into which this land is divided, 
two have been left withoist manure from the com- 
mencement, two have received ordinary farmyard 
manure continuously, whilst the remainder have 
each received a different description of artificial 
or chemical manure, the same being, except in 
special cases, applied year after year on the same 
plot. No one can inspect this field during the 
growing season without being impressed by the 
striking evidence it affords of the influence of dif- 
ferent manurial dressings. So much, indeed, does 
the character of the herbage vary from plot co plot 
that the effect may fairly be described as kalei- 
doscopic. Repeated analyses have shown how 
greatly both the botanical constitution and the 
chemical comijosition of the mixed herbage vary 
ftccording to the description of manure applied. 
They have further shown how dominant is the 
influence of season. To such an extent, it may 
be added, is this the case that a given quantity of 
gross produce of the mixed herbage may be one 
thing in one season, and quite another in another 
season, both as to the proportion of the different 
species composing it, and as to their condition of 
development aud maturity. 
(To be concluded.) 
SOME BIBLE PLANTS OP CEYLON. 
Another tree familiar enough in Ceylon gardens 
is the Pomegranate {Punica granatum). Its 
fruit is mentioned in Scripture under the name 
of Rimmon. The tree itself corresponds with the 
Rhoa of Dioscordus and the Side of Homer. 
The pomegranate is a native of Asia and was 
common in Palestine. Moses, speaking of the 
Promised Land, calls it "a land of wheat and 
barley and vines, and fig-trees and pomegranates" 
(Deut. viii. 8), while the spies who searched 
the land are said to have " brought of the 
pomegranates and figs " (Num, iii, 23), Several 
towns and villages bore the name of Rimmon 
or pomegranate (see. Josh. xv. 32 ; I. Olirou. 
iv. 32; vi. 77; Zeoh. xiv. 10). Saul tanifd 
under a pomegranate tree (1 Sam. xiv. 2j ■] 
the prophets Joel and Haggai refer to the po „ - 
grariate (Joel, i, 12 Haggai ii. 19). The tree 
must have grown in Egypt during the time of 
the Israelites' sojourn there, for when in the 
wildness of Zin, they lamented the loss of the 
pomegranate (Num, xx. 5). 
