JaJT. 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST^. 
451 
The chai'aotev of the iofonnition provided by a soil 
survey must largely depend upon the nature of the 
conntry ; in mauy parts of lha United States agricul- 
ture is £0 recent tint there is no accamulation of 
experience as to suitable cropg, hence the survey, by 
comparison of the texture of the soil, the olimitic 
features, depth to ground water, with the oondi 
tions prevailing in known areas, can directly advice 
the settler with what crops he is inost likely to ^uocead. 
But iij a C'^untry like our own, the land has been 
under cultivation so long that a great mass o f local iu" 
tormafioD, based upon experience, exists as to the 
character evc! of individal fields. Hints as to methods 
of cultivation or cropping based upon analysis are 
likely to be too general to be of any service ; the chief 
application is rather the informatii^n that can be 
afforded as to the use of m mures, for enorraus eco- 
nomies could still be effected in the manurebill of 
nearly every farmer who buva artificial manures, if they 
were properly adapted to his soils nnd crops. 
In Uritaiu, the great initial want is the publication 
of drift maps of the Geological Survey ou the six- 
iaoh-to the-mi!e scale ; were this in existence, it could 
be rapidly supplemented by the woik of the local agri- 
cultural colleges until every farmer could be put in 
possession of that exact knowledge of his soil which is 
fuQdamental for all farming operations, A. D. H. 
— Nature, Nov. 6. 
THE GUANO DEPOSITS OF THE 
SEYCHELLES. 
In the report on the Seychelles for 1901 re- 
cently issued by tlie Colonial Office, the Curator 
of the Botanic Station states that, with regard 
to the manuring of the soil, it is very fortunate 
that, in a granitic country like Seyclielles, guano 
deposits are found iu many of its islands. This 
guano constitutes at i^he same time a mineral 
wealth of the Colony. The deposits are almost 
invariably ancient, and guano Ijeds are in process of 
formation only in tlie distant islands where 
immense flocks of birds are still to be found. 
On many islands the guano is found in du"-ty 
layers on the surface of the soil. This surface 
guano is dark in colour, especially when it is 
moist. There are numerous tints, which vary 
between yellowish brown and reddish black. The 
lighter-coloured guanos are richer iu phosphoric 
acid, and the dark ones are full of organic matters 
which increase the percentage of nitrogen. All tiiis 
surface guano is now more or less mixed with 
vegetable decay, — £oa?"d of Trade Journal, 
Oct. 30. 
^ 
LEASE OF GOVERNxMENT LAND FOR 
CARDAMOM CULTIVATION. 
The following appears in yesterday's Gazette : - 
Application havi' g been made by Major Gordon 
Reeves, C M I, of Ratnatenna estate, Madulkele, 
to the Government Agent, Central Province, for 
the lease of land lots 1.3,683, 13,684, and 13,6R5 
in preliminary plan No. 5,128, containing in ex- 
tent 45a IR 2lP, situated in the village Kaludella 
in Palis pattu we-t of Pata Dambaia, for the 
purpose of cultivating cardamoms, it is hereby 
notified under regulation No 52 of Land Reiru- 
lation.s, pnblishi^il in Gazette dated January 17, 
1902, that the said lands w\il be leaded (o the 
said api'licant under the following conditions : — 
L Tlic rent to I'e R2 per acre, per annum. 
2. The. lease to be for ten years with the 
option of renewal at expiry. 
3. No timber above 2 ft. in circumference to 
be felled, and any valuable timber under that 
size felled to be paid for at Governmeat rates. 
4. Cardamoms only to be planted on the land 
leased. 
5. That the land shall ba forfeited to and 
vested in the Cro^vn if at any time such land 
or any building thereon be applied, without the 
written consent of the Governor, to other pur- 
pofes than those specified iu the grant or lease, 
or if within a reasonaljle time the necessary atcos 
have not been taken to apply the land to the 
purpose for which it was granted. 
6. No permanent building to be erected on tlie 
land without the written coa^-eot of the Govern- 
meat Agent. 
POPULAR SCIENTIFIC LECTURES. 
DR. CHALMERS ON " HOW ANIMALS 
CAUSE AND SPREAD DISEASE." ' 
The lecture was most interesting and the learned 
lecturer (who was cordially received) with the aid 
of beautifully clear lantern illustrations, placed 
before his audience the deepest medical truths and 
theories in the most lucid and simple manner. 
The Synopsis of the Lecture furnished to those 
present was more comprehenHive than usual. It 
stated : — 
In this Lecture I |iropo.se to consider the role 
of animals as a means of causing anrl spreading 
disease, and, therefore, it will be instructive 
first of all to know what is meant by disease 
Disease may be defined as that deviation 
from the normal in the structure, the cheniical 
composition, or the functions of a part or the whole 
of the body which exceeds physiological variation 
This deviation may be brought about by tlie 
agency of— (1) Physical causes; (2) Chemical 
causes ; (3) Biological causes. The biological 
causes may be either alteration in functions in the 
body itself, such as over use or disuse of a part 
or may be parasitic. The parasites are classified 
into— (1) The vegetal; (2) Tlie animal. Disease 
once started in a human being or an aninml may 
be spread by various agencies, such as air, food 
water, &c., and among these by animals'. We 
shall see how mosquitoes spread malaria, jellow 
fever, and lilarial diseases ; rats, mice, &c., spread 
plague; flies spread typhoid fever, &c. 
The animal kingdom may be divided into two 
great sub-kingdoms :— A — Piotozoa : unicellular 
animals. B, — Metazoa : multicellular animals. 
The Protozoa are the lowest known animals' 
and among them we must look for the first 
beginnings of disease. The Protozoa : The uni- 
cellular animals may be arranged in four e a.sses 
--Olass 1.— Sarcodina. with movable changeable 
P'ocesses ; Class 2.— Mastigophora, Motile organs 
fl;igella (whips); Class .3.— lufusoria. Motile or- 
gans, ciha ; Class 4,— Sporozoa, Parasites with- 
out motile organs. 
Class I.— As an example of this class may 
be taken Ambceba Coli, one of the causes of 
dysentery, which is probably introduced into 
the body by water, and which would not ent?r 
the body if the water was fi'rered. and which 
would be killed if the water was boiled. 
Class II.— Mastigophoia.— The Mastigopiiora 
which inierest us are two : —.A.— Trypanosoma 
Brucii. B,— Try panorama Gambiense. A —Try- 
panosoma Brucii. — This is the cause of Surra or 
Nagana in the horses, mules and camels of 
