722 
Supplement to the " Tropical Apkulturist.*' [April 1, 1903, 
humus and clay. In Poona and many towns in India 
the deodorizing power and absorptive effect of earth 
or carbonized material is taken advantage of in the 
preparation of poudrette. The niglit-soil is col- 
lected and also the town sweepings and leaves &c., 
and carted to a depot outside the Municipal limits. 
The sweepings are burnt or rather charred. The 
ashes still containing a good deal of carbon are 
mixed with the night-soil. The ashes, if used 
in the right proportion, exercise a disinfecting 
power in deodorizing the whole mass. The 
resulting manure is a source of handsome revenue. 
A decided caste prejudice existed for years against 
its use until its effect upon sugar- cane and garden 
crops was made perfectly clear to the cultivators. 
The following is a method of manufacture of 
poudrette at Pooua : — A series of beds 18 feet 
long, 15 feet wide, and 1 foot deep are floored with 
murum, A layer of ashes about 1 inch deep it 
laid on this floor, and night-soil poured thereon to 
a depth of about 5 inches. The mass is immedi- 
ately covered with another thin layer of ashes 
one inch deep, and thereafter allowed to stand 24 
hours during the fair weather, and for three days 
during the rains. Wooden rakes are then used 
to mix the night soil with the ashes. Another 
layer of ashes is now added, and the whole allowed 
to remain from three to eight day« according to 
the state of the weather. It is then removed from 
the beds and dried on dry open ground. In tha 
hot weather it is dry in fire days and ready for 
sale and use. In the rains the whole process i» 
conducted under cover and takes a longer time. 
When moist poudrette is heaped up sometimes, as 
■with farmyard manure, an excessive degree of 
heat is generated which causes loss of nitrogen, 
In the cantonments of Poona another method is 
adopted which is decidedly more lauitary. Pita 
of convenient length and width are dug, some- 
times five feet deep. Into these pits the night- 
soil and dry pulverized earth are put in alternate 
layers and equnl proportions. A capital manure 
results, but it is not ready for use for several 
months. It is not of course so concentrated a 
manure as poudrette made in the ordinary Poona 
way. Poudrette is recognised as an active and 
powerful manure for all irrigated crops in which a 
rapid and luxuriant growth is desirable, It is very 
suitable for sugarcane, lucerne, vegetable and 
all fodder crops. It is too forcing for grain crops 
and fruit trees. The plant is stimulated into 
active growth at tne expense of fruit or grain. 
Poudrette is seldom applied except where irri- 
gation is practised. It is wortTi at Poona as 
aiucb as RB per cart-load, but in seasons of scant 
rainfall when a supply of irrigation water can- 
not be guaranteed it falls in value to less than 
Rl per load. Poudrette is applied at the rate 
of 15 loads per acre, up to as much as 80 loads 
per acre for sugarcane. 
Dr. Leather's analyses show that Poona pou- 
drette contains about one per cent of nitrogen, 
and generally a slightly higher percentage of 
phosphoric acid. The percentages of the?e in- 
gredietits vary witli the percentage of moisture. 
If Poudrette was generally manufactured through- 
out India at all populous centres, it would 
probably be the cheapest and best manure pro- 
curable. — Textbook of Indian Agrioultwc, 
SOME PROBLEiMS OP THE RURAL SCHOOL. 
{From an American Point of View. 
That there are many important matters in con- 
nection with our system of rural education requir- 
ing urgent consideration there is no denying ; and 
the publication of a paper on the subject of 
rural educational problems by Dr. True is very 
opportune, as likely to direct attention to 
questions that are closely connected with the 
best interests of the island, at a time when a 
good deal is being said or written about educa- 
tional matters. 
We therefore summarise the paper referred to 
for the benefit of our readers : — 
The elementary rural school, free to oil chil- 
dren, has undoubtedly done much to raise the 
general level of intelligence. But in consider- 
ing the benefits of the system, we have lost 
sight of its shortcomings, and it has, at times, 
been in danger of becoming a " petrified institu- 
tion" deprived of the progressive spirit which 
can only enable it to adapt itself to changing 
enviromment and advancing knowledge. With 
the growth of large towns and tjities, . men of 
influence have succeeded in developing a pubHc 
school sj'stem to meet the needs of th» stronger 
and more active communities, — a complicated sys- 
tem of public education for the urban youth — in 
order to equip him for various professional and 
industrial occupations- On the other hand the 
progress among rural communities has been along 
very narrow lines. The chief effort of the edu- 
cational forces in the rural districts has been 
to provide schools of some sort to meet at least 
the simplest educational needs of a widely scat- 
tered multitude of children. The motto of our lea- 
ders would seem to have been, "Let us put a school 
house in every valley and in every hill-top," 
but little attention was given to make the curri- 
culum of the country school suitable to the con- 
dition of the children. The problem was put 
aside with the remark — These schools are no 
doubt unsatisfactory, but we see no present hope 
of th.eir improvement. Let us go on building 
school houses, and trust the future to bring 
forth some plan for the betterment of the schools." 
Fortunately, however, there has at length 
been aroused an interest in plans for the im- 
provement of country schools. In these plans 
are contained much that promises to work to the 
advantage of agriculture, as well as to the 
greater welfare and happiness of the rural po- 
pultition. 
The character of Agriculture is rapidly chang- 
ing in many particulars which need not be here 
specified, and wider knowledge and greater skill 
is now needed. It is very important, therefore, 
that the agricultural people should understand 
the relations of rurnl schools to the progress 
of their art, When every other industry is ally- 
