516 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. 1, 1900. 
to say you are entirely mistaken. We have never 
heard of one single instance where it iias failed in 
beino; a complete success for nursery purposes ; in 
fact, its root-forminj; properties are invaluable 
for tbat purpose. Unfortunately planters in very 
many cases, overlooked tlie fact that its use was 
being recommended for nursery purposes only, 
and because it was too expensive for use with 
old trees, condemned it and others hearing this 
jumped to the conclusion that it was a failure 
for seed beds also. 
We hope hereafter to be able to reduce the cost 
so as to bring it into use for manuring old trees, 
but at the present price it is quite within the 
reach of every planter for nursery purposes as 
the freight has been greatly reduced owing to 
improvement in mode of packing Jadoo for export. 
— Yours faithfully, 
C. HALFOKD THOMPSON, 
Chairman, Jadoo Limited, 
[Our information was entirely from practical 
n,ea.-ED. T.A.] 
PULVERISING THE SOIL, 
The value of pulversing the soil repeatedly is not 
generally understood by farmers who cultivate large 
areas of laud, but the market gardener, who has only 
a small apace on which to make a living, shows by 
his methods that he realises the importance of this 
work. Incidentally, pulversing the soil means good 
culture of plants, but plants can be cultivated and 
the soil may not be pulverised. The finer we pul- 
verise the soil around plants the better is the me- 
chanical condition of the soil for making the plants 
grow and resisting dry weather. When we study 
the subject from a scientific point of view, we can 
understand better the effects of what is good culture. 
Everybody in this age understands the theory of the 
evaporation of water from the soil ; how the water 
rises from the subsoil or underground spriugs by 
capillary attraction, and, if not taken up by the plants, 
passes off into the air. This evaporation begins on 
the surface, and extends gradually downward. If 
the soil is too thick and compact the moisture has 
difficulty in drying up, and the top layers dry very 
slowly. Such land is usually wet and muddy in 
ordinary rainy weather, and it is unfit for crops. 
In order to facilitate capillary attraction, the soil 
must be so pulverised that the air spaces in the soil 
are small. This enables the soil to rise gradually 
and continuously. By good cultivation on the surface 
the plants are kept well supplied with moisture all 
of the time, and every fresh stirring of the top soil 
starts up new reservoirs of water from the subsoil. 
Gardeners have what they call a dust mulch, 
which is simply another name for good, thorough 
surface cultivation. They stir the soil around the 
plants every week or few da} s, iind the soil becomes 
80 thoroughly pulverised that capillary attraction is 
in rapid progress all the time. It has been de- 
monstrated that, on the right kind of soil, garden 
plants can in this way be brought through the driest 
weather imaginable, and without a drop of water 
artificially supplied. The dust mulch is better for 
the plants than an artificial one of leaves and litter, 
although the latter are not to bo neglected where 
it is impossible to give the thorough pulverisation 
required. This stirring of the surface soil is more 
important when the plants are young than when 
they get half grown. Then they shade the ground 
around the roots, and form a protective moisture 
holder that helps them through the hot weather. 
After all, it is the young immature plants that we 
have to care for and tend, and, if we succeed in 
getting them started aright, the crops are pretty well 
assured. A. IS. Barrktt, Minnesota. — Ayricxutural 
Gazettes 
PRESERVATION OF STABLE MANURE. 
In a paper read before the last annual convention 
of the Cheese and Butter Association of Western 
Ontario, Mr. Frank T. Shutt, M.A., Chemist of tha 
Dominion Experimental Farms, Canada, took up a 
subject which is of the greatest importance to far- 
mers who wish to get the best results from their 
stores of farm-yard manure. After showing how neces- 
sary it is that farmers should make themselves ac- 
quainted with the nature and composition of manures 
produced by the different classes of live stock, and 
the conditions and influences that increase or de- 
crease the fertilising value of it, Mr. Shutt detailed 
certain experiments recently carried out at 'the Ex- 
perimental Farm at Ottawa in connection with the 
rotting of manure. In this experiment or investi- 
gation the principal object was to learn what losses 
took place in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash 
during the rotting of minure under two conditioua 
— (a) manure completely protected from the weather, 
and (h) manure rotted in an open bin, using all 
ordinary precaution against undue leaching. Secondly, 
to learn the result of fermentation upon the avail- 
ability of the plant-food in the manure. This is an 
important question, for it is quite possible to have 
the soil loaded or saturated with the elements of 
plant-food, nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, but 
so combined that they are of comparatively little 
value to growing crops, that is tD say, are not soluble 
in water. We are all aware that the nourishment 
crops take through their roots m'lst be in solution. 
Plant-food to be available must either be in solution 
or soluble in the slightly acid sap which roots ex- 
ude. Plant-food in other forms than these is not 
available for our growing crops. For instance, in 
various parts of Canada phosphate of lime or apatite 
is mind. This mineral phosphate, no matter how 
finely it is ground out, is useless (because insoluble) 
to growing crops. It had been tried and that con- 
clution had been reached after several years of ex- 
perimenting. But treat this mineral phosphate with 
sulphuric acid, and it is converted into super-phos- 
phate, a most valuable, because soluble, source of 
phosphoric ac:d for crops. It was desired to learn 
therefore whether fermentation under the conditions 
names affected in any way the availability of the 
plant-food in the manure- 
Eucalyptus Leaves. — A farmer in New Sout Wales 
claims fsay the Australasian) to have discovered a 
new use for eucalyptus leaves. The discovery ia 
certainly a valuable one it it be found as effective 
in practice as it is stated to be. The gentleman 
referred to asserts that if fruit trees are mulched in 
the season of rest with eucalyptus leaves they will 
be entirely free of blight or fungi of any kind the 
following season. His own practice is to gather all 
the gum-tree leaves within reach, and if necessary, 
cut down eucalyptus branches, and spread them over 
the orchard. If this plain is regularly followed, he 
states that the fruit trees will be completely pro- 
tected against scale of fungi of any sort. I have 
not seen the trees which the owner declares to be 
thoroughly free from the pests mentioned, while 
others zlose by, and not so treated, are almost worth- 
less, but I have every confidence in recommending 
others to give the remedy a trial. The discoverer 
is a practical fruit grower, and knows what he is 
talking about. He further advises that all orchards 
should be sheltered with eucalyptus instead of other 
deciduous tree.-;, which act as a breeding ground and 
harbour for the insect pests which so anuoy fruit- 
growers. There seems to be a good deal of reason 
in these suggestions. The eucalyptus trees, it has 
often been observed, are re]narkably freo of di.sease 
of any kind, and the pungent oil in their leaves 
very probably does contain some property that is 
repulsive or fatal to the insects and fungi which in- 
fest our fruit trees with such disastrous results. — 
Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Sficieti/. 
