664 THE TROriCAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1900. 
Investigations about stock-poisoning. 
Experiment and analyses of insecticides. 
Preservation of meal and othfr products. 
Experiment", and investigations in agricultural in- 
dustries, as sugar, wine, tanning, &c., &c. 
The value of soil analyses to the farmers has been 
much discussed. Some authorities deny all value, 
and othara again put too much faith in it. The 
truth must lie somewhere between these two extreroes. 
Chemical analysis alone is very often misleading, 
and I have analysed soils which, according to the 
analysi^i, should be first-class soils ; but which as a 
matter of fact would not grow anything on account 
of their heavy clayey nature. This adverse property 
Vfould, of course, have been found out by the me- 
chanical analysis, which at the same time would 
point out that these soils could be improved by drain- 
ing or green manuring. 
Very often the analysis of a soil shows its defi- 
ciency in certain necessary constituents. 
It is principally the want of nitrogen for which many 
o£ our soils in Queensland suffer, and this perhaps, 
has to be attributed to adverse climatic conditions. 
The advantages of green manuring have been known 
for a very long time, but the scientific explanation 
of the fact that nitrogen is assimilated fiom our 
atmosphere by the help of the, root-nodules of legu- 
minous plants is only a recent discovtiry made by 
Professor Hellriegel. The active agents of this wonder- 
ful process are Bacteria found in these root-nodules. 
Our farmers will find no cheaper or better way of 
supplying this want of nitrogen to their soils thnn 
by green manuring with leguminous crops; and tlis 
cow-pea {Doliclios sinensis), introduced from America 
by Professor Shelton, seems especially suited for this 
purpose, and yields excellent crops in different 
parts of ibis colony. 
A crop of cow-pea grown in the Mackay district 
aould b» ploughed under after eight week's growth. 
This crop weighed 9'7. tons, (vines and roots) per 
acre, and supplied to the soil per acre 2'87 tons 
organic matter, 150 lb. of nitrogen, .35 lb. of phosphoric 
acid 96 1b. of potash; these ingredients representing 
a manuring value of £ .5 per acre. 
The analyses of orators, chiefly water used for irri- 
gation purposes, is important, as very often the water 
during its passage through the earth may take up 
constituents which are detrimental to plant life. 
The analyses of artificial manures is undoubtedly 
part of the most important work of the agricultural 
chemist. 
It is of the greatest importance to the farmer to 
know if he really receives value of his money spent 
in manures, and it is a great pity that the fertilisers 
Bill, regulating and controlling the sale of manures, 
was not passed by the last session of Parliament. 
The farmer cannot afford to experiment with va- 
rious manures, and in the choice of his manures h» 
should be guided by the analyses and by prac- 
tical results obtained at experiment stations. 
Another important branch of the analytical work 
is the analysis of dairy products, foods for our own 
consumption, and feed-stuffs or fodder for our cattle. 
Interesting experiments can be made with regard 
to the preservation of fodder in silos, which would 
show how far the nutritious value of the fodder is 
influenced by storage. 
With regard to the testing of wheat, a large amount 
of work has been done in the New South Wales 
Agricultural Department by Dr. Cobb and Mr. Guthrie. 
Of course it will be necessary to repeat these ex- 
Eeriments with our own wheats. Over 300 varieties 
liTe been sown at tha College farm. All of th«se 
will need testing, and this will involve a great deal 
ot v/ork during the coming year. 
A great many interesting investigations can l»e 
carried out with regard to stock-poisoning, and to 
the yield of some of our native plants in volatile 
oils, valuabla extracts, gums, resins, &c. 
Very important also are experiments and investi- 
gation in our Agricultural industries, in nhioh 
oheiniatry playa an important part. Amongst the 
foremost of these, stands our sugar industry. 
The chemists is not only necessary for the culti- 
vation of the cane crop by trying to improre its 
quality and quantity, and regulating and controlling 
the cutting of the cane, but he is aho the principal 
man in the mill in order to control the losses and 
direct the process of manufacture. Other industries 
— as, for instance, preservation of meat, butter, and 
other products for export — will also come more or 
less under the control of the agricultural chemist. 
But let us not forget that analysis alone cannot 
decide everything, and science alone is not suffi- 
cient for successful farming. 
Experience and practice are absolutely necessary. 
The chief aim of the Agricultural College about 
to be started, is to teach our youths both the prac- 
tice and science of aj;riculture, and thus to turn oat 
useful, practical farmers, who can direct and inves- 
tigate the why and wherefore of the necessary prac- 
tical work by the elements of scieace." 
[in the discu.ssion on this paper it was stated that 
there was a general opinion among farmers that 
fertilizers put on land were apt to be largely cartied 
away by draining — especially such chemical as nit- 
rate of soda. Drainage waters had been analysed 
after such application and had been found to con- 
tain a large amount of fertilizing mateiials. Green 
manuring was strongly advocated and a dressing 
with "Cow-Pea" was stated to have a mannrial 
value of £5 per acre. — J. H. TI.]— Extract Queensland 
Agricultural Journal, July, 1897. 
BARNYARD MANURES : WHAT THEY DO 
FOR THK SOIL. 
Barnyard manure and other vegetable matter de- 
composing in the soil have more or less indirect 
action as a manure in that they are instrumental 
in decomposing the insoluble mineral compounds with 
the result ot making potash and phosphoric acid 
more available. Their action in this way, however, 
is only secondary and of minor importance. The 
leading articles used to improve the physical con- 
dition of soils are barnyard manure and other coarse 
residues of plants (such as straw, cow peas, velvet 
beans and green crops plowed under for manure) 
lime and aslio=i. Of these, barnyard manure and 
other material of its class, improve the water hold- 
ing power of sandy soils because of tbeir property 
of holding large quantities of water in themselves 
in much the same way that a sponge absorbs and 
holds water. Thoroughly mixed with clay soil they 
assist in making it, more porous and open. It thus 
becomes more permeable to air, less retentive of 
water and less liable to cake on dying. Vegetable 
matter has also a warming Influence on soils. Be- 
cause of its dark color it makes them absorb heat 
more readily and by assisting the escape of water 
in clay soils reduces the cooling effect of the very 
large amount of evaporation which otherwise takes 
place. The pnrposa of barnyard manure and litter 
is improving the physical condition of soils will be 
best served by applying that which is more coarse 
and straw-like to clay soils. Lime and ashes im- 
prove the physical condition ot sandy soils by bind- 
ing the particles together and, especially the ashes, 
by filling the spaces between the sand grains with 
its fine particles. They improve the physical con- 
dition of clay soils by making them more porous 
and open. — Journal of the Jamaica Agiicultural Society, 
Rose Culture in Tubiey.— We learn from a Cons- 
tantinople nuthority that in order to encourage the 
cultivation of Roses, and thus to assit in the pro- 
duction of perfumery (attar) through out the empire 
the Minister of Agricultre has distributed 100,000 
Rose-trees, of good variety, to agriculturists in seven 
of the Turkish provinces. In audition to this, loans 
on easy tevms will be made to such producers as re- 
qaire new apparatus and stills or these will be sold 
at tlio lowest possible prices to such as prefer to 
purchase outright. This assistance does not come too 
»oon.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 
