5}^ Supptemmt to the " Tropical Agriculturist** [Jan. 2, 1899. 
every personal assistance, with the result, which 
we have already stated Hiat larj^e orders received 
by him are now actually being myt. We are con- 
vinced that there are a great many neglected indus- 
tries that are waiting to be worked up in Cey- 
lon. It is quite common to read tliat this or that 
little known article is capable of suoli and such 
uses, and if taken in liand will prove remuner- 
ative. But beyond writing it seems nobody's 
business to work forthe development of a trade in 
these neglected products, it is some satisfaction, 
therefore, to find that our efforts to bring a 
new (new to the trade) indu.-ttry which has been 
passed over as too insignificant for notice in the 
rush for tea and coconuts, have been to some extent 
successful. "There is safety in numbers" is an 
old saying, but all the same very true, and 
especially so of agriculture, in connection 
with which tlie plan of putting all our eggs in 
one basket has been often condemned. We hope 
before long to see a tliiriving business c.irrieil ou 
in our so-called minor industries and the a;^ricul- 
tural prosperity of the idand so established on a 
firmer basis. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH NITRAGIN. 
Dr. A. P. Aitken, Chemist to the Higlilaud and 
Agricultural Society of Scotland, had made an 
interesting commuuication to tiie Society Journal 
ou the above subject. We have before now re- 
ferred to this substance and the circumstanciis 
which led to its manufacture and introduction 
as a marketable agricultural commodity in Gar- 
many from whence we ourselves were furnished 
with specimens. Nitragin is nn artificial . pure 
culture of the Bacillus radicicola, a micro-organ- 
ism existing in the soil .and spending part of 
its life in the roots of leguminous plants. It 
entered the roots at a very early period of the 
plants' growth, and at the place where it entered 
a disturbance or irritation was set up which 
caused the growth of a warty e.xcre>cence or 
nodale, within which the bacillus grew and 
multiplied at a great rate. These nodules were 
found to be highly nitrogenous substances, and 
in some way not yet quite clearly understood, 
they enabled the plant to assimilate the nitrogen 
of the air and convert it int<j albuminoid matter, 
with the result that not only the plants them- 
selves but also the soil m which they grew 
became enriched in nitrogenous organic matter. 
Apparently the bacillus is capable of bringing 
about the oxidation of the free nitrogen of the 
air with the result that a compound is produced 
>rbich is further oxidisable with or witliout tha 
aid of the bacillus : the soil being enriched in- 
directly through the store of nitrogen in the 
root-tubercles. 
The discovery of the bacillus and of the impor- 
tant function performed by it in the plant and 
soil, afforded at least a partial explanation of 
what was known before, viz., that leguminous 
plants did not use up the store of nitrogenous 
jnatter in the soil as cereals did, but on the 
contrary increased it and fitted the land for 
the better growth of cereals. The explanation 
of thislong-known and unexplained peculiarity 
j[yiturally created a profound and widespread 
|j}t6ieat, and gr^at bopes ^ntertaioeci tiiat it 
might lead to very important results in agricul- 
tural practice. The mauuriul constituent uioet 
expeasit'e to buy and most difiicult to accumul'ite 
in the soil is nitrogenous matter, and it was evident 
that if this could be done by tupping the unliiuiied 
store? of nitrogen in tlie uir, a vast saving would 
result to the agriculturist- All that seemed want- 
ing was a sufficient stock of the L'acillw radicicola 
in the soil to stimulate the growth of leguminous 
plants in order that tlie much de>ired end should 
be attained. The credit of cultivating this organ- 
ism in a pure state and of a kind best suited tp 
each specimen of leguminous plant is due to Messrs. 
Nobbe and lliltner of Thuratid. The manufacture 
of it on a commercial scale passed into the hands 
of a large firm of chemical manufacturers in Ger- 
many, who lost no time in putting i^ upon the 
market and extensively ad vertising it. The prices 
cliarged were comparatively small, 3j» per bottle, 
sufficient to inocculute a half or a whole acre, and 
no doubt there rt'as a large dem ind and ready ^.lle. 
Di'. Aitkiii in liisp::j.erde»ciibes the arrangements 
made for fully te-iitig the efficccy "f niiragiu by 
the Science Committee of the 11- and A. Society, 
and also supplies the detiflls of the experiments 
carried out and the result-t obtained by different 
experimenters in different localities. There were 
some fiflj' trials in all, but Dr. Aitkin slates those 
who have reported " are unanimous iu finding that 
the application produced no visible effect what- 
ever." 
He concludes : It will thus be seeni that this 
new and interesting departure in the treatment 
of land, so far at least as it has been tried in 
Scotland, has failed to produce the beneficial re-ults 
that many expected of it. It is too soon yet to say 
that it is an entire failure as an agricultural 
resource ; but if it hns a use, it is evidently a very 
limited one, and tiie results hitherto received have 
evidently justified the doubts 1 expressed regarding 
it in a previous report. It is conceivable that soils 
may exist somewhere that are so poor in nitrogen 
as not to be capable of growing leguminous plants 
■well, and which owing to some dras'ic treatment, 
have been deprived of the Bacillus radicicola. In 
such cases the importation of the organism would 
doubtless be beneficial provided that the character 
of the soil was such as to favour its growth ; but 
such cases must be extermely rare. In ordinary 
circumstances there seems to be no want of the 
organism in the soil, and considering the rapidity 
with which such organisms multiply when the 
conditions are favourable, it is evidently quite 
unnecessary to import them. On the other hand, 
if the conditions of the soil are unfavourable, it is 
vain to hope that au importation of organisms will 
do any good. 
The conditions under which we are warranted in 
expecting that nitragiil will be of service to agri- 
culture are the absence of sufficient nitrogenous 
matter in the soil capable of producing a full legu- 
minous crop, and the absence of the Bacillus radi' 
cicola which enables the plfiut to obtain a sufficient 
supply of nitrogen from the atmosphere. It is 
doubtful if these two conditions will be found to 
co-exist in any soil under cultivation in this country. 
This deliverance of Dr. Aiikin is certainly a 
counterblast to the glowing advertisements of 
Nitragin that have so long been appearing, 
but tbe cooditioas under wUich it might be of 
