2S0 
Supplement to the '■^Tropical Agriculturist'^ [Oct. 1, 1901. 
gradually lower and lower in the scale of or- 
ganization through animals like the horse and 
cow, birds and reptiles, fishes, insect?, earth- 
worms, starfish and coral insects until we come 
to t\ie lowest of animal organisms which are 
devoid of all organs and even of any definite 
form, consisting only of a Jelly-like mass, such 
as you may have seen lying on the seashore. 
But in the case of nil animals, whether of the 
highest or lowest types, there must be respira- 
tion or breathing, nutriiion or the sustenance of 
the body by means of food, as well as growth 
and reproduction. 
Perhaps the most important of these vital 
functions are respiration and nutrition. You 
will, I think, readily admit that nothing can 
be called alive which does not breathe. Why, 
breathing is the most striking characteristic of 
life. If we doubt that a man or other animal 
is alive, we watch closel/ to see if he breathes, 
and when he breathes we say he lives. 
Then again take nutrition. We all know that no 
man or animal can live without food, which we 
say is necessary to sustain life. For the present 
I will not go into an explanation of how these 
two vital functions are carried on ; it is sufficient 
for us to recognise tliat they are nece.^sary 
to life. 1 also mentioned growth and repro- 
duction. By growth I mean a certain develop- 
ment through time from the young to the old 
stage, aad by reproduction, a continuation of 
the species or kind — the begetting of new 
organisms from the original- 
Now inanimate objects such as rocks and 
stones show none of these phenomena. They 
do not breathe, they require no food, they do 
not grow, nor do they reproduce their kind. 
Buo plants do all these things — they breathe 
just as we do, and cannot live in the absence 
of air ; they require food and water as we do, 
and without nutriment they starve and die ; they 
also grow and reproduce their kind. How all 
this is done we must gradually learn, and by so 
doing we shall find a new interest in plants, and 
by understanding their wants better, we shall be 
able to care for them better, just as by learning 
the wants of children we are enabled to bring 
them up better. C. D. 
» 
LIMEWATER FOR EGG PRESEKVATION. 
The solubility of lime in waterto ordinary tem- 
peratures is one part in 700 parts f water. Such 
a solution would be termed saturated lime- 
water. Translated into pounds and gallons thie 
means one lb. of lime is sufiicient to saturate 
70 gallons of water. However, owing to im- 
purities in commercial lime it is well to use 
more than is called for in this statement. It 
may not, however, be necessary if good freshly- 
burnt quicklime can be obtained to employ as 
mucli as was at first recommended, namely, 2 to 
^ lb. to 5 gallons of water. With much lime as i« 
here referred to one could rest assured that one lb. 
to 5 gallons (501b.) would be ample, and that 
the resulting limewater would be thoroughly 
•aturated. Th» msthod of preparation is simply 
to slake the lime with a small quantity of water, 
and then stir the milk of lime so formed into 
the 5 gallons of water. After the mixture has 
been kept well stirred for a tew hours it is allowed 
to settle. The saperaatant liquid which is now 
" saturated " lime water is drawn off and poured 
over the eggs previously placed in a crock or 
water-tight barrel. As exposure to the air tends 
to precipitate the lime (as carbonate) and thus to 
weaken the scluiion, the vessel containing the 
eggs should be kept covered. The air may be 
excluded by a coveiing of sweet < il or by sack- 
ng upon which a paste of lime is spread. If, 
after a time there is any noticeable precipita- 
tion of the lime, the lime water should be 
drawn or siphoned off and replaced with a fur- 
thur quantity nswly prepared. It is essential 
that attention be paid to the following points : — 
(1.) That perfectly fresh eggs only be used. 
(2.) That the eggs should throughout the whole 
period of preservation be completelj' immersed. 
Although not necessary to the preservation 
of the eggs in a sound condition, a temperature 
of 40 ° F. to 45 = F will no doubt materially 
assist towards retaining gud fl.ivour, or rather 
in arresting that " stale ' flj.vour so characteristic 
of packed eggs. 
Respecting the addition of salt it must be 
stated that our experiments— conducted now 
throughout three seasons — do not show any benefit 
to be derived therefrom. Indeed salt appears 
to imp art a limy flavour to the egg probably by 
inducing an interchange of the fluids within 
and without the egg. 
Water glass (sodium silicate) has been exten- 
sively experimented with using solutions varying 
from 2 per cent to 10 per cent. Although in 
the main the results have been fairly satisfac- 
tory, we are of the opinion that lime water is 
fully its equal, if not its superior as a preser- 
vative, and that this latter preservative is both 
cheaper and pleasanter to use there can be not 
doubt. — Live Stock Journal, 
INFLUENCE OF FORESTS ON THE CLBIATiC 
CONDITIONS OF A COUNTRY, 
With regard to the actual decrease of rainfall 
consequent on the destruction of forests, Majcr- 
General Fisher, R.E., an old resident of Bellary 
and Ramandrag, supplies the most interesting 
information in the following note : — 
" I arrived in tfio Bellary district in June 1856, 
and visited the Ramandrag at once ; the hills 
were covered with a good strong jungle ; there was 
a heavy cloud during the night resting on the 
hills and for the greater part of the day, rain- 
fall during the Sauth-west monsoon constantly 
and frequently, during the North-east monsoon 
it was much lighter in the months of March, 
April and May, the mango showers were usuallj' 
very heavy and accompanied with much 
thunder and lightning. The average rainfall we 
calcutated was then 45 inches in the year ; all 
the springs about the hills ran abundantly 
throughout the year, and the NnreehulU, the 
