t)kc. 2, 1901. ] Supplement to the " Tropical AgricuUurisi." 
weather, for which period the farmer v/ill have to 
]{eep a store of dry earth in a place protected 
from rnin. 
Bv this method the urine is fully utilized and 
the shed remains ns neat and clean as a cattle 
shed can possibly be. It has been under trial for 
about four years at the CaWnpore I^xperimental 
Station, and so far presents no difficulty that will 
fall in the way of its general adoption by cultiva- 
tors. To what extent the earth applied to the 
shed increases in manurial value by absorbing the 
urine, will be seen by the following figures. Dr. 
Leatlier analysed the earth used at the Uawnpore 
Station, before using it, when it was used once, 
and when it was used twice; and found the per- 
centages of nitrogen to be respectively O'OSl, 
0'224, 0'.39.5. From the shed of a pair of working 
' cattle about 4,000 to 5,000 lb. of earth may be 
expected to accumulate in the year which means 
that about 7 to 10 lb. of nitrogen has been saved. 
In producing immediate effects on a growing crop 
the nitrogen of this esirth acts like that of salt- 
petre or sodium nitrate and can be reckoned as 
equal to not less than 20 to 30 lb. of nitrogen of dung 
or straw or litter. Instead of accumulating the 
earth the whole year, in which case the earth 
must be losing a part of the nitrogen by fermen- 
tation, tlie accumulations of shorter periods can 
every now and then be used as a top-dressing to 
any crop standing at the time. If this plan be 
adopted and the daily scrnping of the wet earth 
be thorouglily done and the use of dry earth be 
libera], there is no reason why the year's urine- 
earlh of every pair of working cattle should not 
be sufficient to give the cultivator an additional 
yield of from two to four mauiids of wheat, maize 
or other food grain. I^resh urine-earth unlike 
fresh dung does not encourage white-ants in a 
growing crop. 
When some litter is available, as is often the case 
when a cultivator has some area under sugarcane, 
it may be spread on the floor of the shed during 
the cold weather mouths from November to 
Februaiy to give the cattle a warmer bed to lie 
on. And this bedding may be lemoved once a 
week or so. It should, liowever, be remembered 
that this plan is recommended only with a view 
to the better comfort of the cattle, and that for 
preserving the urine and making the most out of 
it as a manurial agent the mere dry earth system 
is one of the best and sim])]est. 
The Manure Heap. — Whatever be the system of 
housing cattle that the farmer adopts a manure 
heap will be a necessity. If tlie box-system be 
adopted the dung will be preserved in the box 
itself ; but there will he a lot of rubbish to collect 
and preserve fur using as manure. For this pur- 
pose a pit should be dug on compuratively high 
ground so that it may not get submerged under 
■water in the rains. The sides and bottom should 
be plastered with clay, and a cheap thatch put 
over it to protect from sun or rain. The dung, 
the sweepings of the household, all vegetable 
reluse as tht- leaves of sugarcane, useless weeds 
and straw, fallen leaves of sheesliam, mango, or 
other trees and lIso any animal remains available 
should be put into it. The dry leaves shed by 
irees in the uutumu nnd those of sugarcane cou» 
tain in 100 lb. about ^ and 1 lb, of nitrogen and 
so muke generally as good a manure at cat.tle 
dung, while animal remains make much richer 
manure. By taking care throughout the ye- r in 
this wny ii cultivator can make in the year ;;bout 
1-30 to 300 maunds of m;iiiure for every pair of 
catile kept by him, according to varying circum- 
stances. 
If no thatch be put up over the heap it should 
be covered with earth to prevent tbe loss of 
nitrogen. Even in the presence of a shed, cover- 
ing the heap wit.h earth will be a good plan • 
when the heap gets very dry in the cold or hot 
weather some wat.er may be poured on it just to 
moisten it. By this means not only will the heap 
rot or ferment well and become a readily aiiiK'c 
manuie, but the loss of free nitrogen which takes 
place when the heap gets dry and mouldy will 
also be prevented. 
MUSHROOM CULTIVATION, 
We liave been asked for information rerrardincr 
the cullivation of mushrooms, and Mefiuicywe 
cannot do better than quote from an ariide on this 
subject contributed Bome time ago of Mr A J 
Boyd of the Queensland Agriculttiral Department 
to the Quee7iskmd Affriculiia-alJouniaL— 
The directions for raising mushrooms without 
the aid of spawn are also given, and we shall 
be glad if some of our readers will gne the 
process a trial and report results to us. 
Peeparikg the Bed, 
During January or February a quantity of fresh 
horse-droppmgs should be collected. Tliey must 
not be piled up in a heap, but ratlier spread 
cut thinly under a s])ed until required Dia 
trenches 1 foot deep and about 4 feet' wide"- 
into the trenches throw the dro])pinas to •.' 
depth of 9 inches. Then ram or trc^ fLm 
down firmly to exclude tlie air as much -is 
possible, thus preventing the droppings from 
heating loo much. Now break up the spa«n 
bricks into pieces the .^ize of a large marble 
and Eet them a foot apart almost on th^^ ^ur' 
face of the manure. If „o rain should come" 
give the beds a fair sprinkling of water, and a 
iew days afterwards cover the manure and spawn 
w_.th 3 inches of fine soil. In Queensland we 
often have heavy rams m February. Too much 
water is injurious to the spawn, so it would 
be well to provide some shelter for the bed. 
It the weather is suitable, within a mouth or 
six weeks a.aer covering up the spawn with 
earth, tiny white buttons spring up at intervals 
all over the bed, the spawn being distributed 
in spaces about I foot apart. Theselittle buttons 
rapidly develop into mushrooms, a„d in about; 
tirmiket? ^""^ 
They do not grow steadily, but after a week 
or two of slow progress they suddenly beain 
to expand, and in a few days double or quadruple 
One of the strangest things about them is that, 
they can be ^.ro(l^c(^a spoutaneousjy, os it wersj 
