386 
Supplement to the "Tropical AgvicuttimstP 
[November i, 1890. 
Sawdust has little value as a manure since it is 
so slow-acting, though it is a good mechanical 
agent and an excellent ahsorhent. It should form 
a good medium for taking up the ammoniacal 
lifjuor of gas-works. 
The leaves of trees may he said to contain 
nitrogen froin’otovl, iihosjihoric acid ’1 to 
and potash from 1 to 3 i^er cent. They are either 
ploughed in directly or first composted. Some of 
the trees of which theleaves are used among native 
cultivators in the villages, are Cerbem Odcdlmn 
(Sin. Kuduru), Taproda Purj)urea (Sin. Pila), 
Croton Lncdfennn (Sin. Ke])pitya), Ponpamia 
Glahra (Sin. Magulkai’auda), and CalUcarpa 
Lantana (Sin. Ilia). 
Sea-weed is another form of vegetable manure 
which was at one time much in vogue. In some 
soils it has been Ictiowh to double the X'Voduce, 
aud its use iu jjotato cultivation is still kejjt ujj 
in Ireland, while iu our own Island it is favoured 
in the Northern Province. In the Channel Isles 
there are certain restrictions xdaced on the col- 
lecting of sea-weed. The great ol)jection to sea- 
weed is the large x)erce)itage of water (about 90 
jier cent.) it contains. It is found to consist of 
from 6 to lOx^erceut. of mineral matter, the rest 
being organic matter Avhich yields from '2 to 'o 
iVer cent, of nitrogen. Sea-weed, if hea^jed moist, 
decomx>oses tolerably readily, and is, where at 
hand, used with advantage for irajiroving x^oor 
soils. Shells are generally comx5o,sted with the 
weed, and this addition slightly increases the 
X3ro])ortiou of x>hosx)horic acid and nitrogen derived 
from the remains of animalcuhe in the shells. 
Straw imxjroA’es the mechanical condition of 
heavy soils, but decomxjoses exceedingly slowly, 
and is of little value as a manure. It is best 
used in the form of litter after having soaked 
in the licxxiid manure iu cattle sheds or stables. 
Comx^osts formed of the store of all refuse matter 
on cultivated land are of much value, and should 
be found on e^'ery x'vox)erty. These comx>osts 
should be kexjt moist, but care should bo taken 
that an excess of water should not be added. 
The heax^s must not he allowed to liecoine acid, 
as by this xmtref action is prevented: hence lime 
should be added which also xu’omotes nitrilicatioii. 
Liquid matter must not be allowed to escax)e 
from the comxjost heaps which should be x^rotected 
from the weather. Liquid manure and urine 
generally, as well as blood, are useful in soaking 
the heaxjs. The various forms of cakes used as 
manure, though coming under the head of vegetable 
fertilizers, are generally classed as nitrogenous 
manures. 
— — 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
A\'e have on more than one occasion referred to 
the carelessness of cattle-owners in taking no 
])recautions iu times of diseases, to x>revent their 
animals falling \ictims to fatal disorders. Lur- 
ing the late outbreak of murrain along the Cotta 
road, tile owners of cattle continued to allow their 
animals to wander aliout and jiick up grass 
wbere\'er tliey could find it, .only liringiiig them 
home in the evening to be ti'thored to tri'cs iu 
the ojii'ii air. Witliin a M-ry small area in the 
■\icinily of llorella some 70 animals died from 
inuri-ain, and yet the cal I le-owner,s iu tliispa,rt 
were making no uUempt at segregating their 
stock. Though they were glad to aceexjt or xniy 
a limited sum for disinfectants, they objected to 
incur the small e.\x3enses of erecting sheds for 
the cattle to bekejit and di,sinfected in. It is just 
here that the need is felt for Government inter- 
ference through insx^ectors who should see that 
village cattle are not allowed to wander about 
in times of disea.se, or indeed at any time. In 
another column we note the restrictions Avhich 
are xdaced ux^on the grazing of cattle on Govern- 
ment land in the JMadras Presidency. The efficacy 
of di.sinfectants and other x>reventative methods 
(the only means of saving the lives of cattle 
exxmsed to contagion) has been am])ly demon- 
strated in the case of the cattle at the School of 
Agriculture escax:>ing when murrain was raging 
all around them. A large cattle-owner in the 
vicinity of the school was unfortunate enough to 
have the disease imxiorted among his herd, and 
lose some valuable animals, but judicious man- 
agemeut e^ en after murrain had gained a foot- 
ing among his stock, was the means of effectually 
staying the plague. A x^oor milk siq^xAier, who 
lost his herd of six cows, hesitated ux> to the 
last to lay out less than the value of one animal 
iu erecting sheds and XJ'^'rchasing disinfectants. 
It is hardly credible that such condiict is the 
result of laziness which x^revents these men from 
feeding their animals in their sheds instead of 
letting them loose to xhek ux) their own food, and 
attending to both animals and sheds in a X'ro- 
Xier maimer. It is rather the result of ignorance 
which engenders doubt as to the efficacy of di.s- 
iufection aud segregation in contagious and in- 
fectious diseases ; and the evil results of this 
ignorance can only be minimised by enforcing some 
such measures as are adopted yi the case of con- 
tagious and infectious disease.S/?n man. 
Professor Shield Nicholson, who was lately dis- 
covered to be an aspirant to literary fame, is 
Ih-ofessor of Commercial and Potitical Economy 
and Mercantile Law in the University of Edinburgh, 
and author of “ Tenant’s gain not landlord's 
loss, and some other economic aspects of the land 
question.” Professor Nicholson is a young man 
of a modest disxio.sition, and a favourite among the 
students. About two years ago the Professor 
inaugurated a short course of lectures on 
Economics ns axiplied to agriculture in conuection 
with the agricultural curriculum at the University, 
lie is a fluent sxieaker and a clever exxionent of his 
subji'ct. 
“ Trade Prospects in the United States ” and 
“A Central Normal School of Agriculture” are 
the titles of two short x^amxihlets x^iffiPshed by 
Professor AVallace of the Edinburgh University. 
The former is rex^rinted from the Glasgoxo 
Herald and the latter from the Times. In 
the one the Professor declares that the breakdown 
of the xii’otective system in America is at hand, 
and goes on to show that a declaration of free 
trade liy America would to be the 
most unfortunate event that England has seen 
for the last half-century. In the other he 
demonsti’ates that a Central Normal School of 
Agriculture will turir out a most e.xpensive 
concern for which there is no necessity what- 
ever in Great Britain. AVe hear that the Pro- 
fessoi-’s new book 011 Australia will be published 
shortly. 
