February 2, 189-.] 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist." 
Middle Europe as a green manure to improve 
sandy soils ; it is the best of all yet tested, and 
will do even for coast drifts. Lupin seeds are 
very fattening Avhen used as an addition to 
ordinary fodder, and are in this respect quite 
equal to oil cake, while the hay is said to be not 
inferior to that of clover, and more Inilky. 
Plants native to California, says the editor of 
the I. A., ought to succeed fairly in Ceylon, 
Dr. William Fream, B. Sc., has been appointed 
Steven lecturer in the University of Edin- 
boro’ for three years. Dr. Fream devotes his 
first year to the Science of Entomology in its 
bearings on agriculture. 
Would we had such men in Ceylon as Mr. 
Lumsden, of Garmond, in Aberdeenshire, who has 
bequeathed £10,000 for the prevention of cruelty 
to animals. 
Mr. Chaplin, the Minister of Agriculture in 
Great Britain, hopes to bring forward jH'oposals 
which will entail some addition to the x''i’t‘sent 
grant for agricultural education. 
A correspondent writing to the N, B. Agri- 
culturist states that a section of an enormous 
tree is being taken out in the Mammoth Forest, 
California, the section being 9 feet high. The 
tree which grows 6,325 feet above sea lei'el, 
measure 99 feet in circumference, and nearly 
33 feet in diameter. The saw used in getting 
out the section is 22 feet long, and requires 8 
men to handle it. Two months will be required 
to complete the work, and the weight of the 
section is e.vx)ected to be not less than 20 tons. 
A bulletin of the Maryland Experimental 
Station jjlaces great stress on tlie “ testimony of 
plants” in the apx>lication of fertilizers. Pale 
green colour Ijetrays a lack of nitrogen, or a red 
brown shade in the green of the leaves indicates 
that the slowness of their development, in sjute 
of rain and sunshine, is a result of insufficient 
nourishment. A bright and deep greeir colour in 
almost all croiJS is evidence that nitrogen is not 
specially deficient, but no proof that more might 
not be used to advantage. Luxuriant growth 
and good crojis of corn, cabbage, jjotatoes and 
grass shows a good natural supidy of xiotash. If 
small grains produce well with the kernels, 
plumj) and heavy, ijhosj^hates cannot be especially 
needed. Simjile ex[>eriments which any farmer 
can make for himself will show whether the 
soil is need of manures, and to what element 
of plant food it esx>ecially resironds. On this 
branch of the subject — what i)lant food to buy 
and what (juantity — Prof. Magner’s conclusions 
are. substantially as follows : — Pliosx)horic acid 
and x>otash should b(! used liberally, and with 
referenc(^ to tlie needs of tlie soil rather than 
the demands of the crojis. These food consti- 
tuents sliould be applied in excess of the needs 
ot the plants. In this there is no danger of 
61 r 
waste of potash and phosj^horic acid, substances 
which the soil binds up and preserves for later 
crops in case the one immediately following 
demands them only partially or not at all. Con- 
sequently, as to these two, they may safely be 
aiiplied till present in sufficient surjilus ; that is 
till a further apjdication is without effect. The 
greatest profit results in holding the soil in this 
degree of food surplus as to phosphoric acid and 
XWtash. With nitrogen it is quite different ; this is 
not found to be retained by the soil, and although 
temporarily held it is freely moveable. Any residue 
from the wants of a croj) to which it has been 
ajjplied, is in danger, es^Jecially during the winter 
months, of being washed into the sub-soil and 
lost. Hence nitrogen should be measured out as 
accurately as possible according to the needs of 
the plant for which it is particularly applied. 
Copper in Cereals.— Writing to the Lancet on 
this subject, Mr. Wm. Johnstone, Ph. D., &c., 
says : — “ This question has very lately been pro- 
minently brought under my observation, and that 
in a novel and unexpected manner, necessitating 
the examination of a large number of samples of 
wheat and barley, which resulted in 15 per cent, 
of the sainfjles being found to contain coj>per in 
more or less quantity, particularly in the Scotch 
barley. The existence of copper in cereals, there- 
fore, becomes a serious question, especially to 
manufacturers of infants’ food, as they are liable 
at any moment to have proceedings instituted 
against them under the Sale of Food and Drugs 
Act. It was due to legal xmoceedings being 
threatened against a manufacturer of infant.s’ 
food which caused the matter to be placed in 
my hands. The plantiff’s analyst certified that 
the food contained lead, which had caused serious 
illness to an infant ; but upon closer investi- 
gation by myself, it proved to be copper, and 
it was present there as a natural constituent of 
one of the cereals used in the prej)aration of 
that particular infants’ food. Granting that 
cereals do possess the remarkable property of 
taking up copper from the soils in which they 
are grown, provided that soil contains copper, 
the question immediately arises. What is the 
maximum amount of copper which barley or 
wheat is capable of taking up ? Few soils in 
this country contain copper to any appreciable 
extent. I am therefore inclined to attribute the 
presence of copper in Scotch barley and English 
wheat to the prevalent firactice of dressing the 
grain and also the ground with sulphate of 
copper, so as to protect it from the ravages of 
vermin after the grain is sown. The possible 
existence of copper in cereals may also account 
for some of those mysterious and unaccountable 
cases of illness which occur from time to time 
in families, and is therefore well worth the 
attention of medical j)ractitioners, and also that 
of the manufacturers of infants’ food.” 
E. T. H. received with thanks: will apijear in 
our next. 
