724 
Sup])lement  to  the  ' Tropical  Agriculturists 
[April  1,  1896, 
{Albixzia  stipulata),  -wliicli  is  planled  as  shade  for 
tea  ill  Assam.  Tlie“iSa’is  none  ot her  tlian  tlie 
“ Kabalmara"  or  “ llnlanmara”  of  Ceylon,  which 
is  also  here  planted  for  shade  owing  to  its  quick 
erowth.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  disputes 
arising  out  of  discoveries  and  inventions.  Indeed 
the  di  covery  of  the  nitrogen-fixing  power  of  the 
l‘apil>onacece,  which  was  made  by  Ilellriegel,  was 
even  claimed  by,  or  rather  for,  a Scotch  professor 
of  Botany.  The  creditj  however,  will  always  go 
to  Ilellriegel  (alas  ! now  no  more).  We  are  in- 
clined to  think,  however,  that  except  where  use- 
ful for  shade  purposes,  the  value  of  perennial  trees 
as  nitr'ogen-fixtvs  are  by  no  means  so  important  as 
that  of  herbaceous  annuals  or  smaller  shrubs  which 
'can  be  wholly  returned  to  the  soil  in  the  form  of 
green  manure,  so  that  the  land  while  gaining  in 
nitrogen  will  not  suffer  any  loss  of  the  mineral 
ingredients  of  plant  food.  It  is  strange  to  find 
Mr.  Bamber  saying  it  was  from  the  discovery 
of  the  nitrogen-feeding  bacilli  in  the  root 
■ tuberck'.s  of  the  “Sa,”  that  Dr.  Watt  was  led 
to  the  practical  consideration  that  the  cultiva- 
tion of  an  herbaceous  leguminous  plant  to  be 
hoed  in  as  green  manure,  would  be  advantageous 
to  ten.  Accordingly,  we  are  told,  the  doctor 
advised  the  Assam  planters  to  sow  and  hoe 
in  a crop  of  “ Mati-kalai,”  or  some  other  of  the 
numerous  pulse  crops  common  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood. But  “ Mati-Kalai”  (Phaseolus  aconiti- 
folius)  and  all  the  pulses  are  papilonaceous  legumin- 
oseae,  and  the  importance  of  these  as  nitrogen-fi.xers 
has  been  acknowledged  since  1886  when  Ilellriegel 
first  announced  his  discovery,  and  it  did  not  require 
the  further  discovery  now  in  dispute  to  bring  cut 
their  value  for  green  manuring  tea  or  any  otlier 
cultivated  perennial  crop.  Phaseolus  aconiti- 
folius  though  indigenous  to  Ceylon  apparently 
has  no  distinctive  native  name.  The  plant  is 
rather  a common  one,  and  though  not  grown 
here  is  cultivated  on  a fairly  large  scale  in  India 
It  as  Mr.  Bamber  claims  he  was  the  first  to  dis- 
cover and  proclaim  the  fact  tliat  he  discovered 
tubercles  on  the  roots  of  the  “Sa"  and  found 
bacilli  (which,  however,  he  was  not  able  to  iden- 
tify) in  these  tubercles,  then  much  credit  is  due 
him  for  as  it  were  paving  the  way  for  further  and 
fuller  investigation  of  the  matter  ; and, going  upon 
analogy,  ilr.  Bamber  would  seem  to  havohad  ample 
justification  in  inferring  tliat  the  bn:cilli  in  the 
roots  of  “ S.a”  were  of  the  same  nature  as  those 
associated  with  the  papilionaceie.  But  this  much 
is  clear,  tliat  none  of  the  extracts  which  Mr. 
Bamber  quotes  from  his  book  go  to  establish  his 
claims  to  the  di.scovery  regarding  the  mimoseic. 
While  referring  to  this  matter  of  the  discovery 
of  a nitiogen-fixiug  perennial  tree,  we  may  stale 
that  in  his  article  on  the  nitrogen  question  in  the 
JSineteenth  Centuri/  some  months  ago,  Prince 
Krapotkin  mentions  that  hlceugnus  anyustifolia 
(a  garden  shrub  nearly  allied  to  the  laurel  tribe) 
has  also  been  found  to  harbour  the  bacteria  that 
utilize  atmospheric  nitrogen.  The  plant  belongs 
to  the  order  Kheagnnceoe,  which  is  represented  in 
Ceylon  by  K.  l.atifolia^  the  Sinhalese  Welem- 
hilla  or  Katuemhilln.  We  also  know,  through 
the  researches  of  Sclilo.sing  and  Laurent,  tliat 
certain  of  the  lower  green  plants,  such  as  mosses 
(Bryum,  Leploliryum ) and  AIgm  (Confervete 
Uscillarite,  Aitzcbia)  al.^o  alisorb  nitrogen  from 
the  air,  but,  howeter  inleiesling  all  tliese  dis- 
coveries may  be  from  a scientific  point  of  view,  the 
agriculturist  is  most  concerned  with  such  quick- 
growing  herbaceous  plants  as  will  thrive  weed- 
like on  our  lands,  and  grow,  without  any  help 
on  the  part  of  the  cultivator,  only  to  be  cut  down 
and  returned  to  the  soil.  Here  we  may  mention 
tile  results  of  independent  observations  made 
by  a gentleman  in  Ceylon  on  the  effect  of  the 
growth  of  the  “ sensitive  plant”  [Mimosa  ^mdica) 
Sin.  Nidiknmba,  on  coconut  land.  Without  any 
knowledge  either  of  Dr.  Watt’s  or  Mr.  Bamber’s 
discovery  relative  to  the  Mhnosem,  this  gentle- 
man alleges  that  he  finds  coconut  palms  thriv- 
ing more  luxuriantly  wherever  this  plant,  which 
is  generlly  considered  a pe.stiferous  weed,  flour- 
ishes. On  examining  the  roots  of  this  Mimosa  we 
found  an  abundance  of  root  tubercles  similar  to 
those  to  be  found  on  most  papilionaceous  legu- 
minosese,  and  by  the  same  analogy  as  guided  Mr. 
Bamber's  reasoning  we  are  led  to  infer  that  these 
nodules  harbour  the  nitrogen-fixing  bacteria.  We 
hope  to  be  able  to  induce  the  gentleman  referred 
to  above  to  write  an  account  of  his  experience 
with  reference  to  the  influence  exerted  by  the 
sensitive  plant  on  soils,  for  we  consider  that  the 
result  of  his  obrervations  are  far  more  impor- 
tant from  a practical  jioint  of  view  than  those 
relative  to  a perennial  tree  such  as  Alhizzia 
stipulata,  for  in  Munosa  pudica  we  have  ju=t 
such  a plant  as  will  suit  the  purposes  of  the 
coconut  cultivator,  for  without  requiring  any 
encouragement  to  grow,  such  as  the  cow  pea  and 
most  papilionaceous  crops  do,  it  only  demands 
the  Judicious  use  of  the  knife  to  check  too 
rank  a growth. 
OCCASIONAL  NOTES. 
Mr. 
one 
the 
the 
AVe  would  draw  sjiecial  attention  to  the  interest- 
ing contribution  by  Mr.  Frank  Modder  on  the 
I’ealy  Deposits  in  the  Ivuruncgala  tank. 
Modder  has  already  contributed  more  than 
valuable  paper  to  the  Ceylon  Branch  of 
itoyal  Asiatic  Society  on  the  topograjihy  of 
district  in  which  he  resides,  and  has  proved 
himselt  an  enthusiastic  student  of  nature  and 
a careful  and  thoughtful  observer.  The  specimens 
of  peat  forwarded  by  Mr.  Modder  are  thus  reported 
on  by  Mr.  AV.  A.  de Silva,  Instructor  in  Chemistry 
at  the  School  of  Agriculture. 
The  following  are  the  percentage.s  of  ash  found 
in  the  specimens  of  peat  from  the  Kurunegala 
tank  : — 
(9)  specimen  Irom  Case  No.  1 ...  6 per  cent. 
("1  ))  (I  ))  ))  2 ...  Id  ,, 
(■^1  >>  !>  )I  » d ...  10  ., 
AVe  would  also  draw  attention  to  an  eminently 
practical  paper  on  Soil  Analysis,  (to  be  concluded 
in  our  next  issue)  by  F.  B.  Guthrie,  and  to  the 
second  instalment  of  Prof.  Green’s  paper  on  Plant 
Nutrition. 
Dr.  Trimen,  who  has  returned  in  bettor  health 
to  Ceylon,  will  be  welcomed  by  all  who  are  looking 
forward  to  the  completion  of  tbs  learned  doctor  s 
maynum  opus,  for  it  is  mainly  with  this  object 
that  Dr.  Trimen  has  come  back  to  the  Island.  We 
have  also  to  welcome  back  Mr.  A.  F.  Broun,  the 
Conservator  of  Forests,  on  his  return  to  Ceylon 
from  leave. 
