72 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturists 
[July  1,  1896. 
1 think  it  may  prove  a boon  to  many  of  your 
reailer.s  in  the  warm  parts  of  all  the  colonies  1 
send  it  for  your  columns.  It  may  be  capable  of 
application  on  a larger  scale,  but  1 have  only  used 
it  w'ith  small  quantities  of  cream-  The  principle 
is  so  easily  understood  by  anyone  wiio  has  used 
the  canvas  water-bag  (and  who  has  not),  that 
there  is  not  much  likelihood  of  mistakes  being 
made.” 
Referring  to  the  above  method  of  preseiwing 
cream,  the  Ayi'icultui'cil  Joui’iial  of  the  Cape 
observes  that  it  is  on  much  the  same  piinciple  as 
that  for  making  so-called  “ fairy  butter,  which 
is  done  by  tying  up  cream  in  a cloth  and  butjing 
it  in  the  ground.  Though  this  way  of  butter- 
making was  an  Old  AVorld  trick,  yet  a few  ^eais 
ago  a patent  was  taken  out  in  America,  and  it  was 
proposed  to  adopt  the  plan  on  a large  scale. 
A potash  manure  largely  used  in  agricultural 
districts  is  seaweed.  In  a fresh  condition  this 
manure  may  bo  described  as  containing  about  3 
per  cent,  of  potash,  and  about  half  that  amount 
of  nitrogen,  with  a fraction  of  a per  cent,  of 
phosphates.  Its  mauurial  action  and  value  are 
generally  reckoned  as  similar  to  that  of  farmyard 
manure;  but  this  is  perhaps  hardly  correct.  It, 
however,  is  a valuable  mo.imrQ.—Atistmlasian. 
It  had  been  admitted  for  a long  time  past  that 
the  researches  and  conclusions  of  Lawes,  Gilbert, 
and  I’ugh  into  the  nitro-collecting  habit  of 
leguminous  plants  were  fully  borne  out  by  e.x.- 
perience,  but  it  remained  for  the  German  scientists 
to  show  that  the  bacteria  affecting  the  nodules 
on  the  roots  of  clovers,  peas,  &c.,  may  with 
beneficial  results  be  introduced  into  a field  of 
leguminous  plants  where  they  are  coin])aratively 
delicient.  It  is  something  like  adding  yeast  to 
liquor— the  fermentation  is  promoted.  In  any 
field  where  legumes  have  not  been  grown  for 
some  years  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  bacteria 
are  not  very  abundant,  but  this  defect  may  be 
remedied  by  sprinkling  the  field  with  some  soil 
taken  from  a field  where  legumes  have  recently 
been  giowm,  and  tlie  result  wdll  be  that  a large 
quantity  of  nitrogenous  matter  will  be  produced 
liy  tlie  root-v  of  the  p'ants  grown — or,  rather,  by 
the  bacteria  w'hicli  are  us-sociated  with  the  roots  of 
the  plants.  In  some  cases,  the  farmers  have 
.sown  .some  kind  of  leguminous  plant  along  with  a 
cereal  crop,  and  then  sprinkled  the  field  with 
about  a ton  to  the  acre  of  soil  taken  from  a field 
in  which  a leguminous  crop  had  beengrowm.  The 
result  showed  that  the  field  was  very  much  richer 
in  nitrogen  than  before,  and  crops  requiring 
nitrogen,  and  sown  afterwards,  were  mucli 
benefited.  Indian  farmers  grow  Black  Medick 
{Medicac/o  lupulina)  amongst  their  wdieat  crops, 
and  it  is  said  they  never  have  occasion  to  apply 
nitrogenous  manures  to  their  fields.  It  is  also 
said  that  the  Medick  does  not  depreciate  the  yield 
of  wheat.  These  are  matters  that  are  worthy  of 
further  enquiry. — Melbourne  Leader. 
The  mystery  of  nitrification  is  now  so  well 
known  that  any  farmer  can  understand  it.  I’lants 
thrive  on  nitrogenous  food  but  apparently  have  no 
power  to  take  it  either  from  the  air  or  the  soil. 
Here  the  nitrogen-bacteria  get  in  their  work. 
The.^e  microbes,  like  atomic  sponges,  take  in  the 
nitrogen  from  the  soil  and  the  air,  and  transform 
it  into  nitric  acid,  in  which  form  the  plant  can 
consume  it.  A soil  may  be  ‘destitute  of  nitrogen 
and  need  both  that  and  the  microbes,  or  it  may 
lack  only  the  microbes,  in  which  case  a sui^ply 
of  them  renders  the  field  immediately  fertile. 
Stable  manure  has  little  nitrogen  but  swarms 
w'itli  the  germs  of  microbes.  Add  to  a field 
where  clover  seed  won’t  “catch,”  a light  dress- 
ing of  soil  from  a plot  where  clover  tlirives  to 
perfection,  and  a catch  of  clover  seed  is  almost 
sure  to  result.  Why  ? Because  the  soil  added  is 
full  of  the  germs  or  microbes  that  enable  the 
young  clover  plant  to  avail  itself  of  the  nitrogen 
in  ground  or  air. — American  Agriculturist. 
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