June  1,  1897  ] 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  AgricultiirietT 
889 
10  per  cent,;  nitrogen  3i-  per  cent.  The  nse  of 
dried  blood  manure  upon  tobacco  has  given  very 
profitable  results. 
As  most  tobacco  is  used  for  smoking  purposes, 
the  chief  aim  of  the  grower  is  to  obtain  a leaf 
with  good  burning  qualities.  Heavy  loam— clay 
or  peat  soils  will  not  do  this.  This  ])lant  being  of 
tropical  origin,  a warm  soil  is  essential,  and  one 
with  but  moderate  quantities  of  organic  matter 
}>roduces  the  leaf  of  finest  te.xture.  Rank  or- 
ganic manures,  tankage,  fish,  &C.,  must  be  avoided, 
{IS  well  as  all  materials  containing  chlorine. 
GENERAL  ITEM.S. 
The  Gazette  of  India,  c-^ntains  a series  of  lengthy 
Resolutions  dealing  with  the  recommendations  of 
the  Agricultural  Conferences  held  in  1893  and  in 
1895-96.  One  of  these — the  sixth  deals  \vith  the 
subject  of  .agricultural  education  in  country 
scliools.  For  the  present  the  Government  of 
India  consider  the  following  conclusion  to  he  justi- 
fied liy  the  discussion.s  which  have  been  held  : — 
(i)  That  .agricultural  degrees,  diplomas,  or  certi- 
fic.a*'cs  should  he  placed  on  the  same  footing  as 
corresponding  literary  or  .science  degrees,  etc.,  in 
qualifying  for  admi.ssion  to  Government  appoint- 
ments, and  more  particnharly  those  connected 
with  land-revenue  administration  ; (2)  that  there 
should  be  not  more  than  four  institutions  giving 
a high-class  diploima,  viz.,  at  M.adras,  Calcutta, 
Bombay,  and  some  places  in  the  North-Western 
Provinces,  and  that  these  should  be  utilized  by 
other  provinces;  (3)  that  the  diploma  should 
eventually  be  compulsory  in  tlie  case  of  certain 
a])pointments.  e.p.,  agricultural  teachers  at  train- 
ing schools,  .assistants  to  the  Director  of  Agri- 
culture, etc.  ; f4)  that  the  practical  instruction 
of  candidates  for  certain  siihordinate  appoint- 
ments at  a school-class  or  .an  experimental  f.arm 
should  be  further  considered  ; (5)  that  the  special 
school  course  leading  up  to  the  agricultural  dip- 
loma, degree  or  certificate,  is  required  ; (6i  that 
the  ]>racti<!e  of  .allowing  school-masters  either 
before  or  after  appointment  to  pass  through  .a 
course  of  a few  months  on  a Government  farm 
is  one  which  rleserves  consideration. 
The  Department  of  Land  Records  and  Agricul- 
ture in  the  North-West  Provinces  and  Oudh  have 
issued  a bulletin  on  a new  method  of  tree  plant- 
ing, in  which  it  is  advised  that  when  one  to  two 
year-old  trees  are  planted  out,  the  roots  should 
be  cut  back  to  stubs  about  an  inch  long,  and 
the  trunk  pruned  to  a branchless  whip  of  from 
one  to  three  feet  high.  It  is  ^aid  that  by  this 
system  the  roots  grow  directly  downwards  and 
avoid  the  drought  which  is  so  disastrous  to  young 
plants  when  planted  out  in  the  ordinary  method. 
It  is  directed  that  the  roots  be  cut  cleanly  in  a 
horizontal  i)lane,  a hole  two  inches  in  diameter 
be  drilled  in  the  ground  and  the  earth  trampled 
clo.se  round  it.  Experiments  at  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  Saharunpore,  have  proved  that  the  new 
system  answers  admirably  for  fruit  trees,  .such 
as  the  apple,  pear,  vine,  peach;  and  plum,  pro- 
vided they  are  operated  on  ivhen  dormant  It  is 
not  recommended  for  ever-green  fruit  trees,  such 
as  mangoes,  leechis,  oranges,  loquats,  etc. 
The  attention  that  is  p.aid  at  Birmingham 
to  the  encouragement  of  the  art  of  preserving 
eggs  is  as  commendable  as  the  method.s  for  at- 
taining the  end  in  view  are  v.arious  and  peculiar. 
This  year  the  winning  collection  luid  been  simply 
wiped  over  with  white  of  egg,  .ami  marvelhiitsly 
sweet  and  fresh  their  yolks  and  whites  looked, 
considering  that  they  had  reposeil  .at  Bingley 
Hall  since  August  1st.  Twelve  months  .ago  the 
prize  dozen  had  only  been  rubbed  with  butter, 
wrapped  in  p.aper,  and  packed  in  lime,  such  jjro- 
cesses  being  simplicity  itself  and  pro\ing  con- 
clusively that  the  disagreeable  methods  of  coat- 
ing the  shell  witli  olive  oil  and  with  beeswax 
are  superfluous  and  unnecessary.  It-  niay  be  aibhsl 
that  the  second  prize  collection  this  year  w.as 
merely  coated  with  white  of  egg  and  packed  in 
flour. 
Lord  Arthur  Cecil  writes  as  follow's  in  the  Lit-e 
Stock  Journal  Almanac  for  1897  with  refei-ence 
to  the  shoeing  of  horses : — 
First  of  all,  then,  the  one  golden  law  to  be 
observed  is  that  nothing  whatever  should  he  cut 
or  rasped  from  the  under  surface  of  the  healthy 
foot,  beyond  the  loose  flaps  which  occasionally 
become  det.ached  from  the  fiog.  In  a contracted 
or  unhealthy  foot  it  may  be  nece.ssary  occasion- 
ally to  open  the  heels  a little,  but  the  less  this 
is  done  the  bette; . 
Secondly,  the  whole  of  the  surface  of  the  bottom 
of  the  wall  of  the  foot  should  he  potected  by 
iron,  though  the  heels  should  have  room  to  ex- 
pand. Nothing,  in  my  opinion,  is  so  injurious  to 
the  foot  .as  too  closely-fitting  shoes. 
Lastly,  as  regards  shoeing,  it  is  a mistake  to 
suppose  that  the  knife  or  r.asp  should  nerer  be 
applied  anywhere.  Horses’  feet  ilo  iu)t  all  grow' 
exactly  riglitly — ow'ing,  I belicv(',  lo  over-civili- 
sation— and  each  foot  requii-es  individinil  study 
in  rasping  or  paring  round  the  edges  to  repiajduce 
the  w'ouderful  equality  and  rotundity  of  the 
natural  foot,  w'hich  generations  of  domestication 
have  as  much  lost  .as  human  finger-nails  must 
have  altered  from  talons. 
The  Veterinary  Journal  referring  to  rinderpest 
w'rote  lately  as  follows  : — 
“ Various  observers  have  stated  that  they  ha\  c 
discovered  organisms  which  they  consider  tlie 
cause  of  the  disease,  Semner  describes  a strejito- 
coccus  liquefying  gelatine ; Metchnikofl’,  a short 
bacillus  with  rounded  ends,  found  in  the  intes- 
tinal ulcers  and  in  the  blood  ; Laweljeff,  sjiore- 
bearing  bacilli,  which  in  cultures  are  transformed 
into  isolated  micrococci  or  arranged  in  chains, 
and  he  states  that  inoculation  with  these  cultures 
induced  rinderpest.  Dr.  Lionel  Beale  described 
a granular  matter,  which  he  considered  to  be 
livingparticles — germinal  matter.  He  also  thought 
that  they  constituted  the  morbid  poison.  But 
up  to  the  present  time  there  is  no  unanimity 
amongst  observers  as  to  wdiat  kind  of  microbe 
is  the  pathogenic  one  ; we  must,  hoivever,  con- 
clude that  the  disease  is  of  a microbic  origin, 
and,  as  in  some  other  diseases,  that  an  anti- 
toxin or  antiptom.aine  may  be  discovered.  Let 
us  hope  that  Prof.  Koch  will  succeed  in  making 
this  discovery,  and  thus  gain  the  further  admira- 
tion of  the  scientific  world.” 
Since  this  was  written  Dr.  Koch’s  discovery  has 
been  made. 
The  following  is  the  Constitution  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  Queensland,  which  no  one 
will  dare  say  is  undermanned  : — 
Minister  of  Agriculture  ...The  Hon.  A.  J.  Thynne, 
M.L.C. 
Under-Secretaryin  Agri- 
culture ...P.  M’Lean. 
