Dec. 1, 1897.] 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist. 
443 
■virulent rinderpest. Experience indicates there- 
fore that the plan which gives most promise of 
success is to inoculate with a large dose of good 
serum or defibrinated blood obtained from a salted 
animal which has been fortified by several injec- 
tions of rinderpest blood, and to expose the inocu- 
lated cattle immediately and continuously for 
several days afterwards, until every one has con- 
tracted a mild form of disease from which very 
few will die. While this is the position at present, 
“ we have every hope,” says Dr. Hutcheon “ of being 
able to devise a method by which clean herds 
which cannot be exposed to infected cattle may 
be successfully inoculated with serum. Drs. Turner 
and Kolle have recently been directing their 
attention to this matter, and in a telegram which 
I received from these gentlemen on the 8th inst. 
(Sept.) they state that “there is no longer any 
doubt that the best way to immunise cattle is 
by injecting into them one cubic centime of 
virulent blood, and directly after infecting them 
with serum.” Should their confidence in this 
matter be confirmed by extended experience, the 
inoculation of healthy herds with preventive 
serum will become a comparatively simple matter, 
which it is not at present.” 
Dr. Hutcheon cautions cattle owners against 
the indiscriminate use of serum ; for it is a mistake 
to think that to bleed a salted animal and inoculate 
healthy stock with the blood is all that is neces- 
sary, since the result will be useless and disap- 
pointing. 
FEUIT CULTURE. 
Let us suppose that the land intended for 
the orchard has been thoroughly broken up and 
converted into mellow well-aerated soil, and the 
drains also laid out in the manner described. 
Open drains are in many ways objectionable ; 
they aie so much space wasted, the side-slopes 
inevitably become gardens of weeds and hai-borers 
for pests innumerable. 
The next consideration is the laying out and 
locating places for the trees. The question of 
how many trees to put to an acre, is one about 
which there are many opinions. The question, 
however, should not be “ How close can I stick 
my trees without being considered mean to 
them?” but rather “what distance apart -svould 
be best for their healthy growth ?” The tendency 
is naturally to put them far too near each other, 
because they come to the ground as mere plants 
and we have little idea of the proportions to 
which they will grow in 5 ( r 6 years. It is 
best to remember in allotting the space that 
the foliage-head of two adjoining trees must go 
halves for the space between them : and what 
is true of the branching head is also trne of 
the branching roots which must share the feeding 
ground between them. The smallest distance 
which can be allowed between tree and tree 
is 20 feet ; set squarely, this will give 109 trees 
to the acre. The more liberal allotment of 22 
feet apart, giving 90 trees to the acre, will 
probably pay better in the long run. The device 
of planting by which any one tree in a row is 
hetioeen t'w’o trees of the next is now universally 
adopted as the best. The underground feeding 
space of the roots is thereby more evenly divided, 
and the effect of high wind much diminished. 
In planting, the holes should be dug out before 
beginning, one among other advantages being that 
the earth thrown out is all the better for being 
exposed to the sun and air, and particularly 
so where the land is inclined to be heavy. It is 
best for two men to attend to the actual planting 
out of the trees. A little of the upcast earth 
should be thrown into the bottom of the hole 
and the soil is then loosened up by a chopping 
action. More earth is then added until it is 
found by trial that the tree will sit easily on 
the loose contents and the collar stand a little 
higher than the level of the surface in which 
the hole has been dug. The contraction of the 
filling will take up that surplus and leave t 
true. Tlie roots are then carefully looked over, 
all broken roots are cut off with a sharp sloping 
cut facing downwards, and the fibres distributed 
eveuly upon the cushiou of soil in the hole. 
They must be divided evenly around the cir- 
cumference of which the stem is the centre. 
Little by little the attendant should shovel in 
small quantities of loose earth, and this is packed 
and -worked in by the planter’s hands, so that 
close contact, and above all the absence of 
hollows, may be ensured. At the same time 
the planter should see to the accurate setting 
of the tree both for line and uprightness. Then 
both men shovel in the earth to the surface. 
Neither immediately on the roots nor even on 
the surface soil is there any need for the ill- 
considered tramping and jumping which is often 
practised. The contact of earth and root system 
should be firm yet gentle. The ramming in of 
earth which may be necessary when planting a post 
will not do when dealing with a living organism 
from which we expect delicate rootlets to grow 
and for which we desire to prepare a suitable 
feeding ground. It is far better to manipulate 
the first additions of soil around the roots should 
be by the hands instead of the foot, so that 
the proper degree of firmness and closeness may 
be insured without losing the open texture of 
the soil. Then even if rain is falling at the 
time the final operation must be watering, and 
from '\\ to 2 gallons of water, according to the 
size of the hole, should be gently and slowly 
poured in through the rose of a can. It will 
not do to slush it from a bucket. The effect 
desired is to settle the particles of soil finally 
in their places and establish average and equal 
pressure round the root. A sudden dash of water 
will convert the top and layer into mud which 
will dry into an impervious caked surface, 
whereas after watering the soil round the tree 
should be as open and porous as before. If the 
time could be chosen, the planting should be 
done in cool overcast weather, without bright 
sunshine or much wind. In a few days’ time 
the callusiug of the cut roots shotild be over and 
ne-w white feeding fibres spring forth. Then 
the tree will have caught on to its new situation. 
♦ 
PRESERVATION OF GRAIN BY WEEVIL. 
(Note by Prof. Chucrh.) 
The only cheap and perfect application of 
the prevention of the attacks of weevil upon 
