656 
Supplement io the “ Tropical Agriculturist. [March 1 , 1898 , 
Mr. Baur also states, in the explanation refer- 
red to, that “ as a practical demonstration one of 
the lending agronomists of France submitted to 
me samples of wine from a vineyard which had 
been manured with a strong-smelling fertilizer, 
and the flavour of which had been distinctly 
affected, while the wine from the unmanured 
plot of the same vineyard was all right.” We 
do not know whether we should infer that the 
wine reproduced in its flavour the correspond- 
ing objectionable smell of the manure, but we 
may at least conclude that the flavour of the 
grapes was materially impaired, — and to that 
e.xteut had its market value depressed — which 
is serious enough. We have heard it said that 
vegetables manured with foecal matter at the 
Straits, emit “ when they are cold’’ a distinct 
odour of the foul fertilizer employed, and that 
the flavour or aroma of tobacco is appreciably 
affected by buffalo manure, which is, there- 
fore, avoided by growers of the fragrantweed. Tlie 
manuring of the betel-vine, it is well kno vn, 
calls for the greatest caution. 
All these opinions and experiences may have an 
important bearing on the question of economic 
manuring, and for that reason it should be ascer- 
tained whether there is sufficient grounds for 
believing that the peculiar compounds which 
impart special odours to manurial agents are, as 
such, absorbed by plants, retained in the cells of 
existing tissues, and even transmitted to new- 
formed organs such as the fruit. 
Agricultural Chemistry tells us that plants par- 
take, so to speak, of a regular diet of necessary 
plant food, the ingredients of which may, of 
course, be absorbed in greater or less proportion 
according to the species or variety of the plant; italso 
allows that they are able, to a certain extent, to take 
upuselessand deleterioussubstancesfoundin thesoil, 
and thereby to do even fatal injury to themselves • 
Prof. Warrington says that “The roots take up ap- 
parently all diffusible substances which are present 
in the water which they draw up from the soil.” 
Are we then warranted in assuming that the 
roots of plants are capable of absorbing solu- 
tions of strong-smelling compounds, as such, 
together with their normal food ingredients, and 
reproducing a correspondingly objectionable^flavour 
in their structures, whether leaf or fruit ? 
Referring to Prof. Warrington again, we learn - 
that “ a plant is capable of making use of nitrogen 
in the form of nitric acid or ammonia ; it also, 
according to various experimenters, is able to 
assimilate nitrogen in the form of urea, 'uric, and 
hippuric acids and several other amide bodies. 
The facility, however, with which ammonia and 
other nitrogenous substances are converted into 
nitric acid in the soil is so great, that nitrates 
become by far the most important source of 
nitrogen at the plants’ disposal. Could it be, then, 
that such compounds as urea as well as organic 
nitrogenousacidsfound in, or produced by the decay 
of, organic substances, — and yet to be decomposed 
into their ultimate constituents (ammonia, carbonic 
acid and water) — are instrumental in pr.)ducing 
the objectionable flavours due, as is alleged, to the 
use of animal fertilizers ? 
That organic manures do produce distinct re- 
mits, as regards quality of produce, is borne out 
by a report on “ 'The Fertilization of the Soil ns 
affecting the Orange in Health and Disease,” made 
to the Department of Agriculture, United States, 
by Mr. H, J. Webber ; — 
“ The nitrogen used in fertilization,” says Mr. 
AVebber, “ is derived from mineral or organic 
sources. Of the former sulphate of ammonia and 
nitrate of soda are the forms most used ; of the 
latter, muck, dried blood, blood and bone, cotton 
seed meal, tankage, fish scrap, stable manure, &c. 
are the forms most commonly employed. Barn 
manure is largely used by many growers who hold that 
chemical manures are injurious to plants.” The 
most important conclusions that are to be drawn 
from Mr. AVebber’s report are thus summarized ; — 
(1) By a proper combination of the various ele- 
ments used ill fertilization one can undoubtedly 
largely govern the quality and flavour of the fruit. 
(2) To obtain a fruit with thiu rind, use nitrogen 
from inorganic sources in moderate quantities, 
with considerable potash and lime. 
(3) To sw'eeten the fruit, U;e sulphate of ammo- 
nia in considerable abundance, decreasing the 
amount of potash, 
(4) To render the fruit more acid, increase the 
amount of potash and use nitrogen from organic 
sources. 
(5) If it be desired to increase the size of the 
fruit, as is sometimes the case, apply a compara- 
tively heavy dressing of nitrogen in some organic 
form, and slightly decrease the other elements, la 
the case of the Tangerine and mandarin, where a 
larger size is usually desired, a heavy dressing of 
nitrogen fertilizers would favour this end and is not 
objectionable unless carried to excess. 
(6) Fertilization has an important bearing on 
disease. 
(7) “ Die-back,” a serious malady, is in all pro- 
bability the result of over-feeding with nitrogenous 
manures from organic sources. These manures, if 
used at all, should be used with great caution. 
(8) Foot-rot, although not primarily due to 
improper methods of fertilization, is no doubt con- 
siderably influenced by this cause. 
(9) Insect diseases are also apparently influenced 
by the use of fertilizers, organic manures render- 
ing the trees more liable to injury from this 
source than chemical fertilizers. 
Mr. Walter Scott Campbell, of the Agricultural 
Department of New South Wales, commenting on 
Mr. Webber’s reports, gives it as his opinion thaj 
many of the differences in the results of manuring 
with different fertilizers are to be attributed to 
the character of the soil. He points out that the 
orange soils of Florida, the scene of Mr. Webber’^ 
experiments, are sandy and sterile. He speaks to 
having seen both good and bad results of organic 
manuring. He specially mentions volcanic soils, 
and believes that in them organic manures will be 
advantageous, particularly green-manures such as 
the cow-pea. Mr. Campbell makes special refer- 
ence to the action of organic manures in improving 
the te.xture of the soil, and the good effects trace- 
able to their power of liberating unavailable 
plant food during their decomposition. 
Some cultivatonrs give it as their experience that 
some plants are better able to deal with bulky and 
organic manuries than others ; the former, for this 
reason, being refrred to as “ gross feeders.’ 
We have written enough, wethink, to indicate the 
need there is for special research into the subject of 
