188 
THE INFLUENCE OF CHALK ON THE FIELD LUPINE. 
[Nature and Art, November 1, 18GG. 
play-writer ; and the consequence is, he seeks to 
produce works of literary art, as well as telling 
theatrical pieces. His love of effect is, however, as 
great as his taste for the mental ; and he is as far 
removed from the literary man’s usual notion of 
dramatic writing as any sensational dramatist that 
ever drew down the applause of an audience with 
a real brick wall or a veritable gas-lamp. He has 
a good deal of satiric power, and the common sense 
that belongs to it. His characters always act like 
veritable and every-day human beings ; and say and 
do no more than is necessary for the action of the 
drama. He knows, however, that they must 
also interest, and he contrives to give them a 
smart and sometimes an eloquent utterance. It has 
been said they talk “good drawing-room chaff,” 
and they do. He is also ingenious in placing his 
characters so as to bring out his story ; and, indeed, 
manifests much dramatic talent. He is what a 
hundred years ago would have been denominated 
“ a very ingenious writer,” meaning thereby ex- 
tremely clever and judicious. “ Ours ” is a pleasant 
as well as clever production, and has so much 
geniality, and is so comparatively true to modern 
life, that it cannot fail to be popular with those 
who still expect in a comedy some dashes of 
wit, some new portrayal of character (exteriorly 
at least), and incidents so well put together that 
they interest. Mr. Henry Byron, now become the 
manager of two Liverpool theatres, has given a 
new burlesque to this theatre, which is also founded 
on the opera of “ Her Freischiitz.” It is more of 
a parody than Mi'. Burnand’s, and is both better 
and worse on that account. It is not, however, 
one of Mr. Byron’s best productions, though his 
facility of word-splitting and echoing sound is still 
manifest. 
The great theatrical event of the season, how- 
ever, has been the opening of an entirely new 
theatre in an entirely new region as concerns 
theatres. The “ New Holborn ” has been success- 
fully built and opened by Mr. Sefton Parry. It is 
a very pretty and commodious building, accessible 
and airy ; and comprises all the latest stage apti- 
tudes. It opened with a four-act melodrame by 
the ubiquitous Mr. Boucicault, who seems ready to 
provide the whole world with plays. It is called 
“ Flying Scud,” and in the first two acts interests 
by the fate of a famous race-horse being involved. 
This equine hero is pursued by blaclc-legs, and pre- 
served by a faithful ’cute old jockey ; coming in 
triumphant for the Derby. With his success the 
intei'est of the piece dies, though the lovers are 
still persecuted, and the human hero is robbed at 
cards, engaged in a duel, and subjected to a variety 
of the usual mishaps that occur to sensational 
heroes. It would seem that the manager’s aim is 
to make his new playhouse, with regard to the 
Holborn thoroughfare what the Adelphi is with 
regard to the Strand. It will take time, talent, 
money, and perseverance to succeed, but we have 
reason to believe Mr. Sefton Parry is provided 
with all these requisites ; and avc heartily Avish him 
success. 
We have still left a few outlying of the fifteen 
theatres iioav open unnoticed ; but we must make 
a special circuit in their exterior orbits. The 
inveterate playgoer will not need to be told he will 
find sensational pieces at Astley’s and the Victoria. 
In the opposite extremity of the town he Avill also 
light upon, at the Grecian, a \-ery well-contrived 
piece ; and Mr. Anderson, the tragedian, is at the 
City of London. At Sadler’s Wells, Miss Marriott 
still Avitli unceasing energy and much merit plays 
the high poetical drama ; and Avill shortly appear in 
Sliiel’s “ Evadne ” ; although Ave Avould rather see 
her in Beaumont & Fletcher’s character of the 
same name in the play modernized as “ The Bridal.” 
THE INFLUENCE OF CHALK ON THE GROWTH OF THE 
FIELD LUPINE. 
By P. H. Fkebe, M.A., Editor for the Boyal Agricultural Society. 
T HE design on the opposite page is given to illus- 
trate the influence Avliich an uncongenial 
element in the soil may exert, and the difference in 
growth which it may cause in plants sown in the 
same field, on the same day, under the same condi- 
tions — barring small casual variations in the soil. 
The blue field lupine came to us a few years 
back, with a high introduction, from the sterile 
sandy plains of North Germany, as a plant which 
would groAv vigorously on the poorest lands, bearing 
a rather bitter seed, which animals soon learned 
to like, or in its green state affording abundant 
produce to be either eaten by sheep or ploughed in 
asinanure. 
Various farmers on the reclaimed warrens of 
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Surrey, have reported most 
favourably of its growth ; Avith others it failed 
most unaccountably. 
About seven years ago, when Baron Nathusius, 
president of the Prussian Agricultural Society, 
brought this under our notice as a field-crop, I tried 
a large piece, which failed utterly ; I then hinted 
at a chalky subsoil as being the cause of the failure, 
but certain scientific authorities would not accept 
the explanation. This year, some of my farmer 
neighbours Avere all agog about the plant — it had 
just cropped up as a novelty in their field of vision 
— and I said to them, “Try it by all means, and 
choose as sandy a bit of land as you can find, but 
‘ Ware chalk.’ ” The district has much heath-land, 
