28 
Sound Stallions. 
The stallion should be pure-bred, re- 
corded, certified to asregard breeding, and 
an excellent individual. It is of as great 
importance that he should be free from 
all forms of unsoundness or disease that 
are hereditary, transmissible, or com- 
municable to offspring. It is equally as 
important and necessary that the mares 
bred to him should be sound in the same 
way, and not until both mares and 
stallions used for breeding purposes are 
free from unsoundness, such as we have 
indicated, can we confidently hope to 
raise the average excellance of our horse 
product to the high plane possible as the 
result of intelligent breeding and de- 
velopment. Many imported and home- 
_bred stallions are unsound, and transmit 
to their progeny the predisposition to like 
unsoundness, This equally is true of the 
mares used for breeding purposes 
throughout the State, for many farmers _ 
have fallen into the grievous error of 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
considering halt 
maimed, blind, or otherwise unsound 
mare fit for breeding purposes, when no 
Every 
any broken-down, 
longer able to work in harness. 
breeder should have aclear understanding 
of the diseases and unsoundnesses that 
may correctly be deemed hereditary and 
transmissible, either in fact or as 2 pre- 
disposition. On general principles it may 
be confidently stated that blemishes and 
deformities due to accidental causes 
are not hereditary or transmissible, and 
do not, therefore, render the individual 
animal unfit for breeding purposes. In 
this category may be set down unsightly 
sears from barb-wire injuries, or similar 
accidental causes, blindness, due to 
accident; lameness, due to injury; united 
fractures, not implicating the pelvis 
causes, apart from disease, unfitting 
animals for labour. The greatest possible 
care must, however, be exercised in de- 
ciding these matters; and, 
possible, it is much the better policy to 
select for breeding purposes animals in 
the best of health and free from every 
form of blemish or unsoundness, on the 
principle that breeding material should 
be f the best procurable character’ and 
quality.—The ‘American Cultivator.’ 
where 
Is Superphosphate Injurious? 
By A.L.B, in the ‘West Australia 
Agricultural Journal’. 
One often hears the remark passed by 
practical farmers that as good results do 
not seem to be now obtained from the use 
of superphosphates as heretofore. but 
August 2, 1909 
they are somewhat ata loss to explain 
the reason. All sorts of reasons are 
assigned as the cause, but as a matter of 
fact there are very few of these come very 
near the mark. It remained for 
Dr. Howells, who was for many years 
Agricultural Chemist in Victoria, to solve- 
this question; and when he became: 
associated with the Mt. Lyell Company 
he determined to put his theories to a. 
practical. test in the manufacture of 
superphosphate. By experiments it was. 
found that when a liberal supply of super- 
phosphate was applied to the ground it 
did not appreciably diminish in fertility, 
so that the cause had to be looked for in 
some other direction. 
While it is generally recognised that. 
the application of phosphatic manures. 
alone gradually depletes the ground in. 
the other two principal constituents 
(potash and nitrogen) required to main- 
tain a healthy growth, this was not. 
recognised as being the principal cause of 
the diminution of the crops on which 
superphosphates have been applied. It. 
was fouud to be characteristic of the soils. 
of Victoria, Western Australia, and many 
other parts of the Commonwealth that 
they were largely deficient in phosphoric 
acid, but that potash and nitrogen were 
usually found, with certain exceptions, in 
sufficient quantities. The cause, then 
must be looked for outside of the question 
of the lack of any of these three principal 
constituents. An analysis of the ordinary 
imported superphosphates shows that they 
were heavily impregnated with sulphuric 
acid. It was here that Dr. Howells first 
suspected and finally proved that the 
fos GOODNESS Sake Use 
VICEROY 
