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16 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Jawn., 1902. 
only did the seeds germinate more rapidly than seed from the same parcels not — 
electrified, but that the crops they produced were from double to six times 
arger. Ina second series of experiments potatoes and turnips were grown in 
a soil electrified by means of copper and zine plates, the latter being placed 
vertically in the land and connected by wires. [he crops so grown were three 
times as heavy as some grown from the same seed, and treated exactly the same, 
except that the soil was non-electrified. In a third series, barley was grown 
under a network of wires through which a constant current was run. The 
barley so grown ripened twelve days earlier than that grown on an adjoining 
test plot. Very elaborate investigations were also made in order to determine 
the exact effect of electric currents running through soils. These showed that 
the temperature of the soil was raised to a very marked extent. At first the 
moisture decreased, but afterwards increased. Taking the whole period of a 
crop’s growth, the electrifying of a soil made it warmer and more moist for the 
whole period. The decomposition of vegetable matter was also considerably 
hastened. 
Larce v. SMatt Porarors FoR SEED. 
A number of German stations last year made experiments on a plan drawn 
up by Dr. Fischer, to determine whether large or small potatoes were best for 
use as seed. Whether planted whole or cut, the large potatoes gave the biggest 
yields in every case ; but when the financial results were looked into, it was 
found that the biggest profit was made by planting whole large potatoes ; and 
the next largest profit from whole small ones. Large potatoes cut resulted in 
a small loss, while the loss was still greater from small potatoes cut. These 
results were after taking the cost of the seed into account, the value of the 
large seed being greater than that of the small seed.—Knglish Mechanic and 
World of Science. 
DO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES DO ANY GOOD? 
The President of the Board of Agriculture, Mr. R. W. Hanbury, speaking 
at the opening ceremony of the Harper-Adams Agricultural College, England, 
on the needs of agriculture, said that his own conviction was that these agri~ 
cultural colleges were doing, and would continue to do, a great deal of good. 
He would like to see more of them. He had often heard farmers say that the 
experiments in connection with these colleges did not pay; and they asked 
what was the use of xons learning that to which no profit accrued? That at 
first sight seemed right; but he did not think it fair to judge college farms by 
a purely financial result. They did not profess to be worked in the way an 
ordinary farm was worked; but had to be so managed as to be an example in 
cultivation to all the farms in the district. It was generally said that the 
farmer was the only man who had anything to learn, but he did not quite agree 
with that. There were others associated with the cultivation of the soil who 
needed educating as much as the farmer. Landlords, as a rule; wanted 
education, and land agents wanted a great deal of the same treatment. 
PLOUGHING MATCH AT CURRAJONG. 
A correspondent has kindly furnished the following report of what appears. 
to have been a most successful ploughing match, held under the auspices of the 
Currajong and Gin Gin Agricultural and Pastoral Society :— 
The match took place in the paddock of A. Sanders, Esq., Walla road, on 
Thursday, 21st November, and, taken from any point of view, must be regarded’ 
as an unqualified and most encouraging success. The weather was fine, but 
the day was oppressively hot—in fact, about the very hottest experienced during — 
