The paper describes attempts to test the following points—the comparative feeding value of Yellow Globe and Long Red mangels as constituents of a liberal fattening diet, the comparative feeding value of Golden Tankard and Long Red mangels, also as constituents of a fattening diet, and the comparative feeding value of Yellow Globe and Long Red mangels for store cattle.

The results point to the following conclusions:

The rates of fattening of individual animals vary so greatly that little reliance can be placed on the results of single experiments with the small numbers of animals commonly employed in feeding tests.

The feeding values of Long Reds and Yellow Globes were compared on seven occasions, and the results discussed according to the ordinary methods used in the theory of probabilities.

It has long been recognised that the amount of ammonia in soils cannot be determined by distillation with a solution of caustic soda or potash since these strong alkalis slowly decompose the complex nitrogenous matter and evolve a coutinuous stream of ammonia. Boussingault showed more than fifty years ago how this difficulty could be obviated. By using magnesia in place of soda or potash the decomposition of such substances as urea, asparagin, and albumin was not great even on long boiling, but when the distillation was carried out under reduced pressure at 38°—40° there was no decomposition at all. Ammonium salts, on the other hand, were completely broken up in these circumstances. He used this low pressure method in his researches on the ammonia content of urine, but does not appear to have applied it to soils. Sufficiently accurate results could, he considered, be obtained by distillation at 100°, and this method was for many years generally adopted. It gave results varying according to the nature of the soil from 10 to 100 parts of nitrogen per million (·001 to ·01 per cent.), which may still be found quoted in some of the agricultural text books.

Gilbert White devotes one of his letters to earthworms. “Worms,” he says “ seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would “ proceed but lamely without them, by boring, perforating, and loosen-“ing the soil, and rendering it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, “by drawing straws and stalks of leaves and twigs into it; and, most of “ all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth called “ worm-casts, which, being their excrement, is a fine manure for grain “and grass… the earth without worms would soon become cold, hard-“ bound, and void of fermentation, and consequently sterile.” Sixty years later, in 1837, Darwin published a paper, in which he showed the important part played by worms in the formation of vegetable mould. Further observations were recorded by Hensen in 1877. Agricultural chemists did not, however, generally make use of any of this work, and it was not till 1881 that the publication of Darwin's Earthworms and Vegetable Mould directed so much attention to the subject that the action of earthworms could no longer be disregarded. Several investigations have since been made into the part played by earthworms in promoting fertility, perhaps the best known being those recorded in Wollny's Zersetzung der organischen Stoffe.

The water extracts obtainable from soils are of constant composition as regards organic matter when the time allowed for the extraction varies from 20 to 320 minutes, the temperature from 7° to 23°, and the proportions from 5 to 10 of soil to 100 of water. The inorganic matter is not affected by the time, but is by the temperature and proportions.

The increase in soluble matter produced by heating a soil, and the accompanying toxic qualities towards the germination of seeds in it, is gradually reduced by exposing these soils in a moist condition to the air, even under aseptic conditions, but is not reduced, when the soils are kept moist in the absence of air. The destruction of the toxic substance is probably, therefore, due to oxidation.

Unheated soils, or soils heated only to a low temperature, exhibit on keeping an increase in soluble matter; this occurs whether air is admitted or not, and this change, therefore, is probably not an oxidation process: the substance formed, moreover, in such cases appears to have little or no toxic action on germination. This increase of soluble matter, due to the formation of a non-toxic substance, is preceded by a preliminary diminution of soluble matter, precisely similar to the diminution of toxic matter occurring continuously in the more highly heated soils: such toxic matter, therefore, appears to be present in all soils, whether heated or not, though, in the latter case, it is present in such small quantities that it soon becomes completely oxidised.

Air-dried soils, heated and unheated, when kept for some months show an appreciable reduction in soluble constituents, and also in toxic properties (where such properties were originally present), closely similar to the reduction exhibited by moist soils kept in air for about ten days.

The existence of a toxic substance in heated soils, and the coexistence of two changes of an opposite character when such soils are kept—the one resulting in the oxidation and destruction of the toxin, the other in an increase of the soluble organic matter present—seem to offer an explanation of certain anomalies which have been observed in the growth of plants in these soils, to which allusion has already been made; provided, always, that this toxic substance is toxic towards plant-growth in the same way as it has been found to be toxic towards seed-germination.

In spite of the enormous mass of literature dealing with cattle-dipping, the actual amount of definite information on the subject is very small considering its vast economic importance. On this account this communication should be of interest.

Several years ago the writer's attention was called to the apparently favourable influence of field peas on oats when the two were grown together. The rank growth of the oats, their dark-green colour and the delayed ripening gave every indication of an abundant supply of available nitrogen compounds. On the other hand, oats seeded without the peas, at about the same time, were less rank in their growth and matured at an earlier date. Further observation and inquiry strengthened the impression in the writer's mind that the associative growth of legumes and non-legumes is frequently advantageous to the latter in that they are supplied with nitrogen compounds derived either from the decay of the fibrous roots of the legumes, or from the soluble materials passing out of the roots into the surrounding soil.

Soils in the green-house are exposed to conditions that are admittedly more or less artificial. The range of temperature and moisture is not the same as that in field soils, while the aeration of green-house soils is, if anything, even more artificial. The artificial conditions are emphasized still more strongly when the soil is kept in small pots. The operations incident to the filling of the pots and the applications of fertilizers involve a more intimate contact of the soil particles with atmospheric oxygen than is possible under field or garden conditions. This leads to an abnormal multiplication of the soil bacteria and to a consequent abnormally rapid oxidation of the organic matter. In the course of time the more readily decomposable portions of the organic matter in the soil become depleted and this is followed, in turn, by a decline in the numbers of bacteria that will grow on agar plates. It is possible that the rapid falling off in numbers is due not merely to the depletion of the readily decomposable organic matter, but also to the accumulation of certain cleavage products injurious to the bacteria. Of the latter factor we have no direct knowledge and it is referred to in this place only as a possible explanation of the facts recorded below. It may be added here, also, that the greatly decreased number of bacteria appearing on agar plates should not be accepted as absolute proof that the total number of microorganisms in the soil had diminished. There is a possibility that a compensating increase had occurred of bacteria that do not grow on agar plates, as for instance, the nitrous and nitric ferments, etc.….

Numerous investigations have been made on the amounts of combined nitrogen in rain and snow in different parts of the world during the last 60 years.

As a result of a bad attack in tea gardens of blister blight caused by the fungus Exobasidium vexans, Mr McRae, the officiating Imperial Mycologist, was deputed by Government to combat the disease. Mr McRae has tried the effect of spraying the tea bushes with Bordeaux mixture on an experimental scale. In view, however, of the recent scare in America over the sale of grapes sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, it was thought desirable to have these spraying experiments under chemical control. Accordingly an area in a tea garden was set apart and the bushes sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. After nine days the tea was picked both from the sprayed and from an unsprayed area, and about 80 lbs. (a chest) of tea was manufactured from the produce of each area. Great care was taken to prevent contamination. Samples of tea both from the sprayed and unsprayed areas were carefully sealed up and sent to this office for analysis. None of this tea was put on the market.

Very few analyses of gas lime have been published; consequently the following analyses made in the laboratory of the Department of Agriculture of the University of Cambridge may be of interest to readers of this Journal.

The samples of gas lime were obtained from the Cambridge Gas Works. One was what is known as carbonated lime, that is to say, lime which had been used for purifying the gas after it had previously been purified by hydrated ferric oxide. This sample, as shown by the analysis, is practically moist calcium carbonate. It was obtained in a perfectly fresh condition. The second sample was described by the Works Manager as “sulphided lime.” It had been used for purifying gas without the previous use of ferric hydrate. A sample was taken from the centre of a large heap which had been standing for about a year.

The attention of the writer was called recently to a publication of E. J. Russell and Norman Smith in this Journal, stating among other things that the observation of the writer of the production of nitrous acid and to a small amount of ammonium nitrite by platinum black in presence of alkaline bases as potash or baryta and air could not be realised by those authors. Since this failure was considered by others as a refutation of my observation, a few lines of explanation may be in order.

1. Internal Disease has been found to occur throughout numerous samples of potato of known variety such as for example: “The Sutton Flourball,” “Sharpe's Express,” etc.; similarly, Streak-disease has been found in samples of certain other varieties such as: “British Queen,” “Edina,” “Duke of York,” etc.

2. Well-developed Internal Disease has been detected in very young tubers.

3. The markings in Internal Disease and Streak-disease may or may not form a connected system in the tissue of the potato, sometimes the discoloured areas are quite isolated. The diseased cells can be easily traced to within a few cells of the cork-layer (skin). In Streak-disease they can be occasionally traced right up to the cork or to a slight injury to the surface of the tuber.

4. No trace of a hyphal organism could be found either within the cells or intercellular spaces of diseased tissue. The cells are killed, often retaining their starch in an unaltered condition. If the disease is propagated from cell to cell it takes place without an easily visible deterioration of the cell-wall in the initial stages.

5. Internal Disease and Streak-disease did not spread in store under the experimental condition described.

6. In every experiment samples of potatoes affected with Internal Disease and Streak-disease whether planted in Devonshire or Northumberland produced a certain proportion of tubers affected with these diseases.

7. The diseases in question are frequently complicated by the presence of Phytopthora infestans in the field and Fusarium solani in the pit or store.

To those who for the first time visit a tropical country nothing is more striking than the extraordinary profusion of insect life. Some by their abundance, others by their bizarre form, others again by the brilliance of their colouring or through some suggestive vague resemblance to familiar northern forms, stimulate curiosity and excite a longing to learn more of their strange lives. This need the authours have attempted to satisfy in so far as it can be done within the limits of a single volume. Such a work must of course be sketchy, and probably no one realises this better that the authors themselves. Insects are already responsible for 14 volumes of the Fauna of British India and the tale is yet to run.