The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1105, 24 July 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintaiu, , Uhawod by influence and unbribed by gain.

TUHRSDAY, JULY 24, 1879

That Parliament will sanction the proposed loan, whatever Ministry may be in power, there is little doubt. The Opposition has attacked not tho policy of the present Ministry, but its administration, and the scheme of public works must be pushed to its legitimate issue, aud the means raised for carrying ifc on. Ib has bsen suggested, and mot without some show of reason, that in raising further loans, opportunity should be afforded to persons of moderate capital within the colon of taking up debentu.es as an investment for their savings. This would, as urged, keep a portion of the interest on the loau from being sent anually from the country, but less value will attach to this argument on second thought, when it is rembernbered that it will in just the same proportion divert capital within the colony frorm investment, and keep foreign capital out. The advantage would be in the encouragement of thrift among ths working class, that ib would make many who do not do so now take a lively and practical interest in political matters, and put the drag upon the liberal element, that ib may not as ifc has done in America, too rapidly develop into demagogy and ultra democracy ; ior as Cobbefc has said of the English cotter if he be leb acquire £4 cow and a cabbage garden he becomes a conservative at once, so in this case if debentures were to a considerable extent held by the colonists, the tendency of political feeling would be in the same direction. With this object in view in the United States Government, debenbures, or, what is the same thing, interest bearing certificates have Deen freely issued amongst the Home public in stock of as low as 10 dollar bonds. There is no need to go as low as this in New Zealand. Ten or twenty pound debentures would find a numerous class of purchasers, and form a good investment for capital in small snms bearing five per cent, interest, inasmuch as they would be at any time negotiable. They would be more popular than the savings bank, for the interest would be higher, and yet not inter, fere with the usefulness of that institution, for till the sum saved equalled bhe price of a debenture the bank would jbe availed of. The matter is one worthy of consideration by the Government, which through the machinery of the Post-office could easily and cheaply work out the administrative details of the scheme.

The l North British Agriculturist' of a late date, contains some verv useful information respecting the amelioration of the soil by various mechanical processes, and the relation of the soil to the 1 crop. This subject has formed matter for a lecture by Dr. Aitken, who went fully into the science of the chemistry of agriculture. Having shortly recapitulated the chief chemical characteristics of fertile soils, the lecturer proceeded to describe the effect of drainage upon soils. Wet soils were correctly described by farmers as cold, for the "reat amount of evaporation from such land was attended with a constant diminution of temperature. The sun's heat, which should liave been absorbed by the soil, rendering ifc more suited fpr germinating the seed and ripening fche crop., wag taken up in converting water into vapour. As soon as such land was drained the water receded to a lower level, the soil became warm, and the harvest was earlier. By this means land was able to be cultivated with advantage, where formerly Mopa would not grow at all. The texture flf the soil was changed ; ifc became porous and friable, and was such that air,could now enter and carry on the process of weathering. The roots of plants did nofc penetrate waterlogged soils 1 , and deep-rooted plants could nofc grow in themj but as soon as they were drained there was a real increase in the amount of available soil, aud plants, beirig able to send their roots deeply inta the soil and subsoil? liad not

only a larger area from which to take up nourishment, but were also less liable to injury from drought. A hard pa.i very soon crumbh-d away wheti the water which gave it coherence was drained down from it. and the oxygen of the air allowed (o get- beneath it. Subsoil ploughing was often very advantageous when the subsoil was rich in plant food, or in some constituent of plant food in which the soil was deficient. This was a process required to be performed with the utmost caution, very gradually, and not until the subsoil hud been drained and become weathered. Deep cultivation was a species of extensive shallow draining, aud rapidly promoted the weathering of the soil. The effects of this were well seen at Tester and Sutherlandshire. Paring and burning much improved heavy clay lands or such land as had an excess of organic manner and improved the physical condition of the soil.

Some crops abstracted from the soil more mineral food than others, and required for their - growth land in which these mineral matters were abundant. The amount of food in a soil which _ould be assimilated must always be vastly in excess of the immediate requirements of the crop. Laud which could not produce a full crop of wheat might give good crops of oats, and have in it as much nourishment as would suffice for a hundred crops of wheat. The extent to which a plant was able to make use of the food in the Boil depended on many circumstances — such as the extent to which its root- ramified in the soil, for food did not travel about in the soil to any extent, the roots had to cro in search of it. The length of

time during which the plant grew, and the specific power of absorption possessed by the roots, where also impoitant factors in determining the suitability of certain crops to certain soils.

Fallowing was beneficial to soils where the weathering process was unable bo keep pace with the requirements of the crops. Some plants, such as wheat, turnips, and clover, send their roots deep, and were able to take food from the subsoil ; others, su.li as barley and potatoes, ramified through the soil only. To grow the latter continuously would have the effect of exhausting the soil, and leaving the snbsoil unaffected, except in so far as by capillarity. Food in solution was able to be drawn from it into the soil, though the probability was that this did not- go on to any great extent.

Rotation of crops, in causing a deep-rooting crop to succeed a shallow one, enabled the food in the land to be more equally used up. Some crops usod some constituents of the soil more'than others. Thus wheat took up relatively mush phosphoric acid, clover much potash, potatoes much lime and' magnesia ; and rotations succeeded best where crops were grown which caused the riches of the soils to be equally abstracted. Soils were enabled to be enriched at the expense of the subsoil, by growing upon them deeprooting plauts (such as clover), and ploughing them in. Such processes as had been described added nothing to the actual weath of the soil, but had for their object the more equal and thorough impoverishing of it. Improvement of land by such means meant reducing ifc to a condition in which ifc could be more easily robbed of its riches. The more effectively this was carried on, the land became less rapidly but more thoroughly exhausted. The lecturer then explained and illusbrabed the process of exhaustive farming, as carried on in many countries, leaving for future consideration the maintenance and increase of fertility by tho use of

manures.