RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1774, 17 November 1883, Page 4

RURAL NOTES.

In tho " Comptcs Rondus" Professor Deherain gives tho result of seven years' ;, (experiments on loss and gain of nitrogen in arable t land. Tlie crops grown wore maize for fodder, and potatoes, nnd the several plots of land weic sulijcctcil to differcrtVklhds of tioatment. Ono series of plots received an abundance of farmyawl manure, another was ticated with nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, and the third series w.is wholly unnunn red. Each crop was weighed and a sample analysed, the resulting number-, supplying data for calculating the quantity of nitrogen in the entue crop. The conclusions ar lived at weie the following: — Firstly, the loss of nitrogen in ai.ihlc land is not only due to its removal in vegetation, but also, and in a greater degree, to the oxidation of nitrogenous organic matter, the loss being greiter tho oftener the land is tilled. Secondly. when the land is not disturbed by tillage, the air penetrates less fieely, oxidation is more restricted, and the gain of nitrogen exceeds tho loss. Thitdly, a soil is more easily enriched by being allowed to remain in meadow tluu by lavishing manure upon it. In the same journal, H. Leplay records tlie results of his inquiries into the chemistry of the maize plant, which may be taken as a type of the cereals. Tho total quantity of nitrogen contained in tho stalk aud leaves is greater before the formation of tho ear than after the maturity of the grain, and the quantity in the mature grain is greater in the stalk, leaves, or rachis. t'fhe r<iehis is that part of the stem which extends along tlie ear of corn.) The proportion of phosphoric acid to dried substance is greater in the grain than in the leaves and stall?, and greater in these latter than in the VAchis. A migiaticm or tiansfei of phosphorus therefore takes place from root to grain. Of the nuneial acids present phosphoric acid forms, about !)() per cent., and of the babes magnesu 4!) per cent., lime (3 pei cent., and potish 42 per cent. Tlie mtiogi nous, and miiu-i.il matter, during the peuod of giouth oi the maUB, passes from the loot thtoigh the various organs to the giam, m a similar manner as with boetioot. These various organic and miuci.il substances, although present only in the minutest traces, are believed to be essential to tho proper disehaige of theii functions by the various organs, and their picsence in the soil, m suitable form for assimilation, h neccssiary for the giowth of the plant. In " Bicderm.uin'o Centialblatt," F. Walther states that expciiinvntb jii fooding some cows with cotton cake meal and others with ryc-buui pioved tlie superiority of the foimer Jood for thp production of butter. A mixture ot cotton cake and giains produced less milk and somewhat lem butter than a mixture of oocoanut cake and giams. W. Wolde demolish ates that lice meal is less costly, moic productive of milk, and more palatable than e.u tli-nut meal. Langsdorf has eained out thiity tourbcts of experiments to jusoeit.un whether or not it is most advantageous to feed calves for the lmtcher with bkiin milk. The following result ot feeding cattle on dry fodder is of mteiest, tlie figures given being tho English equivalents of the German ones :—^even oxen were fed from May to tlie cud of August on hay and afteimath, in addition to ■which from June onwaul.i they woic allowed oatt. ; the total expense of food and attendance was leckonod at CI-0, each hundred weight of livo weight being put on for 'M !)<! — v satWautoiy icMilt The aveiage daily gam in weight was 3Ub. Thetempeiatuie ot the soil does not entirely depend on tlie Mill's heat, hemg in pait dependent on the condeiisatiaii^ of water vapour and on the decomposition of organic matter. Wagner has endeavoured to detciunne the* heating client of the fresh aud lotten dung of \.uious. animals, as also of gr el inanities and stubble. The me o* tcmpciatnio is in proportion to the quantity °f manuie and to the amount of moistuie j)iet>ent. U the temperatme ot the air lalU to 10 degieea, the piodiii_hon of heat in the soil will cea-e. Tlie moie easily dc composition is eiiected. tile «ieatfi i-^ the rise in teinpeiattne ; all added tnatuial, such ns lime, which assists decomposition, aids, theicfoic, m uusing the teiupeiature, and it is also icquisiti 1 that tne manuie should be e' enly di&tnbuted. The gieatost heating vil\ cfc occui-> iiiiiiicdiatcly after tlie application of the man in c, but heat contniut-b to be generated for fioin foui to twehc weeks. Bean stiaw is the n.osfc efTcetnc, leading to an increase in temperature of o decrees ; horse dung is next, pioduung an inciease of 2 dcgiees.

Paying RailwavVa^lxcjuis —A novel system of competition has been stai ted in the United States by the Pciinsjhama Raihoad Company, which is one of the, piincip.il lines between Chicago .mil New York. llecently the Company has advertised its through time at b< twuon one or two hours shorter than the time taken by thcNcwYoik Cuntial or the Erie Roads, agreeing witli the pa^engeis that if the ti.im between Chicago and New York should be half an hoiu behind time each passenger \\ ill be a entitled to a return of live dollais. The sleeping ear porters, when they discover din-ins,' 1 lie journey that the train will be half an ■ hour late, buy the coupon tickets fiom the passengers, paying about thiee dollais each, to which passengois. rcad.ly agree, in older to sa\c themselves the tiouble of going to the Company's office to collect the five dollars. A Luwcßors Srouv.— Apropos of the forthcoming publication of the Duke of Sa\e-Coburg's piivate memoirs, a ludicrops story was not long since being circulated in Germary in illustiation of the fancied relations ot his Itovil Highness towards some other r-eisonagcs A younger son of the Duke of Aigyll, so ■ ran the legend, who wished to many an unti tied lady, not unnatui ally asked his j father's consent to that step. The 1 hike replied that personally he had no objection to the match: but, in\icwof the fact that his eldest son had espoused a daughter of the Queen, he thought it right to take her Majesty's pic asurc on the subject before expiessmg his foimal approval. Pier Majesty, thus appealed to, observed that since the death of the Prince Consort shu bad been in the habit of consulting the Duke of .Saxe-Cobnra! on all family affan.*. The matter Mas therefore refeired to Duke Ei nest, a\lio replied that since tin* unification of Germany he had made it a rule to a&k for the Emperor's opinion on all mipoitaut questions. The case now came befoie the Kaiser, who decided that, as a constitutional Sovereign, he was hound to ascertain the views of his Pi nne Minister. , MR ]?KAI>r,AU(!H AN'IJ TilK Sls-lON 01' 1334, — Mr Charles P>iadlau«h, Icctiuing in Manchester on the 39th September, made an important announcement "with regard to the course he intended to pursue next session. lie denied a statement which had been made that lie would use force to obtain his .seat, and said his actions would depend very largely on the decision of the coiuts of law in November. If the law courts decided in his favour, then he thoueht it possible that the courts and the House of Commons would be left to settle between them which was the strongest, but he should feel it his duty to stand between them and see fair play. If the courts decided that the House of Commons might make law against the statutes it would be clearly his duty not to hold the seat any longer. If, on the other hand, the cour;s decided in his favour, he hoped the House of Commons would set the example of obedience to the law which he had tried io inculcate, and that this struggle, disgraceful in its continuance, and 'dishonourable in its mariner of I fighting, would come to an end. If tlj^V courts decided, that the -claims of pviv^ge prevented their interpreting the jlgpjyjihen the dirty would be placed on hipM jfc terprtfjpg tfco taw, - Miwi r >