The pigeon pea (Cajanus indicus or C. cajan) grown extensively in India, Africa, and other tropical and semitropical countries has attained considerable prominence as a stock food in Hawaii, where it is being grown as an important field and pasture crop in some sections. Its culture and utilisation in Hawaii have been exhaustively treated in a bulletin of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station written by F. G. Krauss(1).

Three years of subsidised sugar-beet growing in England has made clear the chief agricultural features of the crop. Many of our soils suit it well; the climate is favourable; it fits satisfactorily into some of our typical rotations. With the 1928 crop will come into operation the first of the subsidy reductions. The consequential change in standard price per ton of beet—46s. instead of 54s. as in 1925–7—has aroused anxious interest in the likelihood that the crop will outlive the subsidy. What price the factories will be able to offer on termination of the subsidy is not yet known. It will, of course, be decided by world-prices of sugar. Values between 30s. and 35s. per ton have been tentatively suggested. It has been claimed, further, that any price which covers cost of production will make the crop an asset to English agriculture because of the benefit to following crops. Whatever the strength of this claim farmers are and will continue to be anxiously concerned about net monetary return per acre. Now this return is governed by three factors—cost of growing, yield per acre, and price per ton. Costs of growing are not likely to alter substantially. Price per ton is considerably influenced by sugar content. The factories have devoted much effort to routine sampling and testing of deliveries but have not convinced farmers that their ascertainments are reliable. It may well be doubted whether any workable factory testing can be devised to ensure accuracy to 1 per cent, of sugar content.

The study of the relation of plant-growth to environmental factors has led to much research directed to the elaboration of General Formulae expressing the quantitative response of the experimental plant or crop to the quantity of the nutrients with which it is supplied. For variations of a single nutrient only many different mathematical expressions will serve to describe the facts to the accuracy with which these are usually ascertained by experiment; the practical value of such formulae is, however, much impaired if the parameters or constants which they involve change their value from experiment to experiment. If, on the contrary, we can obtain formulae of a general character which represents satisfactorily not only the response to variation of a single factor, but the response to simultaneous variation of two or more different factors, then we have reason to believe that the parameters of such formulae will not depend upon the casual or non-essential conditions of the experiment, but will be capable of direct interpretation as physical quantities. We have shown that the Resistance Formula does fit the data of several two-factor experiments and the agreement of the three values of an determined from the three potato crops as well as the agreement of the difference in the values of k on a dunged and undunged plot with the potash expected to be available from the ten tons of dung shows that this expectation is so far justified. The parameters of the Resistance Formula are capable of a direct and definite physical interpretation; for each nutrient there are two constants; one represents the importance of the nutrient considered to the crop concerned, and may be expected to vary from crop to crop and from variety to variety, and so to afford a direct comparison between varieties of their manurial needs, while the second represents the amount of nutrient available in the unmanured soil.

Although the experiment described in this paper was undertaken in the first instance to obtain information on local conditions, the results are of general interest as an experiment in the effects of cultivation on the yield and returns of the sugar beet crop. The objects of the experiment were:

(a) To make a comparison of the effect on yield of growing the crop on the ridge with growing on the flat.

(b) To obtain data on the effect of spacing on the yield.

(c) To endeavour to give a financial expression to the results.

1. Digestibility trials with oats, carried out with White Leghorn cockerels, indicate that certain varieties of oats are more suitable as sources of food nutrients for poultry than others.

2. In the trials carried out, Grey Winter oats proved more suitable than Black Bountiful or Scotch Potato oats for poultry feeding.

3. The suitability of varieties of oats for poultry feeding appears to be linked with the fibre content, and thin husked varieties appear to be most suitable for this purpose.

4. Oats do not appear to be very palatable to poultry.

The results of four experiments are described in which twenty-five pigs were fed on a ration containing half a pint of milk. Eighteen were fed on control rations, generally considered to be adequate, and of which in one series dried separated milk was a constitutent.

In every case the fresh milk produced an increase in live weight over the controls varying from 8 to 10 per cent. Less dry matter per lb. increase in live weight was consumed by the experimental pigs than by the controls.

The returns for half a pint of milk fed per pig daily expressed as pounds live weight gain per gallon of milk fed, were as follows:

The higher values in Exps. 2 and 4 may have been due to the fact that the pigs were individually fed but differed in that the milk was mixed with the food in Exp. 2 and fed separately in Exp. 4.

The nature of the problem of moisture determinations on materials such as flour and wheat is discussed shortly. It is not possible to obtain by over drying true values for moisture contents. What is sought is a convenient and reliable procedure giving strictly reproducible figures possessing full comparative value. This was the object of the work described, the main lines of which should be applicable to agricultural products of many kinds.

The electrically heated air oven is the most convenient and suitable instrument for routine purposes, and comparative results show that it allows of far more reliable work than the water oven.

Determinations of apparent moisture content have been made on a sample of wheat flour in electric ovens at temperatures ranging from 90° to 140° C. and for periods of heating ranging from 1 to 14 hours, the technique and number of determinations (about 400 altogether) being such that the results were suitable for statistical examination. The probable errors of single determinations were calculated for several sets of results and did not exceed 0·05 per cent. The results given show that at several temperatures, variation in time of heating over a considerable range does not affect the values obtained. In the light of these results it was possible to assess the reliability, as well as the convenience, of various possible procedures.

1. The capillary pull of an ideal soil has been determined by measuring the maximum hydrostatic pressure (H) sustainable by a liquid surface formed, amongst an assemblage of uniform spheres of mean diameter 0·0374 cm. (2a). It has been found that using liquids of low surface tension like benzene to avoid contamination, the constant K in the equation Hgp = KT/2a has the weighted value 9·5.

2. Values of K for single apertures between three and four spheres in contact have been determined, using steel spheres of a diameter ⅛ in. and benzene. It is found that K does not vary rapidly for four spheres and has a value between 9 and 10 for apertures in which the ratio of breadth to length varies between 1·0 and 0·4.

3. The equivalent capillary tube is the circular or elliptic cylinder touching the spheres forming the aperture. This assumption gives values of K in fair agreement with observation.

4. The value of K is practically independent of variations of pore-space ranging from 36 per cent, to 40 per cent, such as usually occur in ordinary packing.

The study has comprised a detailed analysis of twelve samples of soil, ten of which were samples of typical peat soils, the other two being samples of normal soils. The degree of humification of the organic matter of the samples varied, that in the wet peats being high and low in the dry peats.

Extracts of the soil were obtained by the use of boiling hydrogen peroxide, 20 per cent, hydrochloric acid and 2·5 per cent, caustic potash.

Hydrogen peroxide extracted roughly 70–80 per cent, of the soil nitrogen, 60–70 per cent, of this soluble nitrogen appearing as ammonia through the oxidising effects of the reagent. The nitrogen compounds of wet peats were more easily oxidisable to ammonia.

Since the soluble carbohydrates constitute a large proportion of most feeding stuffs and are in many the preponderating factor it is desirable that as much information as possible should be known about them, particularly with regard to their energy values in relation to feeding.

Prof. T. B. Wood in the November issue of the Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture discussing the known methods of estimating the nutritive values of foodstuffs says, “there is a method which is within the scope of any experimenter and is capable of yielding accurate results of great practical value,” and he goes on to give examples, in the estimating of the nutritive value of swedes, kale, etc., using the results of an experiment which entailed the use of 40 to 120 animals. From these experiments he gets results showing a very satisfactory agreement between experiment and calculation, notwithstanding that there must be a slight experimental error in the calculation of food consumed.

1. Variations in growth of sugar beet on certain soils from north-east Scotland were investigated by examination of the soils with regard to field conditions, mechanical composition, pH value, lime requirement, readily extractable calcium and humified organic matter.

2. Field conditions and mechanical composition did not account for the variations in growth of the beet.

3. A certain degree of correlation was found between pH value, readily extractable calcium and growth of beet. In general when the pH was below 5·3 and extractable calcium below 0·12 per cent., growth was poor or failed. Above these figures it was good, but only relatively so, since all the soils were below 6·2 in pH value.

An attempt was made in a recent communication (1) to propound a theory in connection with the digestion of cellulose in the ruminant organism which should be compatible with Kellner's findings as to the value of digestible fibre in the fattening of ruminants. It was shown that the generally accepted theory, that cellulose is digested by bacterial agency in the rumen with the production of organic acids and gaseous products, such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, failed entirely to account for the equal values of digestible fibre and starch for fat production in the ruminant animal. This could only be explained by assuming that glucose (or some other sugar capable of hydrolysis to glucose) was formed as a primary product of the action of bacteria on cellulose, and that, as with digestible carbohydrates originally present in the food, only about 8 per cent, of the sugar so formed underwent further bacterial breakdown into organic acids and gases, the remainder being available for absorption into the organism in the form of glucose. On this assumption, it would follow that every gram of fibre so digested would yield to the organism as much glucose as would a gram of starch, and in this way Kellner's practical finding would be capable of explanation.

A new and improved type of dynamometer is described which by a simple interchange of parts can be used with the same percentage accuracy for all types of work from the lightest to the heaviest.

The instrument consists of (a) an hydraulic link weighing 16 1b. and placed in the hitch, (b) a recording mechanism weighing 15 lb. carried on any convenient part of the implement, and (c) a control box weighing 4 lb. carried by the operator. When packed in a stout box for transit and with all accessories the total weight is less than 100 lb. The instrument is of robust construction and has a minimum number of moving parts. Adjustments for stylus pressure, etc., are provided, but the necessity for using them hardly ever arises.

The instrument operates by recording the amount of movement in a Bourdon tube filled with oil and connected by narrow bore copper tubing to the oil in the hydraulic link.

In a former number of this Journal (1), there appeared a report on the mechanical analysis of soils by this sub-committee of the Agricultural Education Association. The report contained proposals for certain modifications of the earlier A.E.A. (1906) method, of which the most important were the introduction of hydrogen peroxide as a dispersive agent in the preliminary treatment, the use of the pipette method for the actual mechanical analysis, and the abolition of the fine gravel (3 mm.–1 mm.) fraction. This report was officially adopted by the A.E.A. and the method of mechanical analysis therein proposed was accepted as the new standard to replace the 1906 method. The full details were published in the Journal of the Association (2).

Numerous attempts have been made to devise an experimental method that, applied to a variety or a series of soils, enables them to be placed in an order closely reflecting their field behaviour or their most important physical characteristics. They are called “single-value” determinations as they endeavour to specify the soil by a single number, in distinction to the group of figures obtained, for example, from a mechanical analysis. A number of these methods are discussed in the present paper which contains an account of a detailed investigation on 39 soils of certain single value determinations.

The methods selected for study were chosen because (i) they required only simple apparatus, and (ii) they appeared to be related to some distinct soil characteristic.

The list of measurements was as follows:

Percentage of clay.

Moisture content of soil in equilibrium with atmosphere of 50 per cent, relative humidity (the ordinary “air-dry moisture content” which was also determined, is close to this value).

1. Four White Leghorn cockerels were fed with widely varying quantities of a Sussex ground oats and milk mixture without material alteration in the coefficients of digestibility of the digestible nutrients.

2. The amounts fed varied from a sub-maintenance ration of 50 gm. to a “limit of appetite” ration of 150 gm. A slight depression in the coefficients of digestibility of the organic matter, the crude protein and the N-free extract, and a slight increase in the coefficient of digestibility of the ether extract was obtained, but the differences shown are attributed to normal fluctuations in digestibility due to individual variation and not to differences in the quantity of food given.

3. In feeding experiments carried out with fowls, in which variable amounts of food are fed, these experiments indicate that it may safely be assumed that the coefficients of digestibility of the food nutrients are not materially affected by the variations in the amounts of food fed.

A Recent statistical survey of the records of premium stallions by Sanders (1) draws attention to the fact that the breeding efficiency of the horse is much below that of the other domesticated animals and that it has apparently declined within recent years. For example, between 1887 and 1889 the average number of mares served by Light Horse stallions and which produced foals was about 59 per cent, of the total mares served. Between 1904 and 1910 this figure had fallen to about 56 per cent, and at the present time is not much above 50 per cent. While this decline may in part be due to the record of infertile services being kept more strictly now than formerly, and perhaps also to the more rigorous conditions to which travelling stallions are subjected, the figures are sufficient to indicate that much loss is actually occasioned by low breeding efficiency and also that there might be considerable improvement on the present standard.