The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-07-13

case interested me, but | only men~
I ton 1t as suggestion, simply re-
marking that perhaps the less active
and harder orange may have checked
the rampant lemon, SO that it ripened
it's wood sufficient to Withstand the
cold also that perhaps in this way
slower growing, hardy lemon trees
and lime too, may be procured.
NITROGEN.
Prot G. G. Caldwell says that DR..
J. B. Lawes, of England, shows by
the analyses of the soils of some
of his experimental plots that the ma
tive stock of nitrogen is drawn upon
to a considerable extent, even under
the ordinary system of culture and
manuring. Analyses OF part OF field
which had been a long time in pas
ture, was estimated to contain $500
pounds to the acre in the uppermost
nine inches and 220O pounds in the
next nine inches. The other part OF
the field, which had been under Gull
tivation many years, contained but
$500 to $500 pounds to the acre in
the uppermost eighteen inches. The
difference represented the amount OF
nitrogen carried off by the crops.
Prof. G. states that y crop of 20
bushels of wheat to the acre draws
from the soil 80 pounds Of nitrogen,
Is OF phosphoric acid, and 10 of pot.
ash; and that crop of so bushels of
corn takes off 4S, about "a and II
pounds respt ctiveIy Of these ingre'
dients. II has been generally sup
posed that vegetation derives much
of its nitrogen from the atmosphere,
but the Professor says: "There is no
good reason for supposing that it, (the
CROP gets this constituent OF its
food (nltrogeu) to any notable extent
from the air" The remarkable rich
ness OF the surface as compared to
the ground below would indicate that
the earth draws nitrogen from the
air, and SO feeds it to vegetation.
The large proportion of nitrogen
TO the other two chief ingredients of
plant TODD is noteworthy, and expe>
rience shows that we can not depend
upon the air for Il full supply of it TO
our !ong,used sandy land; we must,
therefore, re-Stock it with nitrates or
heterogeneous manures, as well as phos-
pilates and potash. These things are
as inexorably due to the land from
year to year, as the interest on a
mortgage on the same land the non
payment causing failure OF crops as
the mortgage does loss of the farm
ASSIMILATION.
am tempted to add a bit from
Prot. Kirk, of Edinburgh: There Is
a curious law OF what men call Ma
ture. Mineral substances will pass
into vegetable, then vegetable will
pass into animal; but mineral will
not spass into animal without the
bridge formed for 1t by vegetation.
Animal will pass into animal, vege>
table into vegetable, mineral into
mineral; but when one OF these is to
pass into another it can only be in the
order which the nature ot things
determines. The order OF lite is min
eral first, vegetable second, and ami
NAL third"
AsHMEAD'S ORANGE INSECTS
is valuable work, and orange cul
turists should study it. 10 thorough
" know ones enemies is halt the bat
lie and assures victory. Mr.. ~.
would do Florida Invaluable service
if from time to time through your
columns he would give notice of the
Matching times Of the various scale
insects, at which times inexpensive
washes will destroy them.
l.. II. y.
st. Nicholas, Fla.