OF INTEREST TO FARMERS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 52, 10 December 1909, Page 8

OF INTEREST TO FARMERS.

The amount of sand, silt, clay and humus in a soil may easily he determined (says the 'Hairkesbniy Agriculcultural College Journal") by a chemical analysis, thonga n.it a» r.-.nt. as when made in the laboratory, nrs. examine the soil sample closerv m ti;c hand, then with a lens. >»ote th; color and look for dark particles, oi humus. liub a portion between the fingers to determine the texture aiK size of particles. If smooth it is mostly clay and silt. Moisten a quantity and squeeze it hard. If it retains its shape after releasing pi assure the soil contains much clay and silt, and must bt forked carefully; if friable it contains much humus and sand. A more exact form of analysis is as follows: —Take a quart of moist soil as it comes from the field, screen out coarse particles and weigh carefully. Spread thin 011 pan and place in oven or back of stove and allow to dry "Weigh when dry, and calculate th'> rrater content. Then place the dry soil upon a coal shovel on hot coals or .in very hot oven. The humus in the soil will smoke and burn. Good soils should shrink considerably. The sand, silt and clay njay then be separated. Take a large bottle, two to four quarts; pu r in burned .soil and fill with water and shake vigorously. Place on table and allow to settle. The coarse sand will settle first, then the medium arid fine sand, while the silt and clay will remain in suspension for several days. "When all is deposited the sand will he at the bottom, the silt next and the clay on top. The manner of settling and the amount of sediment enable one to estimate roughly the proportional amount of sand, silt and clay. It is better to take a composite sample to test.

The character of the soil, its waterholding capacity, aeration, and relative fertility are determined largely by the relative amounts of sand, silt, clay and humus present. In purchasing a farm, or in adjusting some new crop to a field Jt is often more desirable to make some simple test which will indicate 'n .. general way the adaptability o the soil for the purpose intended.

If your baby is' teething during the Summer months, you must guard against dysentery and bowel complaints. Keep a bottle of •Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy in the house, and at the first unusual looseness of the bowels give it a dose. For sale by G. W. Hutcliius, chemist, Balclutha.

A REMINDER. Of what does a bad taste in thoi moufli remind you ? It indicates that your stomach -* is in a bad con." dition, and will remind you that there is nothing so good for such disorders as Chamberlain's Tablets. They cleanse and invigorate the stomach and regulate the bowels. l ? or sale by G. W. Hutchiiis, chemist, Balelu 1 tha. „ TRAINING A CHIMPANZEE. Train up a chimpanzee in the way it should go, and when it grows \ip it will take to such human pursuits as roller-skating or society entertaining (says the lady who trained Consul, Peter, and other performing monkeys now earning enormous salaries on the stage). "1 treat them exactly as one would treat children," she said. "They become members of the family, taking their meals with us at table, learning to wash and dress themselves.and clean their teeth, and having the run of the house." Margery, a baby chimpanzee, Mrs Hamlyn is training at present, is an example in point. She sits in a chair, wears clothes, shoes, and socks, sleeps in a little cot, and really behaves very much as a two-year-old child might. And her voice, when she cries, is hardly to be distinguished from that of a human baby, "I have great hopes of Margery," said Mrs Hamlyn. '"She is very intelligent, and although I have only had her a few days she has already learned how to sit up and drink from a cup, and she is making creat progress in the use of a spoon. I never teach them any stage tricks, although often enough they pick them up of their own accord. Jackie, for instance, whom I sold some time ago, and who was quite the cleverest and best monkey I ever had. used to deI light in trying to write."

SLEEPLESSNESS. Sleeplessness frequently arises from the liver. If the liver is out of order it affects the nerves, and if your nerves are in any way affected you cannot sleep. Do not resort to narcotics ; a course of Chamberlain's Tablets will set your liver right, and you will soon ejijoy refreshing sleep. For sale by G. W. Hutchins, chemist, Balclutha.