Vol. III. No. 67. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



355 



I 



The experiments at Dodds were in continuation of those 

 carried out on similar line.s since 1S92. The field received 

 an ainilication of 20 ton.s of farmyard manure jier acre, and 

 the most favourable result was obtained on the plot that 

 received minerals (80 lb. phosphate as supei'phosphate, and 

 60 lb. potash as suli)hate of potash) in January, and 60 lb. 

 nitrogen as sul[ihate of ammonia in June. The increase over 

 the plot that received no chemical manure was 81 tons cane, 

 nnd at .1?2-4C per ton was worth ^iO-Ol. Deducting the cost 

 of manuring, $15-48, leaves a profit, by manuring, of !?5'43 per 

 acre. The experiments indicated a gain by manuring with 

 nitrogen and potash, but a loss by manuring with any form 

 of phosphates, and they also indicated that a further profit 

 would have accrued had phosphates been omitted. 



At Foursquare the field received an application of 35 

 tons of farmyard manure per acre. This application is in 

 excess of that generally used except when the fields are 

 intended to be ratooned. It would be expected that, as 

 a result, the effects of chemical fertilizers would be minimized. 

 As a matter of fact the results indicate that 60 lb. nitrogen 

 as suli)hate of ammonia gave an increase of 5 tons cane at 

 §!2--i6, worth $12-;?0. The cost of the manure being §9 70, 

 the profit by the application of sulphate of ammonia -was 

 J?2'70. 100 n>. phosphate as su))erphospliate gave a further 

 increase of "2 tons cane, worth $4-92; cost of manure, say, 

 $300; profit $1-92. 100 ft. potash as sulphate of potash 

 gave an increase of 1'7 tons cane over no potash, worth 

 $4-18 ; cost of potash, .say, .«5-80 ; loss, .$1-62. Total profit 

 by manuring with, say, 250 lb. sujierphosphate in January, 

 and 300 lb. sulphate of ammonia in June and July, !i?4-62. 



At Hopewell plantation an experimental field of plant 

 canes, and one of ratoons were reaped. Each field being 

 destined for ratoons received 40 tons per acre of farmyard 

 manure. The plots that received 40 lb. nitrogen as sulphate 

 of annnonia in June, and 50 ft), phosphate as superjihosphate, 

 and 50 ll>. potash as sulphate of potash in January, gave an 

 increase of 5 tons of cane over the no chemical manure plots. 

 This was worth !ftl2-30; cost of manure, fl0'80 ; profit by 

 manuring, !i?l-50 per acre. 



The plots on Fletcher Field were reaped as plants in 

 1903 and ratoons in 1904. The plots that received each 

 year no phosphate, but 50 lb. potash as sulphate in 1902 and 

 1903 (total 100 ft. potash) and 60 ft. nitrogen as sulphate of 

 ammonia in 1902 and 1903, gave in comparison with the no 

 chemical manure plots the following results : — 



1903. 1904. 



No chemical manure ... ... 15'39 15'38 



Chemical manure as above ... 17'63 32'16 



224 



16- 



Increase tons of canes ... 



2-24 tons cane at i«I-67 $3-74 

 16-78 „ „ „ !«2-46 41-28 

 Total per acre, two years 45-02 



Cost of manure, -if 25-00 ; profit two years, if 20-02 ; average 

 annual profit, .*10-01. 



The results indicate also that the potash might have 

 been omitted during the first year, with at least equal, if not 

 more, favourable results leadnig to a slight additional profit. 



LAEIJE PLOTS. 



All the fields were heavily manured with farmyard 

 manure. At Hampton, on one field, 200 ft, sulphate of 

 ammonia gave an increase of 5 tons cane over no nitrogen, 

 ■worth $12-30 ; co>t of sulphate of annnonia, .say, •*6-40 : 

 profit, 15-90. 



On another and more fertile field the no nitrogen plot 

 gave higher results, and in this case an application of 400 ft. 



of suliihate of ammonia gave an increase of 4 tons over the 

 no nitrogen plot, worth $9-84 ; cost of sulphate of 

 ammonia, say, $12-89; lo.ss by manuring, $2-96. The increase 

 by manuring therefore on a very fertile field was much less 

 than on a less fertile field, both having been manured with 

 heavy apjilications of farmyard manure, and an ordinary 

 ai>plication of mineral manure. 



Fours([uare. 

 Xo phosphate plots ... ... 33-5 tons cane 



250 ft. basic slag 35-00 



Increase ... ... ... ... 1 -.50 tons cane 



worth $3-69 ; cost of basic slag, say, .$3-00 ; profit by 

 phosphatic manure, fO-69. 



lilowers. 



Phosphate plots. These plots showed a loss by the use 

 of phosphatic manure. 



Ruhy. 



Potash plots. No potash, average tons canes .. . 35-00 

 100 lb. sulphate of potash ... 37-50 

 Increase tons of canes ... ... 2-50 



worth $6-15 ; cost of manure, say, $2-90 ; profit by manuring 

 with sulphate of potash, $3 '20 per acre. 



On the whole, the results confirm previous conclusions 

 that nitrogenous manures were the most important, and in 

 nearly all cases profitable ; that sulphate of potash gave 

 increased returns which, however, were in one instance not 

 large enough to pay the cost of the manure. That in the 

 ease of some soils, the application of phosphate led to increase 

 of yield and profit, in the case of other soils it led to no 

 increase or even diminution of yield, and loss of money. 



The question of profit or loss by manuring depended 

 also upon the current price of sugar. 



These results were ol.itained on land that received liberal 

 application of farmyard manure. Previous results indicate 

 that in the absence of farmyard manure and probably also 

 \\hen farmyard manure is supplied in insufficent amounts, 

 all these forms of fertilizers would give larger increases. 



In the case of ratoons, the results indicated that, 

 looking to the lai-ge application of farmyard manure, 

 nitrogen was alone necessary in the first year, and that the 

 most favourable applications to the ratoons were 100 ft), 

 sulphate of potash and 200 ft. sulphate of ammonia in June, 

 and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda as soon as the stools began to 

 spring. 



RUBBER IN THE GOLD COAST COLONY. 



The following extracts from the Annual Beport 

 on the Gold Coast for 1903 relating to rubber cultivation 

 are of interest : — 



Samples of Para rubber (Ilevea bmsiliensii^) and African 

 rubber {Funtumia ehtstku), grown in the gardens at Aburi, 

 in comparatively poor, stony soil, were sent to the 

 Government Chemist at Lagos for analysis and produced 

 highly satisfactory results. The Para rubber was reported on 

 by English brokers and found to be quite as good as that 

 exported from Ceylon. 



The Central American rubber {Castilloa elastica) has not 

 produced satisfactory results, the soil at Aburi not appearing 

 to suit it. 



In the rich, low-lying hands at Tarkwa, better results 

 are likely to be obtained from all the species, and 6,000 Para 

 plants have already been raised there from seed sent from 

 Ceylon. 



