Vol. XII. No. 300. 



THE AGRICULTUllAL NEWS 



351 



SOIL INVESTIGATIONS. 



THE EFFECT OF THE LIME-MAGNESIA 



RATIO ON THE GROWTH OF RICE. 



A note in the ExperimcDi t^tation Record, 

 Vol. XXVIII, No. 9, contains the information that 

 Meyer does not believe, and cites evidence to show, 

 that the maximum yield of different "plants is de- 

 pendent upon any fixed ratio of lime to magnesia in 

 the soil. The following results, however, arrived at by 

 P. L. (lile in I'orto Rico (see Purto Rico Experiment 

 Station Bulletin, No. 12) seem to show that, provided 

 the concentration is sutticiently high, the lime-magne- 

 sia ratio is an important factor affecting the growth 

 of rice. 



In the presence of a small amount of all the other nutri- 

 ents, equal percentage concentrations of calcium chloride 

 (CaCL) and magnesium chloride (MgCL) appear to be equal 

 in their toxic action on rice. When compared on the basis 

 of equivalent moUcular quantities, CaClo is more toxic for 

 rice than MgClj. 



With a concentrated solution of CaCl.j containing 

 a minor quantity of the other nutrients, slight increases in 

 the amount of MgCl ., greatly improved the growth of rice. 

 A like improvement was produced in concentrated .solutions 

 of MgCl.. by small additions of CaC'l.... 



In solutions of 172 to 109 parts per 100,000 of the 

 combined chloride of calcium and magnesium, all the other 

 nutrients being present in minor quantity, the growth of 

 rice was distinctly better when the bases, lime and magnesia, 

 were present in the ratio 1;1, than in the ratio of 10:1, .5:1, 

 1:.5, or 1:10. The favourable action of ratio 1:1 compared 

 with other ratios was more apparent the more concentrated 

 the solutions. 



In the solutions of 62 to 23 parts per 100,000 of the 

 combined chlorides, all the other nutrients being present, the 

 growth of rice appeared to be unaffected by the ratio of lime 

 to magnesia between ratios of 10:1 and 1:10. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



The month of September has passed with very little 

 change, either in the amount of business Tlone, or in the 

 range of prices realized for products since our last report. 

 The excepiions have been that grey Jamaica Sarsaparilla 

 took a firmer tone towards the end of the month, white 

 native Jamaica and kola were lioth easier. There has been 

 but very little demand for 



«;in<;er. 



At the first spice auction on the :^)rd of the month 

 169 bags of Cochin and Calicut were offered and all bought 

 in, plump washed Cochin at 28.<. per cwt. and fair bright 

 brown Calicut at ols. On the 24th, ginger was repre- 

 sented by 74 bags of Calicut, and these were all bought in 

 at '21s per cwt. for rough wormy brown. 



XUTMEU.S -MACE, I'l.MENTO AND AKROWEOOT. 



At the spice auction on the 10th of the month the very 

 large consignment of 784 packages of West Indian nutmegs 

 were offered, and all sold at full rates as follows: 60's to 70's 

 li'i. to lOc^., 72'3 to 82's old. to 7i(l, 83's to 93's 4f(Z. to Gd. 

 105's to 114's Aid to old., 127's to 138's 4W to 5d. and 

 ISl's to 152's 4J(:Z. A week later, namely on the 17th, 

 nutmegs were again in steady demand, 168 packages 

 of West Indian were brought forward, and found 

 buyers at slightly advanced rates for the medium sizes. 

 Of 24 bags of eastern offered, a few only were sold, some 

 slightly wormy fetching lOi. At the last auction on the 24th 

 13-5 packages of West Indian ■were sold, (iS's at lid., 79's to 

 85's od. to 6hd., 98's to 108s Ihd. to 4:Jd,and IGO's to 170'3 

 ihl. Mace at auction on the 10th was well represented ny 

 341 packages of West Indian, all of which sold, good pale 

 fetching 2.s-. 3d. to 2.s. id., fair to redj)aliah Is l\d. to 2x 2d , 

 red and ordinary Is. Sd to l.s 104", and broken Is. Ad. to 

 \i. Sd. On the 24th, 24 packages of West Indian were 

 offered and 18 sold, bold pale and reddish fetching 2s 2d., 

 fair to good red Is. dd. to Is. lid , dark red Is. 7d. to Is. Sd , 

 and broken Is. 4d. to Is. od. Pimento has been very slow of 

 sale throughout the month: at the first spice auction on the 

 3rd, 2|tl per B) was the price quoted, and the offerings 

 amounted to 15S bags. In the middle of the month it 

 was rejjorted that recent sales had been effected of 1,000 

 barrels of St. Vincent arrowroot at a price averaging 3d. per It). 



SAES.\l'ARILLA. 



The month opened on September 4th with a fairly 

 steady demand for this article, though the offerings were 

 somewhat limited, namely giej' Jamaica 3 bales, Lima- 

 Jamaica 2, native Jamaica IS, and Mexican 15. The whole 

 of the first named found buyers. Is. lOii. being paid 

 for fair beardy, and Is. 9d. for somewhat coarse. None of 

 the Lima-Jaiiiaica was sold, but the whole of the native 

 Jamaica was disposed of, good red press-packed fetching 9r/. 

 per R). and ordinary dull yellowish red Id. to Sd. The 

 whole of the Mexican was bought in at 10c?. per lb. 

 A fortnight later, namely on the 18th, 6 bales of grey 

 •Jamaica were brought forward and sold at the following 

 rates: fair Is. lid., part mouldy 1,^ 9d., and sei-damaged 

 Is 8d.-, 6 bales of Lima-Jamaica were also offered but were 

 bought in at Is. lOd Of 9 bales of native Jamaica -5 

 found buyers, good red press-packed fetching 9J(i., fair red 

 press-packed 8Jcf., yellow Id., and dull medium 6hd. per lb. 



CASSIA FISTULA, JCOLA, LIME OIL, AND TAMARINDS. 



At the first drug auction on the 4th of the month 9 bags 

 of Cassia Fistula pods from Dominica were offered and sold 

 at 1.3s 6d., and on the 18th the offering amounted to 45 bags; 

 14 of West Indian sold at 14.v. G</. per cwt.: for 31 packages 

 of fair Java 15s. 6d. was wanted. 



On tiie 4th of the month kola was represented by 

 22 bags all of which were disposed of, ihd. per R). being 

 paid for 12 bags of fair liright dried West Indian halves, 

 and the same price for 10 bags of fair bright, partly sea- 

 damaged. A fortnight later the offerings amounted to 86 

 packages, only 10 of which were disposed of, being good 

 bright, dried Jamaica halves, fetching -Id. per lb. At auction 

 on the 17th, 6 packages of lime oil were brought forward, 

 and 4 disposed of, good pale distilled. West Indian fetching 

 2s. 3d , and hand pressed 15.';. to 15s. Gd. per lb. At the 

 close of the month tamarinds were well represented at 

 auction liy 59 packages of West Indian, 26 of which were 

 disposed of; 14s 6rf. per cwt. in bond, Keing paid for fair 

 darkish Antigua; dark juicy liarbados were hold at 17s. Gd. 



