Jan. I, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURliST. 



47 i 



of finely ground shells present; thus at Padstow it 

 contains as luuch as 80 per cent, while further up 

 the Channel, at Bude, the proportion of carbonate 

 becomes reduced to r<0 per cent, and at Hartland 

 Point there is only 30 per cent, the remainder con- 

 sisting of siliceous sand, associated with some oxide 

 of iron. 



Practical experience has taught the native farmers 

 which locality yields the sand richest in carbonate 

 of lime, and therefore the most economical for their 

 land, and it is interesting now to know the reason for 

 such selection, Furthei-, this local practice of dressing 

 light soils with finely-ground shells is a strong argument 

 in favour of the value of insoluble phosphate when 

 applied judiciously, in the form of ground bone ash 

 or Cambridge coprolite, on land naturally deficient 

 in lime and fairly rich in vegeta'sle matter. Of course, 

 these insoluble phosphates take longer to become 

 available than is the case with solvible phosphate, 

 which becomes at once precipiated when mixed with 

 the soil, and consequently is in a much finer condi- 

 tion than any ground raw phosphate. Hence, for 

 turnips superphosphate or dissolved bones will be 

 preferred, because they afford an immediate supply 

 of that food which the young plant requires in the 

 period of growth, so as to get quickly beyond the 

 reach of the ravages of the fly. On land poor in 

 lime we should either use a mixture of soluble and 

 insoluble phosphates, or we should apply a dressing 

 of chalk, sa3- 4 or 5 tons per acre, and see that it 

 is well spread over the surface before marking out 

 the turnip ridges and applying superphoppoate, as, 

 for instance, was done in one of the experiments 

 with swedes in Warren Field at Woburu, where the 

 application of 5 tons of chalk alone per acre caused 

 an increase of 2 tons of swedes over that obtained 

 on the unmanured plot. 



On pasture, lime is best applied in the form of 

 composts made from ditch cleanings, heaped together 

 for some months and put on during frosty weather; 

 also road scrapings, if derived from limestone, make 

 an excellent dressing for grass land, for some of the 

 best and sweetest herbage is grown on old pasture 

 which has been well chalked or is naturally already 

 rich in carbonate of lime. Lime destroys the coarser 

 grasses, and favours the growth of the finer-flavoured 

 and more nutritious herbage. 



In addition to turnips and swedes, the following are 

 crops specially requiring a liberal supply of lime : — 

 Clover, peas, beans, vetches, and sainfoin. On land 

 that has been properly limed, clover sickness is said 

 to be less known than where this old practice has 

 been neglected. 



During the last twenty years the writer has had 

 numerous instances brought to his notice where judi- 

 cious liming has been attended with the most satis- 

 factory results, both on arable and pasture land. But 

 lime should be applied with caution and in moderate 

 doses, and, moreover, be followed with manure of 

 some kind, for crops require other constituents be- 

 sides lime. In these times of depression in agricul- 

 ture it is well to recall the attention of farmers to 

 some of the old practices of their predecessors, and to 

 remember that such were introduced into the category 

 of local customs as the result of many years' practical 

 experience. 



There is, of course, judicious liming and injixdicious 

 liming, and there are certain districts where the 

 practice is carried to excess, while in other it seems 

 to be almost entirely neglected. 



Further, it has been pointed out in this paper, there 

 are a great number of light sandy and gravelly soils 

 which will not stand the application of lime in its 

 fresh caustic state, but which would be greatly bene- 

 fited by a dressing in its original form of carbonate 

 of lime, such as we find in chalk, shell sand, or 

 ground coral. 



In conclusion, there is one form in which lime can 

 always be applied with safety and without any fear 

 that the results will be vinsatisfactory, namely, as a 

 compost with vegetable refuse and soil. If the ditches 

 along many of our country roads were more fre- 

 quently cleaned out, and used in this form, a most 



valuable dressing would be afforded for the neighbour- 

 ing fields, be they in pasture, corn, or roots, while 

 the reals would be drier, and less liable to get flooded 

 during wet weather. .John Hughes, F.O.S., 



Consulting Chemist to the Ceylon Planters' Associ- 

 ation, 79, Mark-lane, London E.G. — Field. 



THE QUEENSLAND SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Brisbane, October 24th. 

 The sugar-cane growers and sugar manufacturers of 

 Qu-^ensland seem destined to meet with unexpected 

 troubles. Only a few years back they were nearly 

 swamped by reason of the " rust " disease ; then after 

 a brief period of prosperity a series of dry years 

 obtained, and the crops were very short, so much so 

 that it got to be commonly asserted that the lands 

 were exhausted ; on the top of this came the scarcity 

 of labour and political harassings, accompanied by a 

 fall of 100 per cent in the price of sugar. Last 

 year was a glorious season, and far more sugar was 

 manufactured than ever before, the total quantity 

 being 66,000 tons, but this year there comes the 

 singular trouble that a still more glorious season than 

 was that of I8S0 has prevailed, and so there is far 

 more sugar in the fields than can ever be gathered. 

 U.sually the tropical growth of vegetation in Queens- 

 land commences in December (about Christmas), and 

 ceases in May, and the rest of the year the charac- 

 teristics of the climate are decidedly nontropical, for 

 the winter, spring, and early summer are almost rain- 

 less, and dessicating westerly winds prevail. This is 

 the time the sugar manufacturer chooses for his 

 operations, for then the cane ceases in a great 

 measure to grow, the juice attains a high density, 

 and carting to the mill of the thousands of tons of 

 cane is easily accomplished through the ground being 

 hard. Now, this past winter and spring have been 

 abnormally wet and mild. Rain every week, and 

 heavy continuous rain every fortnight, would about 

 characterise the weather report. The temperature 

 has been mild, too, the drying winds having been 

 absent. Consequently the cane has never ceased 

 growing, and there is the grandest crop ever known 

 on the fields, even on the old cultivated lands, until 

 lately supposed to have been worked out. The plan- 

 ters have made several starts at crushing, and as 

 often have had to discontinue through the lowering 

 of the density of the juices, the dilBcuIties of keep- 

 ing the mill supplied, and getting the megass (crushed 

 cane) dry enough to use for fuel. The manufacturing 

 season is now well advanced, and the probability is 

 that the weather will continue showery, for the 

 thunderstorm season has set in ; that it will close 

 early is also likely, for the summer rains will begin 

 about Christmas. It is thus absolutely innpossible 

 that these fine crops can be gathered this year. This 

 is more or less the state of things at all the centres 

 of the industry, from the extreme north to south of 

 Brisbane, for even on these southern rivers the win- 

 ter passed without the slighest touch of frost ; the 

 cane kept green and growing, so that crops of the 

 south are almost as luxuriant as are those in the 

 north. From Mackay northwards, the rains have 

 l)een excessive. At Cairns and the Johnstone about 

 140 inches have falleti since Christmas last. At Mackay 

 thej' had 8 inches during September, which is usually 

 the best crushing month of the year. It is now night 

 and day, continuous work, at all the principal mills. 

 Nevetheless, it is certain that the gross returns will 

 be considerally less from that district than were those 

 of last season. The selectors who grow cane for 

 sale to the mills of course will feel this absence of 

 returns severely, for the mills will take but a limited 

 quantity of outside cane so long as their own is left 

 uncut. The quality of the sugar produced is quite 

 equal to that of last year, and which obtain such 

 general praise in all markets. 



There is one district which this singularly wet sea- 

 son has suited exactly, and that is the Burdekin 

 delta lands. This locality has the least rainfall of 

 any of the sugar centres, and although an immense 

 expenditure of capital was incurred in establishing 



