April i, 1886.] tHE TROPICAL AdRiCtJtTtJjRfif, 



66| 



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SALT AS A MANURE: KAIKIT. 

 Mr. Johu Hughes is an accomplished agricultural 

 chemist, and any opinion from him is to he re- 

 ceived with very great respect, but \vc fear he 

 underrates the difficulty of so mixing salt with any 

 substance, that pure inodorous crystals of chloride 

 cannot bo obtained by solution, filtration and evapor- 

 ation. The question has frequently been dis- 

 cussed in Ceylon and always with the same re- 

 sult : salt can bo recovered from the most com- 

 plicated and the foulest mixture. As in India so 

 in Ceylon, a considerable revenue is derived from 

 the salt monopoly. All naturally formed salt here 

 is collected on account of (iovcrnment, and all that 

 is manufactured is paid for by Government and 

 stored to be issued to the public at a price about 

 .500 per cent over cost. The revenue thus realized 

 ranges close on K8n0,000 per annum, and such a 

 sum cannot be lightly risked. For many years 

 this consideration stood in the way of the issue 

 of salt even for fish-curing operations, but, as this 

 dilliculty has been overcome, so we trust Govern- 

 ment may yet see its way to the issue, under 

 proper restrictions, of salt for agricultural pur- 

 poses. There is an objection (too unqualified, we 

 believe) to the application of lime to tea, and 

 tlris product does not suii'er from grubs as coffe-B 

 did. Still it has its own enemies, and a mixture 

 of salt and lime dusted over the bushes might be 

 useful in preventing the growth of moss on the 

 stems and in destroying moth, red-spider, fly and 

 helopellis, should the latter develop in any pro- 

 portion. A Government officer might see the salt 

 and lime mixed at central stores, whence it could 

 be issued under penalty bonds, restricting the use 

 of the mixture to purely agricultural purposes. 

 But, with a good proportion of superphosphate of 

 lime added, what can be better (white castor-cake 

 not now in question) than the mixture (if it 

 can be obtained cheaply enough) mentioned by 

 Mr. Hughes ? The kainit salts are described 

 by him as composed, (nie-liulf of common 

 salt, and the other half (with trifling quant- 

 ities of foreign substances, probably) of sulph- 

 ates of potash and magnesia. This substance 

 and a proportion of superphosphate being mixed 

 with the Norwegian salt-fish would come in free as 

 a manure. So, no doubt, would pure kainit, if 

 introduced by persons who did not care to use salt- 

 fish, or who beheved they could obtain that sub- 

 stance at a cheaper rate on the spot or from India. 

 If Government did not interfere with the import 

 of kainit. and we do not think there would be any 

 such interference, except in the most improbable 

 events of attempts being made to separate the 

 chloride of sodium from the sulphates of potash 

 and magnesia, kainit with its .50 per cent of com- 

 mon salt, in view of what Mr. Hughes says 

 about the danger of too much salt, ought to sulHce 

 for mixing with farmyard dung to kill grubs, or 

 for any other agriculiural purpose. It being pretty 

 evident, therefore, that apart "from castor cake and 

 salt-fish, kainit is likely to be a good application 

 to tea : our readers will be interested in knowing 

 the price at which kainit sells in the English 

 market. We turn for the desiderated information to 

 the circular of Messrs. b. Dowries & Co. of Liver- 

 pool, dated Jan. 30th which reached us by last 

 msil. We quote an lo\lowi,— 

 84 



Kainit ok Si'LI'Hate m- t'olAsii.— Owing to the 

 presence of ice in the Elbe, the imports of Kainit 

 have this mouth been nominal. Kccciit advices 

 report that the severe frost has conipekaely inter- 

 rupted water comiminicatiou with the mines in the 

 interior, and it is not expected that traffic can be 

 resumed before March next. The effect of this stopp- 

 age of the supplies will be to materially enhance values 

 on the spot. The demand so far is exclusively con- 

 tiiied to chemical maiuifacturcrs by whom Kaiuit is 

 extensively used in the preparation of compoiuidor 

 special fertilizers. Of recent years agriculturists 

 have preferred to use it in a pure state, and by 

 so doing have obtained most satisfactory rcsnlts at 

 a trivial outlay. 



SuPEEPHOSPHArE 01? LiJiE. — The season has opened 

 with a brisk demand for super from the outports, 

 but the difficulty of securing suitable freight and ton- 

 nage for small cargoes has, in some instances, check 

 business. .Some heavy order.s for home consumption have 

 recently been placed, and, as the delivei-ips have far 

 exceeded the production, stocks have rapitlly dimin- 

 ished. The market gent.ally exhibits considerable 

 activity for this early period of the year, and prices 

 are very firmly niaiutaiufd. All indications point to a 

 large turnover during the Spring months. 



Srr.PHATE OF j\3t.M0NiA,— The market for Ammonia 

 is firmer, nud a slight advance has taken place in 

 the value. Shipments continue on an extensive scale 

 to the Continent. This article is noiv abnormally 

 cheap, and as it is a superior and m«st reliable fer- 

 tilizer, and is a satisfactory substitute for nitrate of 

 soda, it merits the attention of intending consumers. 

 Today, grey of the best quality, guaranteed 24 per 

 cent, is quoted £10 lOs to £11 per ton, on rails at the 

 works. 



In the Price Current, kainit is quoted, per ton, ^ 

 28 per cent in hags £1 19s to £1 2s Od. Super- 

 phosphate of lime per ton, 26 to 28 soluble 

 £2 lis 3d to £2 18s 8d; 8.5 to 37 soluble £8 lis 3d 

 to £3 13s 3d. We may add that immediately 

 after kainit there is the quotation: — ".Salt, 

 suitable for agriculture at the Avorks, per ton .5s 

 to 7s.'' So that a ton of salt can he obtained 

 in England at os, or nearly the Government price 

 of a cwt. here ! 



We see in this circular that "cocoa cake" 

 sells at the same rate as decorticated cotton seed 

 cake. 

 We append Mr. Hughes' communicition :— 

 Analytical Laboratory, 79, Mark Lane, London, 



2!lth .Ian. ],S8i;. 

 My attention has been directed tn a paragraph 

 under the above heading which appeared in the 

 WeeUUi Olisercer of .January 5th and in which 

 special attention was drawn to the case of a 

 proprietor of an estate in Agrapatana, who 

 wished to purchase 50 tons of salt at the export 

 price, R4 to E5 per ton, and offered to pay the 

 expenses of a Government ofiicial who sliould 

 visit the estate in order to see the salt actually 

 applied to the land with a view of destroying 

 grub. Why this reasonable request should have 

 been refused it is not my purpose to enter into, 

 but 1 merely wish to point out that there are 

 means_ available for so mixing salt with certain 

 manurial materials that the subsequent extraction 

 of the salt in a condition at all likely to be used 

 for food should be rendered extremely improbable. 

 First of all I would say why not convert the 

 crude salt as at first obtained into a iiuimrc 

 by adding two or three cwt. of finely ground 

 fmh manure or dried blood or even I'enniiDi 

 tliium to every ton of crude salt ? Any one of 

 these materials would so strongly impregnate the 

 mixture that the natives with their natural 

 caste prejudice against hanJliu;; any foul matter, 

 much less of having the same brought in contact with 

 their food, would certajaly refuse to purcbgio salt 



