Ii:KtlLISERS FROM THE OCEAN". 1S7 



If the composition of the air dry sea-weeds be given \vc should 

 r3"ia\c : — 



Sea f'.rass. Algae. Fucus. 



Water 22.260 21.96 13.580 



'Organic Constituents ... 78.430 85.150 64.064 



Nitrogen 1.64S i-59o -S-^ 



Lime <^-i54 4- 171 ?^-2>'^A 



Potasli 3-4 '4 1-630 11-045 



Phosphoric Oxide -9^5 -So^ 2.326 



Insoluble Silica 5-5-5 -4^9 -073 



Since sea-weeds contain a large amount of Potash they w ould 

 ■prove to be an excellent manure for vines and cereals. 



The amount of Nitrogen present is also large, indeed it is a 



•common theory that the vast fields of " Chili Saltpetre " were 

 produced by the oxidation of immense masses of sea-weeds. 

 Nitrogen is one of the important constituents of plant food, besides 



'Costing more than any of the other necessary constituents of a 

 fertiliser. When applied to the soil it has a very direct and 

 immediate effect on the growth of the plant and also acts as a 



•stimulant in the cold weather. Many experiments have been car- 

 ried out to show that the plant cannot utilise the vast amount of 

 uncombined atmospheric nitrogen for its nutrition, and thus the 



■nitrogen must be supplied to the soil in a combined state. 



In Europe, where the sea-weeds are so largely employed for 

 tigricultural purposes, they are left to dry in heaps near the 

 "beach and are then carried awa}' to the farms, weighing about 

 'onc-fifth of the weight of the fresh sea-weeds. Here they are 

 made into heaps \\ ilh the farmyard manure, in which they rapidly 

 -decompose. 



H. J. Webb, in his Agriculture, says : — 



"The best method of using sea weed as a manure is to form it into a compost 

 with marl or shell sand and turn it once or twice. It rapidly decomposes in the 

 land and when ploughed in fresh into clay lands lightens them considerably." 



Now, shell sand is easily obtained on our beaches, and this 

 method should prove particularly effective in the South- Western 

 Districts of the Colony on account of the large quantities of Lime 

 which would be brought on to the soil naturall}' deficient in that 

 -substance. The action of sea-weeds upon the physical properties 

 ■of the soil is hig-hly beneficial, since the large amount of vegetable 

 mould which is added to the soil greatly improves the water 

 fetaining power, and allows air and moisture to percolate more 

 fully through the soil. While in .some cases " Chili Saltpetre " 

 and the " Stassfurt Salts " have been found to have a somewhat 

 injurious action on the physical properties of clay soils. 



Sea-weeds are superior to farmyard manure inasmuch as they 

 are entirelv free from seeds of weeds or spores of diseases, and 

 hence ensure a clean culture. 



We hope that the grain farmer in the South-Western Coast 

 Districts will pay some attention to this subject, by which he 

 can obtain at very little cost an excellent manure for all cereals, 

 ■potatoes and root crops. 



