MANUAL FOR SUGAR GROWERS. 71 



many sugar soils are, there appears to be some ad- 

 vantage in this. It is very essential that basic 

 phosphate be used in the state of the finest powder ; 

 when rnbbed between the fingers, it should feel al- 

 most as smooth as flour. A guarantee of the quan- 

 tity of phosphoric acid which it contains, and of its 

 degree of fineness, should always be obtained from 

 the vendor. This manure is cheaper than super- 

 phosphate. It can be stored without loss or deteri- 

 oration for any length of time, and, as it is not acid, 

 does not destroy packages as superphosphate does, 

 whereby some loss of superphosphate is frequently 

 incurred. It appears, therefore, well worthy of 

 careful trials in the cultivation of the sugar-cane. 

 The author has trial -plots manured with basic 

 phosphate under observation, and the results ap- 

 pear highly satisfactory. 



Nitrogenous Manures. — The chief nitrogenous 

 manure used in sugar-growing in the West Indies 

 is pen manure, and this is frequently increased in 

 richness and value by feeding the stock on oil-cake. 

 In a very few instances oil-cake has been applied 

 direct to the land and serves as excellent manure. 

 In districts — as in portions of the United States — 

 where cotton-seed cake is easily and cheaply ob- 

 tained, the plan of using oil-cake direct as manure 

 may perhaps be followed with advantage, but in 

 the AYest Indies such a course is hardly likely to 

 prove economical, and cake is best used as food. 



Practically the only nitrogenous manures it i^ays 

 to import are nitrate of soda and sulphate of am- 

 monia. These, from their concentration, are very 



