63 



For purpose of comparison, analyses are given of two sugar-cane soils from a pam- 

 phlet on the agricultural chemistry of the sugar cane by Dr. T. L. Phipson. 

 A is soil from Jamaica, under cane for the first time. 

 B is soil from Demerara which has been steadily under cane for 15 years. 



A. 



B, 



* This quantity of chlorine is unusually high, and is accounted for by the proximity of a salt spring. 



Dr. Phipson calls attention to the greater amount of organic matter, nitrogen, lime, 

 and phosphoric acid in A, and to the important fact that the quantity of lime, .08, in 

 B is far below that of the magnesia, .^5. This he regards as a very bad sign in cane 

 soil. He deduces from the results of a numerous series of analyses made by him that 

 the degree ot exhaustion which a cane soil has suffered may be determined by com- 

 paring the relative amounts of lime and magnesia present in them. 



In support of this view, he gives analyses of four samples of cane soils from Guiana, 



