47 



is better. It may contain only 0.4 per cent. of 

 phosphoric acid, but that manured as above, or with more 1 horn a? 

 phosphate, up to 0.6 per cent., and more. Sometimes complaints 

 have been made that the taste was not as good. Dr. Max Passon 

 believes that this may be in consequence of the magnesia in the 

 kainit, and recommends the use of muriate of potash with Thomas 

 phosphate. After all, the feeding value is of great importance, ar 

 our young cattle or lambs will grow quicker, their bones requiring 

 phosphoric acid and lime ; in fact, four-fifths of an animal's minera* 

 portion consists of these, which they obtain through their food from 

 the soil, and the albumen will also nourish them so well tha^ 

 you may rear excellent animals fit for work, for the butcher, or 

 to supply large quantities of rich milk. 



The feeding value of crops produced wth dfferent manures 

 has also only quite lately been tesced, during the last three years 

 by Dr. Somerville, at Cockle Park, on plots of three acres each, and 

 the difference was remarkable. He says : "We find that it has 

 taken pasture equal to less than 21 Ib. of hay to give 1 Ib. of livt 

 weight increase in the case of plot 3 (the large dressing of ^ 

 ton of Thomas phosphate per acre), and of plot 7 (superphosphate 

 plus potasli). In other words, for equal weights of herbage the 

 feeding value of the material on plots 3 and 7 has been nearly 

 double that which was grown on plots 2 and 6. Plot 2 received 

 4 tons of caustic lime and 6 was unmanured. 



Professor Maercker gives the following composition of grass 

 hay. equal to a greater nutritive value in manured against un- 

 manured. viz., 288 Ib. to 200 Ib. 



Manure'd. Unmanured. 



Albumen ... 11.46 per cent. 7.91 per cent. 



Fat 2.57 per cent. 0.66 per cent. 



Phosphoric acid 0.59 per cent. 0.30 per cent. 



MM. Briers and Schreiber manured at Tongres one block 

 Avith 2,000 Ib. of lime, 400 Ib. of kainit. and 800 Ib. Thomas 

 phosphate per acre. The result was: 



Manured. Unmanured. 



Green grass 16,544 Ib. 9,016 Ib. 



Lime in hay, per cent. ... 16,879 IB. 14,853 Ib. 



Phosphoric acid, per cent. 4,701 IB. 3,480 Ib. 



Potash, per cent 17,723 Ib. 14,662 Ib. 



Nitrogen, per cent. ... 13,737 IB. 12,457 Ib. 



Mr. J. C. Ruwoldt, of Mount Gambier (32 in.), manured in June, 

 1900. 18 acres of a field of 27 acres with 2 cwt. of bonedust per acre, 

 leaving 9 acres unmanured. He put in September 90 sheep, 10 

 cattle, and 9 horses into the field, and kept them there until Feb- 

 ruary. 1901, all of them being then healthy and fat. They had 

 cared very little for the herbage on the 9 acres which received no 

 manure, upon which there was still plenty of grass when he removed 

 the stock. Any other phosphatic manure with some nitrogen would 

 produce there the like result, where sufficient potash seems avail- 

 able. 



