19 



" 1 would not care to express an opinion as to the best ferti- 

 lisers to use in Jamaica because the soils vary so greatly. Here 

 in St. Thomas ye Vale I have experimented extensively with 

 all sorts of ingredients, and all kinds of combinations of the 

 same. The severe storms of last fall made these experiments 

 decidedly inconclusive, but the best results I have so far ob- 

 tained have been from 550 lbs. of Cotton Seed Meal per acre, 

 supplemented with 100 lbs. high grade (90 to 95 per cent.) 

 Sulphate of Potash at time of flowering. I do not seem to get 

 any results whatever from application of phosphoric acid. Of 

 course I cannot say how it might be in other parts of the island. 

 As a matter of fact I find the whole subject of fertilisers much 

 more complicated here in Jamaica than on the comparatively 

 barren sands of Florida. I feel that careful experiments are of 

 great importance, for I think it is easy to apply uselessly ex- 

 pensive ingredients which are not required. 



" Stable manure should never be used on pines — no matter 

 how thoroughly rotted. I mean by "stable manure" the 

 droppings from horses and mules ; nor should that from poultry, 

 except as a liquid dissolved in water. The manure from cows 

 and oxen may be used with splendid results. In Florida we 

 used to " Cow pen " our land. We would run a temporary 

 fence about say an acre at a time, and then every afternoon 

 drive into it as many cattle as could be confined within the 

 fence, keeping them there over night. This would be done for 

 two or three weeks, when the fence would be removed to enclose 

 as much more land to be treated in the same way. This system 

 of course had to be supplemented with the chemical elements, 

 but it supplied both humus and the most expensive ingredient 

 nitrogen. 



" Above all no fertiliser should be used for pines in which 

 the phosphoric acid has been rendered " available " by use of 

 sulphuric acid This seems to be poison to the pineapple. As 

 I say above, my land shows no result from applications of 

 phosphoric acid. Other land may require it, in which case I 

 would advise use of the finest ground bone meal. It is also 

 possible that the phosphatic guanos may do well. Personally 

 I have had no experience with them. 



'" The Florida Agricultural Experiment Station has published 

 lately a Bulletin on this subject by Professor P. H. Rolfs. 

 A summary of these experiments was read by Prof. Rolfs before 

 the Florida Horticultural Society as follows : — . 



PINEAPPLE LAND. 



" In pineapple growing, as in other forms of horticulture, the 

 tiller of the soil has had to learn by dear experience what kind 

 of land was best adapted to this particular crop. Our veteran 

 pineapple grower, Captain Richards, has told us repeatedly how 



