142 MANURING. 
and oxygen, was well shown by Schubler, of Hoffen, 
forty years ago. Of thirteen different soils, quartz 
sand absorbed in thirty days 1:1000 parts of oxygen 
and n) moisture, while humus absorbed thirteen of 
oxygen and 120 of moisture. 
‘““ SURFACE water that flows off the iand instead of 
passing through the soil, carries with it whatever fer- 
tilizins matter it may contain,. and abstracts some 
from the earth. If it pass down through the soil 
into drains, this waste is arrested. 
[The principles above enunciated exemplify the diffi- 
culties of coffee planting. We cannot plough and 
harrow the soil so as to pulverize it and expose it 
to the action of the atmosphere, nor can we build 
sunk drains to receive water filtered of its fertilizing 
materials by the earth. But by means of manure and. 
water holes, and forks to puncture the earth, we can 
do a good deal to bring inert soils into aetion.—ED. 
€, O.] i 
NOTES ON MANURING. 
Dr. Sortain, of Batticaloa, favoured the public with 
the following valuable Notes during the discussion on 
Manuring :— 
1.—There are two classes of elements which are 
necessary to every soil to ensure the growth and fructi- 
Heation of vegetables—mineral and nitrogenous. 
2.—The former exist in every soil, but not always 
in an available state; the latter are supplied by the 
atmosphere, bat seldom in quantities sufficient for 
cultivated crops. 
3o.—tLhe mineral elements or the alkalies make up 
the bulk of all soils; even pure sea sand contains 
every mineral necessary to the growth of plants. 
4.—If a quantity of pure sand be placed in a bottle 
of water saturated with carbonic acid, after a time 
the water will be found to contain various alkales 
in solution. . 
5.—Virgin soils are fertile on account of their avail- 
able alkalies, which have been brought out of the 
latent state as 1t were by the prolonged action of the 
carbonic acid supplied by the decomposing vegetable 
matter. 
6.—Soils differ in the facility with which they yield 
to the action of the carbonie acid. Sea sand for in- 
stance and voleanic matter are fertile accordingly. 
7.—The soils of Ceylon are generally the débris of 
hard rock—and their stores of available alkalies are 
easily exhausted. 
3.—The humus, or vegetable matter im the soil, will 
