718 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



heap must be protected from rain. In a 

 few weeks the solubility of the bone is so 

 much increased that it has been known in 

 some cases to give as good results as twice 

 as much of the raw material. The fol- 

 lowing are the percentages of the chief 

 ingredients in two samples of colonial 

 bone-dust analysed by the writer, and are 

 given as an indication of what one ought 

 to expect in ordinary commercial quali- 

 ties : — 



No. 1. No. 2. 



Phosphoric oxide 19-72 p.c. 2009 p.c. 

 Lime .. - 24-95 ., 2G-42 „ 

 Nitrogen ... 3-71 „ 3-53 „ 



Guano. 



The well-known manure, guano, corsists 

 of the dried excrement of seabirds and is 

 mentioned here because it usually contains 

 a considerable pi'oportion of tri-calcic 

 phosphate, as well as small quantities of 

 ammonium and potassium phosphates. It 

 is found in several parts of the world, and 

 varies much in composition according to 

 the different conditions to which it has 

 been exposed. In hot rainless countries 

 it dries as fas' as formed, with little 

 change in composition ; but if exposed to 

 rain the ammonia and nitrates formed in 

 it by decomposition get washed out, and 

 it becomes chiefly phos])hatic, with a low 

 percentage of nitrogen. This is well seen 

 by comparing the percentages of phos- 

 phoric oxide and nitrogen in two kinds of 

 guano commonly used in South Africa : 



Natural 

 Cape Guano BirdGuano. 

 Phosphoric oxide 8-53 p.c. 25-40 p.c. 

 Nitrogen 11-44 „ 0-92 



QUESTIONS. 



1. How many kinds of calcium phos- 

 phate are there ? Give their names, and 

 explain the difference in their comi)osition. 



2. What experiment would you make 

 to illustrate the solubility of ti-i-calcic 

 phosphate in acids ? 



3. Where do animals get the phosphate 

 that is found in their bones ? 



, 4. Why are bones rather slow in acting 

 as a manure, and mineral phosi)hates still 

 slower ? 



5. Describe a method of making bones 

 act more quickly. 



0. What is guano ? Why are not all 

 guanos alike ? 



7. What would you think of a sample 

 of bone-dust manure which on analysis 

 gave 15 per cent, of phosphoric oxide and 

 35 per cent, of lime ? 



How My Gipsy Won the 

 Cup, 



MR. JAMES T. GODFREY, just emerg- 

 ing from his teens and invalided 

 from the S.A.L.H., submits the following 

 for publication. A valued correspondent 

 says " he is a first- class horseman and is 

 good all round." The account is natural 

 and spirited : — 



My Gipsy was a three-year-old, by 

 Salvatore out of Merriewe, so she is not 

 such bad stock, both dam and sire having 

 won a few races in their time in the 

 U.S.A. She was a chestnut with white 

 stockings, a small head, arched neck, and 

 a tail that hung like an Arab's. 



I was to ride her the next day at 



on the track to get her used to it, as she 

 was entering on her first race, for fear of 

 her getting too excited when with the 

 (.ther horses, I rode her with a few of 

 her stable companions, and the more I 

 rode her the more I liked her. On the race 

 dijy there was a fearful clamour of the 

 bookmakers' shoutings of two to one bar 

 the field, etc. My Gipsy was lan outsider 

 in the betting as she had not run before. 



At last the bell rang to saddle up, etc, 

 and to get to the starting point so as to be 

 ready for the start. The starter yells 

 ready I as the gates go up, and off we go, 

 my Gipsy being second m the start. 

 Belle is leading and the first round is 

 comiug to an end. With My Gipsy in the 

 same place Belle is making the pace 

 simply terrific. I hold M.y Gipsy in as 

 we tuin into the straight. There are 

 only three horses in the rice now. To- 

 wards the winning post Belle darts for- 

 ward with a stripe fi'om her rider. " Belle 

 wins," is the shout from the stands. I 

 touched My Gipsy, and as we pass the 

 winning post she is a length to the good, 

 and so we have won the cup. 



p.S. — This happened in California, 

 U.^.A., and in U.-^.A. they have a gate for 

 the starting post. It was my firsD win, 

 and I must say one of the most exciting 

 I have won. 



