152 



this subject, and many interesting tables of analyses are presented. We 

 learn that well-decomposed stable manures and well-ground chemical 

 fertilizers, guano, and oil cake are all used with success upon French 

 Ramie plantations. The practice is to spread these upon the land, the 

 rains or irrigation carrying the nutritive elements where they can be 

 readily assimilated by the plants. Reducing to pounds and acres (as 

 the figures are given in kilograms and hectares) we find that about 

 7,000 pounds of stable manure, or 525 to 615 pounds of chemical fer- 

 tilizers or oil cake, are used per acre 



The exact proportion of the fertilizing elements to be employed in the compo- 

 sition of chemical fertilizers is certainly difficult to determine, since it varies with 

 the kinds of soil, but we may adopt a formula based upon the average of the ana- 

 lyses of the crops. The chemical fertilizer composed as follows, and applied in the 

 quantities stated above, per cutting, will give satisfactory results : 3 to 4 per cent 

 of soluble phosphoric acid, 8 to 10 per cent of pure potash, 5 to 6 per cent of ni- 

 trogen, and 8 to 10 per cent of lime. 



It should be particularly noted that the quantities of fertilizers recom- 

 mended per acre are to be applied per cutting and not annually. Mr. 

 Favier considers stable manure an excellent fertilizer, as it contains very 

 nearly the kind of nutriment that the plant requires. The fertilizer 

 that has given the best results is oil cake, to which has been added car- 

 bonate of potash in the proportion of 10 to 15 parts of the latter 

 to 100 parts of the former. The oil cake supplies the necessary 

 nitrogen and phosphoric acid, but lacks the potash. The restoring 

 of the leaves to the soil supplies a portion of the potash needed 

 by the plant, and when this is not done, a larger proportion of potash 

 than is indicated above should be used. The practice is to bury the 

 leaves in trenches immediately after each cutting. 



Professor Hilgard, who has treated this subject exhaustively in Bul- 

 letin No 94 of the California Agricultural Experiment Station, makes 

 the statement that of all fiber plants ramie stands first as regards the 

 depletion of the soil of plant food A very interesting comparative 

 table is given, showing amount, in pounds, of soil ingredients with- 

 drawn from one acre by various fiber and other crops. The portion 

 referring to ramie is here reproduced, and maybe studied with interest 

 and profit. 



Soil ingredients (in pounds) withdrawn from one acre by a crop of ramie. 



Soil ingredients. 



Leaves 



Stalks 



Bark 



Whole Plant 



(4.25 ions). 



(7.25 tons). 



(2.75 tons). 



(14.25 tons). 



Potash 



68 



13 



155.99 



27 . 86 



251.98 



Soda 



8 



99 



33.63 



7 52 



50.14 



Lime 



506 



91 



71.77 



19.14 



657.82 



Magnesia 



114 



58 



43.68 



10.10 



168 27 



Br. ox. of manganese 



1 



92 



1.45 



.20 



3 57 



Iron and alumina 



38 



56 



12.16 



71 



51.43 



Phosphoric acid 



77 



13 



67.71 



10.86 



155.70 



Sulphuric acid 



30 



86 



14.53 



3.17 



48.56 



Silica 



692 



71 



7.06 



4 48 



704.25 



Chlorine 



41 



f.6 



2.50 



7.79 



51.85 



Total ash constituents ... 



1,641 



35 



410.48 



91.74 



2,133.57 



Nitrogen 



206 



10 



105.85 



57.75 



369.70 



