236 



PINE APPLE 3 ANALYSIS AND MANURE. 



By J. J. Bow re y, F.C.S., F.I.O., Island Chemist. 

 " Ash of Pine Apple. 



Potash K q O ... 49.42 



Chloride of Potassium KCl ... .88 



Chloride of Sodium NaCl ... 17. 01 



Magnesia MgO ... 8.80 



LimeCaO ... 12.15 



Phosphoric Acid Pg0 5 ... 4 . 08 



Sulphuric Acid H 2 S0 4 ... Trace 



Silica Si0 2 ... 4.02 



Phosphate of Peroxide of Iron ... 2.93 



99.29" 



Judging from this analysis of the ash of the Pine Apple, potash is 

 the most important mineral substance which it requires. Of course 

 phosphoric acid is also necessary, and so are lime, magnesia and iron, 

 but it must be a very rare soil which does not contain iron and mag- 

 nesia in ample quantity and usually there is enough lime also present. 

 It is difficult to make suggestions respecting manuring in total igno- 

 rance of the nature of the soil to be manured. But certainly no harm 

 can be done and probably much good by adding phosphoric acid and 

 potash to the soil ; the former best as finely ground Basic Slag or 

 Thomas' Phosphate Powder price about 55s. per ton f.o.b. in England. 

 A dressing of from 5 to 10 cwts. per acre will supply phosphoric acid 

 for 3 or 4 years and also some quantity of lime. The potash can I 

 think be obtained here or imported into Jamaica most cheaply as chlo- 

 ride of potash ; its price is about £8 per ton f.o.b. in England. From 

 J to 1 cwt. per acre would be a dressing for a year. 



But the Pine Apple also needs nitrogen for its growth ; this might 

 be supplied as nitrate of soda at £10 per ton, — giving 1 cwt. per acre 

 when the plants have started to grow rapidly. 



FERNS : SYNOPTICAL LIST— XLI. 



Synoptical List, with descriptions, of the Ferns and Fern- Allies of J a- 

 maica. By G. S. Jenman, Superintendent Botanical Garden, 

 Demerara. 



53. Nephrodiumpedatum, Hook. — Hootstock short, erect, clothed with 

 dark-brown subulate scales ; stipites tufted, erect, 3-7 in. L, channelled, 

 dark-brown or ebeneous, polished, clothed at the base like the root- 

 stock ; fronds cordate, subdeltoid, coriaceous, copiously pellucid-dotted, 

 naked, the upper side very dark-green, under paler ; 3-6 in. each way, 

 tripartite ; the central division largest and more or less deeply cut into 

 broad oblong blunt or acute lobes ; lateral divisions deeper on the in- 

 ferior side and these pinnatifid like the central one, the superior side 

 being shallowly lobed or sinuate ; lobes J-f in. w. the lower ones 1-2 

 in. 1. costal ribs flexuose, prominent, but evanescent outwards ; veins 

 immersed, pinnate in the lobes, the branches simple or forked, termi- 



