200 



proportion that these ingredients occupy in good cotton seed meal, hence 

 the excellent results obtained by some planters on black land, and with 

 " succession" cane, by the use of this fertiliser alone. Ordinarily, on 

 sandy or medium lands, a mixture of two parts of cotton seed meal and 

 one pait of acid phosphate will be found most desirable. This same 

 mixture will also best serve first year stubble comiog from plant cane 

 which succeeds a pea fallow. 



In fertilising cane, due regard should be had for the character of the 

 soil and its ability to furnish the much needed element, nitrogen, and 

 the distance of a crop from a pea fallow. 



Knowing these factors the proportion of nitrogen to phosphoric acid 

 must be varied accordingly, extending from one of nitrogen to two of 

 phosphoric acid, to two of nitrogen to one of phosphoric acid. 



Cotton Seed Meal has been used in the above calculations, simply be- 

 cause it is a most excellent source of nitrogen, and a home product. (^) 

 Tankage or any other form may be used for the cotton seed meal, by 

 taking enough of the former to replace the nitrogen contained in the 

 latter. Potash is not believed to be necessary in manures for cane on 

 Louisiana soils. 



A considerable space has been devoted to a discussion of fertilisers, 

 because there is no element of farm expense so cheap as the rightly 

 compounded manure, especially under cane. 



Under this crop, the right manure not only shows itself in the in- 

 creased tonnage of cane and yield of sugar, but in the increased vitality 

 of the succeeding stubbles. 



(To be continued.) 



BANANA MEAL. 



The following information on the difficulty of finding a market for 

 Banana Meal is supplied by a local correspondent : — 



Apparently the only chance for success is the possibility of reducing 

 the cost of production to such a figure that the banana meal may com- 

 pete with flour or corn meal. This could only happen when the bananas 

 were practically waste, e.g. small bunches in the season for bananas, aad 

 even large bunches when out of season 



" With reference to Banana Meal, there is really no market nor 

 outlet for it, and I have been working the thing for all it is worth, 

 and have spent about £300 over it, trying to get a satisfactory market, 

 but all to no purpose. 



" Quotations have been made by Messrs. John Haddon & Co., Belve- 

 dere House, k^alisbury Square, London E C , as being worth about £27 

 a ton of 2, 24 Gibs, ex warehouse the docks, London, I have offered ta 

 supply at those rates. 



1 have sent tons of the meal to various countries all to no purpose — 

 as the market seems to want it to compete with wheat or rice. 



(6) The proper use of green dressing and of pen manure, will do much to 

 maintain an adequate supply of nitrogen. 



Oil crops, such as Castor or Ground nut (Pindar) might be profitably grown in 

 most of the West Indian Islands, then a supply of the residual meal would b& 

 available to plant trs for fertilising purposes. 



