The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



*he power of assimilating Nitrogen direct from 

 the air by means of their root nodules, which 

 are colonies of nitrifying bacteria, which con- 

 vert atmospheric nitrogen into forms in which 

 it can be assimilated by the plant ami enable it 

 to store up large quantities of nitrogen in this 

 way. If, then, a leguminous crop is grown and 

 returned to the soil after maturity the amount 

 of nitrogen is largely increased, and the supply 

 of the nitrifying organisms which are so essen- 

 tial to fertility is maintained. It is further 

 stated that the theory is one which deserves 

 consideration by all planters. 



" Not only is the amount of Nitrogen in the 

 soil increased by green manuring, but the 

 amount of decaying organic matter and humus 

 also ; and consequently the texture, retentivity, 

 and condition of the soil generally, is improved. 

 The soils of Ceylon are, for the most part, defi- 

 cient in humus, so that organic manures are es- 

 pecially necessary. Green manuring is one of 

 the best ways of applying such, and is one 

 which we venture to predict will come more 

 and more into favour with Planters as its bene- 

 ficial effects are realised. Of course the main 

 object of green manuring is to increase the 

 amount of Organic matter and Organic Nitro- 

 gen, and it cannot take the Place of Artificial 

 Manuring for Potash and Phosphoric Acid or 

 as a source of quickly acting Nitrogen. It how- 

 ever brings the soil into the condition in which 

 it is best able to take advantage of artificial 

 manures, and forms a good basis for the econo- 

 mical use of such fertilisers." 



Phosphoric acid is said to rank next to I'otash 

 as a necessary constituent of healthy wood and 

 muriate of potash is mentioned as a good 

 fertiliser for 



Coconut Tkees. 

 The general conclusions drawn are as follows : 

 "The manurial requirements of the Tea plant 

 are, in order of importance, Nitrogen, Potash, 

 and Phosphoric Acid. Shortage of the last two 

 is not followed by any immediate diminution in 

 yield, although continued lack of them produces 

 poor, scrappy bushes liable to attacks by pests 

 aud blights. Shortage of Nitrogen is always, 

 and very soon, followed by diminution in yield 

 and in the general vigour of the bush. What 

 should be aimed at is to keep an ample supply 

 of these plant foods in an available form for the 

 plants' nutrition, and so to build up their struc- 

 ture as to produce strong healthy bushes with 

 plenty of reserve energy to resist the attacks of 

 pests and the advent of the unfavourable seasons. 

 Bearing these general considerations in mind 

 what course should the planter take to ensure 

 his system of manuring being profitable ? Having 

 decided in what way his soil needs fortifying, 

 his own judgment should indicate to him what 

 manures to choose from the list of those which 

 supply the ingredients he needs. He has two 

 things to consider, first, the need of his crop for 

 immediate nutriment, as against slowly acting 

 manures ; and second, the cost per unit of the 

 various constituents of the manures at his dis- 

 posal, (found by dividing the price per ton by 

 the percentage). Thus he will find that at the 

 present time Sulphate of Ammonia is cheaper 

 per unit of Nitrogen than Nitrate of Soda, 

 although, as regards availability, the order 



is reversed and Nitrate of Soda takes first 

 place. Again, Kainit, which appears at 

 first sight to be a cheap manure, is really dearer 

 per unit of potash than either Sulphate of 

 Potash or Muriate of Potash. What he has to 

 decide is how to get the best value for his 

 money, value being not only a matter of 

 quantity, but also of quality, as deter- 

 mined by the suitability of the manure for 

 the needs of his crop. A chemical analysis 

 of the soil is in some cases necessary before 

 one can judge what plant foods are lacking, 

 and in the early days of artificial manuring, 

 in Ceylon, this was even more necessary than it 

 is now. The Planter has been early alive to the 

 fact, with the result that a large number of use- 

 ful soil analyses have been made, and the 

 average composition of the soil in the 

 various tea districts is now well known. 

 Still, soil analysis should not be neglected alto- 

 gether, for such analysis may furnish useful in- 

 formation concerning the condition of avail- 

 ability of the fertilising elements. A strict watch 

 should be kept for signs of falling off in either 

 quantity or quality of the tea crop, and steps 

 taken to correct it. Mixtures which are suitable 

 for bringing an estate up to the mark as regards 

 yield are not always the best for maintaining or 

 improving the quality, where the bushes are 

 already strong and healthy and the yield suffi- 

 cient. While the Chemist can, by analysis, tell 

 the apparent needs of the soil, yet he alone can- 

 not satisfactorily settle the question of estate 

 manuring. It is to the Planter — the man on the 

 spot — that he must look for help and co-opera- 

 tion. Information regarding quality and yield 

 of tea, health of the tea bushes, local conditions 

 of climate aud rainfall, and personal obser- 

 vations regarding best methods of working can 

 only come from the planter, and it is by such 

 co-operation that the latter can ensure the best 

 results for himself, and make it certain that 

 his manuring is not only profitable but that 

 it is maintained at its highest efficiency.' 



Finally, an account is given of the manure 

 trade in Ceylon, with special reference to the 

 Colombo Commercial Co.'s participation there- 

 in, and at the end of the pamplet an excellent 

 series of definitions of the various manures in 

 use in Ceylon is given. 



1,910 RUBBER CROPS : FO It WARD SALES. 



Grand Central. — No. 1 Crepe, quantity not 

 exceeding 112,000 lb., at; R370 per pound. 

 No. 2. Crepe, quantity not exceeding 20,000 lb., 

 at R360 per pound. 



Pallegoda. — No. 1, quality only, on an esti- 

 mate of about 40,000 lb.— for R370 per lb. 



Ribu Rubber Co., Ltd.— Pending report of 

 1910 crop estimates, (1) No. 1 Pale Crgpe up to 

 30,000 lb, at R3-70 per lb. and (2) No. 2 Cv&pe 

 up to 5,0u0 lb. at R3'60 per lb. Crop figures are 

 subject to amendment by 31st Dec, 1909. 



Kalutara Company, Ltd.— No. 1 quality rub- 

 ber (Best Biscuit, Pale Crepe or Sheet) of 1910 

 crop at R3 - 70 per lb. It is estimated that about 

 40,000 lb. will be delivered under this contract. 



Seremban Rubber Co.— best Crepe A rubber 

 of 1910 crop from the Company's estate at R3'70 

 per lb. It is estimated that about 180,000 lb. 

 will be delivered under this contract, 



