August i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
87 
timts past held Ceylon seems to have carried on a 
good trade, in local cotton, with the markets of its 
own country. After its departure, without European 
patronage, and without such facilities as are in 
European command, the natives continuing the culti- 
vation found that, for the time and labour they ex- 
pended on it, they, were not ; fairly remunerated, and 
as the only use to which they could turn the produce 
was a little local manufacture needed occasionally in 
small quantities, they naturally gave up the occupation, 
meetiug any demand that arose for this article from 
the semi-jungles of spontaneous growth which are to 
be fouud in various parts of the Island, and which are 
but the remnants of the systematic and extensive cul- 
tivation of days gone by. 
But the comparative ease of cotton cultivation 
and the marked success which attended it, seem to 
have created and sustained, for a long period, a strong 
liking for it in European cultivators, so that under the 
British occupation, dating almost from the close of 
the last century, several attempts were made at 
revivals of cotton. growing. These efforts were, how- 
ever, hardly vigorous or calculated to secure any 
stability to the undertaking. A gentleman here and 
a gentleman there distributed good varieties of seed, 
recommended the cultivation, published manuals for 
the information of growers, or experimented on certain 
soils in the Island. But thus much and no farther 
was hardly sufficient to keep up a languishing industry. 
The cause which at first prevented and discouraged 
the contiuuance and extension of this cultivation was 
not removed ; that is, neither Government nor any 
European agency devised the means of providing a 
ready market for the produce. The cultivation of 
coffee absorbed the attention of European colonists, 
and the great efforts made for it and the labor and 
capital expended on its cultivation left little or no 
means and time to push on the cotton industry, so 
that all interest in it had completely died out by 
the year 1863. 
But of late, with disasters attending the coffee 
plant and with an exhausted soil, European planters 
have turned their attention to other products and 
have invested largely in tea. One of their companies 
is now vigorously endeavouring to increase the pro- 
duction of otton, having first wisely secured a mill 
and all the other necessary appliances for spinning 
and weaving. Ootton-growing has thus already found 
warm supporters everywhere on the full assurance that 
the produce will be found saleable on the very field 
or at the very door of the village cultivator. "With 
this impulse given to cotton cultivation and the in- 
ducements offered to every cultivator, whether the 
operation be on a small or on a large scale, an in- 
quiry into the experiments hitherto made and the 
parts of the country best suited for the enterprise 
becomes opportune and we propose, from time to time, 
to give details. 
The Tiunevelly cotton is suited to the dry regions 
of the Island. It was tried at Anuradhapura. It 
grew vigorously there and produced its usual crop 
in less than four months. At Mannar also, it was 
successful. In the moist regions of Peradeniya and 
Badulla, however, the plants have been found sickly. 
Other varieties of seed were also experimented in 
these moist regions, but with discouraging results. 
American cotton seems to have been long in culti- 
vation in Geylon and there is proof that it was success- 
fully grown in Mannar and the North Central Province. 
One species of American cotton called the " Peruvian" 
is found almost everywhere in the Island. The seed 
of this was experimented 7 years ago in the dry 
regions of Anuradhapura, Vavuuia Vilankulam, 
Mannar and Jaffna with very good results, especially 
at Jaffna. This experiment was repeated about 
three years ago, from which it appears, some fine 
cotton was produced at Mannar and Anuradhapura. 
From these experiments two conclusions are clear, 
first that dry regions are best suited and second 
that the Tiunevelly cotton and the American variety 
called the Peruvian are more likely to succeed than 
any other. 
Our dry region is very extensive, As calculated 
by Dr. Trimeu, it covers nearly four-fifths of the Island. 
This means we have a very large field for the grow- 
ing of cotton, if we wish to put our hand to it. 
From the light thrown on the subject by Dr. Trimen's 
experiments and in view of the great inducements 
now offered, we would earnestly and strongly urge 
the great desirability of at once commencing large 
plantations in the North-Central Province, in the 
Vilankulam and Jaffna districts and in all our Islands, 
especially in Mannar and Delft, where cotton was 
once successfully grown. The conditions of soil and 
climate which our small coral Island afford seem 
peculiarly favorable to the cultivation of this product 
— "Ceylon Patriot." 
♦ 
NITROGEN OF VEGETATION, 
Having considered in a previous article Sir J. 
liuves' ml Professor J. H. Gilbert's evidence 
by direct experiment as to whether the higher plants 
or soils by the agency either of micro-organisms or 
otherwise, fix the free nitrogen of the atmosphere, 
we pass on to consider the various modes of expla- 
nation adduced. 
Gains of Nitbogen. 
(a.) That combined nitrogen has been absorbed 
from the air, either by the soil or by the plant. 
(J.) That there is fixation of free nitrogen within 
the soil by the agency of porous and alkaline bodies. 
(c.) That there is fixation by the plant itself. 
Id.) That there is fixation within the soil by the 
agency of electricity. 
(e.) And, finally, that there is fixation under the 
influence of micro-organisms within the soil. 
The balance of evidence recorded is considered, 
however, by the authors "to be undoubtedly in favour 
of the last-mentioned mode of explanation, and that 
unless there be experimental error, it is pretty clear 
that there is fixation in the soil, under the influence 
of micro-organisms or other low forms. 
Losses of Nitrogen. 
Much of the investigation that has been under- 
taken in recent years has been instigated by the 
assumption that there must exist natural compensa- 
tion for the losses of combined nitrogen, which the 
soil suffers by the removal of crops, aud for the 
losses wich result from the liberation of free nitrogen 
from its combinations under various circumstances. 
The loss by cropping, under the usual conditions 
of more or less full periodical return by manure, is 
estimated by the authors to be about 20 lb. per acre. 
The loss by drainage, however, is much greater, 
and in some cases considerable. There may also, 
under some circumstances, be loss from the soil by 
the evolution of free nitrogen. Such loss may take 
place in the manure heap, or in soil very heavily 
manured, as in market gardening. But in ordinary 
agriculture such excessive manuring seldom takes 
place. Loss may also take place when the soil is 
deficiently airated. But the balance of evidence is 
against the supposition that there is a constant and 
considerable loss by the evolution of free nitrogen 
from arable soils, which are only moderately rich 
in organic nitrogen, and which are fairly drained, 
either naturally or artificially. 
A Compensation fob Soil Exhaustion. 
Whether we consider, say Lawes and Gilbert, the 
facts of agriculture generally, or confine our atten- 
tion to special cases under known experimental con- 
ditions, the evidence does not favour the supposition 
that a balance is maintained by the restoration of 
nitrogen from the large store of it existing in the 
free state in the atmosphere. Further, our original 
soil-supplies of nitrogen are, as a rule, due to the 
accumulations by natural vegetation, with little or 
no removal, over long periods of time ; or, as in the 
case of many deep subsoils, the nitrogen is largely 
due to vegetable aud animal remaius, intermixed with 
the mineral deposits. 
The agricultural production of the present age is, 
in fact, so far as its nitrogen is concerned, mainly 
dependent on previous accumulations; anl, as in 
