October i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
233 
The chief plantations are to be found in Harirua 
and also in Kiushiu. In this latter island the Muscat 
Pluot and the Ohasselas succeed marvellously ; thanks 
to the geological nature of the soil. The Chasselas 
succeeds very well in the district of Harima, produc- 
ing large and full bunches. 
The Grape of Palestine has only been planted two 
years and has already given very fine results. Last 
year Mr. Fukuwa Yaito, Director of the Gardens at 
Ibirima, gave a bunch of these to Mr. hSarazin, adviser 
to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and he in turn 
presented it to the French Minister. It weighed 3 
kilogs. 
VlTICULTUBB in Japan. — The Government encourages 
the culture of the vine by the establishment of 
schools of viticulture, and by bringing from Europe 
a considerable number of young plants, and there, 
is little doubt, but, that in a short time Japan will 
become ;i vine-growing country. They have introduced 
into the Harima establishment the Gamay de Bordeaux 
and pinot Noirieu, and they hope soon to produce 
wine from them. The Harima grounds are 30 hac- 
tares ; those of Owari 50 hectares and those of 
Hokkaido 40 hectares. The vines which succeed 
best in these places are : The Gamay de Bordeaux, 
Bordeaux Blanc, Baltet JVoir, Mbsiicr Blanc, Meslier 
Xuir, Frarikenthal, Folic Blanche, Charbouneau, Musr 
cat dc Frontignan, Zitifindal, Riesling, Malvoisic, Sec. 
Diseases ov the Vine. — The chief are the o'idium 
and the brouissure. These began iu 1807 and since 
thon the stems of the vines have suffered more or 
less. The ordinary remedy for the oidium is sulphur; 
but no means has been found to get rid of the 
brmtissurc. As the stems of the vines in Japan are 
larger than those in Europe, the diseases are more 
difficult to cure. Insects are the great enemies to 
the vine, but they are comparatively easy to destroy 
if care is taken, and especially if the phylloxera 
vastatrix be not present. This insect had not yet 
appeared here until last year, 1885, It has been 
necessary to scorch the soil occupied by the affected 
vines. This is a perfect remedy. The Japanese 
belive that this insect was brought to Japan from 
America with the vines imported in 1881. 
Y n: i. d. —Before the appearance of the o'idium, 17,000 
to 20,000 kilogrammes per hectare were harvested 
in the provinces of Koshiu fKofvi), Kawachi and 
Yamashiro ; but after. 1867 the yield fell off sud- 
denly 3,000 to 3,500 kilogrammes. It is, however, 
expected that with care the disease will disappear 
and the yield be increased. The most productive 
vines are the Zinjindal and the Folle Blanche; the 
average yield being 18,000 kilogrammes per hectare 
after five or six years' culture. These plants are 
superior to the Japanese, and their proneness to 
take disease is much less. The year 1885 was less 
favourable and the yield was low ; it was only in 
Koshiu and Hokkaido that the vine succeeded. The 
heavy rains which fell at the time of blossoming 
in Kawachi llaiima and Owari, and the inundations 
which followed, destroyed nearly all the blossoms, anil 
the vines suffered very much. — Tayan Weekly Mail. 
♦ 
MANURES AND MANURING. 
iit morEsson john scott. 
The nitrogenous manures now in the market 
arc those previously enumerated. The principal of 
these arc nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia. 
Nitrate of soda is obtained from the crude salt deposit 
in I'eru, after being purified by crystallisation. Good 
wimple* contain 95 per cent of pure nitrate of soda, or 
ID per cent of ammonia, equal to about 15 - C pt*r cent 
of nitrogen. The present market price of nitrate of 
soda it £8 5s. per ton, which is equivalent, to 9s. 8fd, 
per unit of ammonia. Sulphate of amnion i i-. picpar, .1 
from the iiminimiiie >l pro, In. •• of ga., works. It con- 
taiim about -I per cent of ammonia worth at the pre- 
sent price of £|n IOh. per ton tor the sulphate, St. :),| 
pet unit. At current rafcis , the sulphate ol amnioiiiii 
i., thereloru iho cheaper article ol the two. 
SO 
Peruvian Ichaboo and Frey-Bentos guanos are 
chiefly valuable for the nitrogen they contain; Bolivian, 
Saldanha Bay, Kooriatnooria, &c, guanos owe their 
value to their phosphates. Their chief defect is in pot- 
ash, of which Peruvian guano contains more than the 
others. The best Peruvian guanos now imported only ion- 
tain about 0 per cent of ammonia, with from 30 to 50 per 
cent of phosphates, and 2 to 3 per cent of potash. 
The phosphatie guanos contain from 50 to 75 per cent 
of phosphates, and from a mere trace to 1 per cent 
of ammonia, with little or no potash. All prepar- 
ations of Peruvian guano add to the cost of the 
manure, without increasing the yield of the crop, or 
if they do, the latter have other defects. " This 
should be borne iu mind in connection with the use 
of strong chemicals to make guano more soluble, 
which not only destroys its admirable media' ical 
texture, but breaks up the very numerous and peculiar 
compounds upon which the progressiva action of Perm 1 
vian guauo depends." At present raw guauo is selling 
at about £7 10s. per ton, while dissolved guano is 
charged at £10 10s. per ton. The farmer will find it 
safest to use less of the guano in its raw state, and if 
more solvent manures are needed, supplement with 
nitrate of soda and superphosphate. " Prepared " guano 
is merely raw Peruvian guano to which ammonia salts, 
phosphates, &c , have been added to bring the sample 
up to guaranteed analysis. Iu the cargoes of guauo 
now imported there is very little soluble nitrogenous 
matter, and therefore no expense should be incurred 
iu fixing ammonia where there is none to fix. 
The only choap source of potash for agricultural 
purposes is the crude German salt known as kainit. 
Pure crystallized kainit has the formula Mg So 4 4- 
KC, +3H 3) ; which represents 1 moleoule of magnesic 
sulphate, 1 of potassic chloride, and 3 of water. 100 
lb. of pure kainit contains, therefore, 189 lb. of 
potash, or 2P1 lb. per cwt. Commercial kainit, 
however, never contains more than 14 per cent of 
potash, or 15"68 lb. per cwt., and many samples not 
more than 12 per cent, or 13'44 lb. per cwt. The 
present price of kainit is £2 5s. to £2 7s. 6d. per ton. 
Kainit acts directly by supplying pot sh to 
soils in which it is deficient, and indirectly by assisting 
the decomposition of the mineral matter of the soil 
and assisting in nitrification. Iu this way it is easy 
to explain how a first application of the kainit may 
be followed by results which do not attend a second 
or third application: for, as soon as the compounds 
difficult of decomposition existing in the soil have 
been broken up by the action of the potash salts, 
and rendered available for vegetation, there is nothing 
lett for a renewed dose to work upon, and its indirect 
action for the time being at any rate, is at an end. 
The crops which benefit most by it directly are 
potatoes, beans, clover, and turnips, iu the order 
named. 
'• Bone-dust " is not really what the name 
implies, but bones ground a little coarser than bn,f- 
meal and a little finer than the crvsheil hones of com- 
merce. " Bone ash " is the residue of burnt bines, 
" Superphosphate " is the name given to phosphates 
uiade more soluble by treatment with sulphuric acid ; the 
superphosphate, however, always containing more or 
less undissolved phosphate, " ground phosphate" min- 
eral phosphate or eoprolite ground to a tine powder. 
Phosphate of lime — this is, the tricalcic phos- 
phate (30a,OP.,O). — is only slightly soluble in water. 
But, from this tricalcic phosphate, either one or two 
parts of the lime can be taken away, ami replaced by 
water, changing the tricalcic intodicalcic or monocaloic 
phosphate respectively. This is done by treating the 
phosphate of lime (tricalcic) with sulphuric acid. 
Two parts of tho latter mixed with one of the former 
takes two eqivalents of lime from the phosphate 
aud gives to it water instead; forming (lull ( .LT< > 
(monocaloic phosphate) and 2t'aO,SO s (sulphate ol 
lime).. The monecalcic phosphate is most Soluble in 
water, and is, therefore, known as •• soluble phosphite." 
Monocalcic phosphate multiplied by L'886, or dicidrtc 
phosphiite multiplied by li>ot>, gives the corrt">p ;■ 
amount of tricalcic phosphate. — Scottish .lyrici' tu \U 
Gazette. 
