434 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1888 
Eice like all cereals naturally requires a generous 
supply of nitrogen in some form, but being grown 
(up to the flowering season) in ground through 
which water is passing it is most important that 
the manure used should not be of too soluble a 
character, also that proper control of the water 
should always be observed) as otherwise there would 
arise a great waste of fertilizing material. Of 
course the water* when properly held in check, 
furnishes an excellent medium for equally distrib- 
uting the valuable ingredients of the manure, 
but great care must be exercised, and not too much 
water allowed in the fields and no overflowing of 
the banks or walls. 
The manures that have been found to yield the 
most economical and remunerative results in the 
south of Spain rice fields are mixtures consist- 
ing of 
Superphosphate 
Fine bone dust or fish guano 
Dried blood finely ground 
Sulphate of ammonia 
Sulphate of potash 
The materials are carefully mixed and so com- 
pounded that the nitrogen, phosphates and potash 
shall be supplied in different conditions of solubility 
to meet the requirements of the crop in its various 
stages of growth. 
For some years there has been carried on a 
steady and increasing trade in these rice manures, 
some hundreds of tons being to my own personal 
knowledge shipped from London alone — the weekly 
Bteamers from Liverpool also taking consignments 
from the manufacturers of the north. 
With ample supplies of castor poonac, finely 
ground dried fish and steamed bone meal of the 
very best description already available in Colombo, 
it is certainly a great pity, as well as a distinct 
local loss, that no well-organized system for ap- 
plying manure to the paddy fields should have 
been carried out in Ceylon. 
At the present time Indian bone-dust is coming 
into the London market at the same time as 
Indian wheat and Calcutta rice. It is too hard on 
the land to be constantly draining away its stores 
of accumulated wealth, and the soil must indeed 
be rich that can long stand such a drain. 
Unless some manure is returned, the yield fails 
and the quality becomes impaired and if it pays 
to manure in the south of Europe and the States 
it must surely pay in India and Ceylon where 
labour is so cheap and railway transit rapidly 
extending. 
Analytical Laboratory, 79, Mark Lane, 
London, E. C. , Nov. 4th. 
» 
A New Use for Rushes. — In olden times the so- 
called pith of Rushes was made use of universally 
in the manufacture of candles. This state of things 
has, however, passed away, and but little use is now 
made of Rushes, except for the seats of chairs, coarse 
mats, and similar purposes. Our French neighbours 
have devised another means of utilising this material, 
and which we bring to the notice of those engaged 
in church decoration and other similar purposes. 
Strolling through the quaint old market-place at 
Calais lately, we observed wreaths and bouquets of 
Box, intermingled with which were email tufts and 
loops made of the "pith" of the Rush. For any 
purpose where formality of arrangement is not ob- 
jectionable, this contrast of the deep colour of the 
evergreens with the white of the Rush is very 
effective. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
A Fruitless Seakcu. — Planters in our East In- 
dian possessions take great interest in all new febri- 
fuges, and anything new which is likely to replac 
cinchona and its products is generally hailed with 
something like alarm. Of course they have a stake 
in the cinchona industry, and it was natural when 
the reports of the salutary influences of the eucalyp- 
tus in removing malaria reached them that they 
should keep their eye upon it. Now an Indian 
contemporary informs us that "after all we have 
read of the Eucalyptus Globulus, and the wonders 
we have been led to expect would result on its 
introduction into and cultivation in this country, 
it is sad to find on reading the opinion of an 
expert that our hopes have been founded on sand. 
The bark and leaves of the tree have now been 
examined, and neither quinine, quinidine, cinchoni- 
dine, nor cinchonine is contained in the plant in 
any proportion. And this when we were pre- 
viously led to believe that the tree was almost, 
if not quite, as good as cinchona in furnishing 
the world with a febrifuge." This is disappoint- 
ing, for, according to the Lancet, two learned 
professors obtained an alkaloid from the bark 
which crystallised, like quinine, as a sulphate, 
and which yielded the ordinary reaction of quinine 
with chlorine water and ammonia. Taking 
everything into consideration we should have in- 
ferred that the Lancet was wrong. Our Indian con- 
temporary also finds that, instead of producing rain- 
fall, the eucalyptus takes up more than its fair 
share of water. But the investigations were not 
carried sufficiently far to lead to the discovery that 
the water-imbibing propensity is the reason why 
the eucalyptus has found new homes in the mala- 
rial districts of Italy, California, and other pre- 
viously unhealthy parts of the globe. — Chemist and 
Druggist. 
Planting Feuit Tbees. — In performing this opera- 
tion care must be taken that the trees are not 
planted too deeply — in fact, they are best left a little 
raised above the level of the surface, so as to allow 
of the trees sinking somewhat afterwards ; neither 
should trees planted against walls have their stems 
placed close to the wall; they are much better for 
being kept 6 inches away from it. Assuming that 
the sites intended for the new trees are fully pre- 
pared, the planting is thereby much expedited as 
soon as they come to hand. In planting, take care 
that the small fibrous roots are evenly spread out, 
and at slightly different levels, and that all stroDg 
roots and others that have become injured on re- 
moval be cut back with a sharp knife. In carrying 
out the work some of the finest of the new soil 
should be inserted amongst the roots, making all firm 
by treading as the work proceeds, and by giving the 
trees a good watering before finally filling in the 
soil. After planting it will be necessary to fasten 
the trees loosely to the wall, to prevent the branches 
from being blown about by the wind, the proper 
nailing of the wall trees being deferred till spring. 
Pyramid and standard trees will require staking, to 
prevent rooking, placing some soft material round 
their stems, so that the bark is not injured ; and 
in the case of orchard tree, they will also require 
the stems to be protected from injury by game ; it 
is not safe to leave them even for one night with- 
out taking some precautions against this kind of 
injury, as any fresh occupants of the orchards are 
readily found out by hares and rabbits. To give 
the kitchen garden a pleasing appearance, a 
narrow border should be formed round the vege- 
table quarters, which should be planted with pyramid 
trees of Apples, Plums, and Pears, planted form 6 to 
8 feet apart, so that eventually the trees will occupy 
the whole of the space ; and in the meantime small 
bushes of Gooseberries can be planted betweeu to 
fill up space, but on no account should the ground 
near their base be cropped by vegetables under any 
consideration, but the ground should be kept clean by 
the use of the hoe, or, better still, kept well mulched 
with well rotted manure. — E. Ward, Howell, Broms- 
grove.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 
