56 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[June i, 1881. 
COFFEE MANURING AND COFFEE 
PROSPECTS. 
Mr. John Hughes is not inclined to let Mr. Tolputt 
have the last word in the prolonged controversy over 
the question of the best manure for coffee, whether 
it be one in which potash or nitrogenous elements 
chiefly prevail. The following communication arrives 
at an opportune time when the minds of many 
planters are specially set on the consideration of the 
best available manure to apply to their trees : — 
79 Mark Lane, London, E. C, March 18. 
John Ferguson, Esq., Ceylon Observer. 
Dear Sir, — I notice you have published some long 
letters from Mr. Tolputt. 
If Mr. Tolputt will refer to my report (page 18), 
he will see that I by no means undervalue the im- 
portance of potash, but I maintain that 4 % 
potash equal to 8 % sulphate of potash will be found 
practically sufficient in a complete coffee manure, 
and that on soils already rich in potash a smaller 
quantity will do. I feel sure that planters will find 
it more permanently economical to make nitrogen 
in the form of organic matter, the dominant ele- 
ment of their manures. Thus, cake, fish manure (free 
from sand), and dri«d blood, aided by small quanti- 
ties of steamed bone meal, or superphosphate, will 
be found to be the most economical manure for a 
shrub like coffee. It is no business of mine to con- 
vince Mr. Tolputt, and if that gentleman thinks 
proper to make potash the principal element in cof- 
fee manures and to waste money in expensive fertil- 
izers of an exceedingly soluble nature, he can of 
course do so, but I shall continue to recommend 
planters to apply those manures which, from personal 
experience, I believe' to be most profitable, and most 
suitable to the special requirements of their soils, clim- 
ate and situation. I am glad to notice that the 
Ceylon Government has removed the duty from 
ground coral when used as a manure, for I believe 
it will be a most convenient method of applying 
lime to the estates. 
If ground coprolites have been found to give good 
results in Aberdeen, it is not surprising that ground 
bones and ground coral (carbonate of lime), if applied 
in a stimulating climate like that of Ceylon, will 
certainly prove economical as a permanent fertilizer. 
In connection with this question of carbonate of lime 
as a manure applied either separately or in union 
wilh cattle dung, you may remember that at page 
36 of my report I gave i an analysis of some sea sand 
taken from Bude in Cornwall, and which I stated 
was used in large quantities every year, being mixed 
with cattle dung in the form of a compost. I send 
you a cutting takea from this week's Farmer, in 
which public attention is again directed to this use of 
carbonate of lime in the form of calcarious sand:— 
Bude sea sand is becoming a popular article for 
land fertilization ; its lasting effects are greater than 
those of other manures. By the analysis made by Dr. 
Voelcker, this material contains no less than 78'24 of 
carbonate of lime for every lOO'OO. 
I am very pleased to hear you are likely to have 
a good blossom, and hope it may mature into a good 
crop. — Yours very truly, John Hughes. 
But what is the use of manuring at all? will be 
the cry of planters after perusing the following very 
gloomy statements from an up-country report. This 
contributor begins by asking "What about the 'bumper' 
crop?" a remark at once unfair and unworthy of 
the writer, for he knows, or ought to know, that we 
opened the year by expressly discarding the word 
"bumper " from our columns, and neither by our- 
selves nor by a single correspondent has it since been 
applied to our prospects. These prospects were said 
to be better than any antic pated at the same period 
for either of the past two seasons, but we suppose 
our critic would almost deny this proposition now ! 
He writes : — 
"The splendid season we have had forced out very 
large blossoms everywhere up to about 4,000 feet, and 
even on considerably higher elevations in Dimbula. 
Bogawantalawa blossoms were poor. But the general 
cry is that they have not set. Is it the 'seasons' 
and ' weather' again ? Too dry after the February 
blossom, too viet, after the March one ? Or must it 
be admitted that ' W. McK. ' was right in seeing 
its wood in quite another light, from the roseate hue 
which so dazzled the eyes of 1 Z' ? Seventeen out of 
ove r a score blossoming seasons I have seen, were 
blamed for the difference between crups and hopes. 
Surely it is time now we admitted the Ceylon climate 
to be unsuited for coffee. 
" You have surely been misled about that won- 
derful ' Venture ' manure. You are advertising either 
the manure, Venture, or Mr. Ross ; or some one seeks by 
your aid to shew mortgagees that we have only to 
follow in his footsteps to get paying crops for an 
indefinite time. I hear, however, that Aluwihare has 
actually fallen off in crops as much as any estate 
in Matale, certainly more than any estate which 
ha3 received similar care and outlay. This too, 
in the last four years, while manures have been 
made from analysis, although perhaps not much of 
the Aberdeen manure went to Aluwihare. Venture 
gave much better crops per acre in 1876-'77 and 1878, 
than it did or will do in 1879-80 and 1881. During 
1879-80, seasons were perhaps against it, but this manure 
had not been used previous to that time, or, at all 
events, did not affect the crops of 1876-77, nor perhaps 
of 1878. You say Mr. Ross finds that by manuring 
with this stuff (chiefly bones and poonac) he raises 
his crops from 2 or 3 cwts. to 5 or 6. But he did 
not get 5 cwts. in 1879 or 1880, and it is doubtful 
whether throwing in this crop the three years will 
average 5 cwts. Now, surely ' Venture,' naturally the 
finest estate in Dikoya, would have given at leatt jour 
cwt. without manure during these three years. Itis in its 
prime, being all under ten years of age, and most of 
it between four and eight years. The adjoining old 
estate of Lawrance, has averaged over three, during 
those years, without manure, or with only such stuff 
as pulp, &c. Norwood and Venture lie on nither side 
of Lawrence. The first two estates were manured 
yearly up to last j'ear, yet it was proved two years ago, 
that Lawrence, without manure, averaged much the 
same as Norwood, and within a cwt. or 1-^ of Venture 
for the previous four years. Norwood and Venture 
had the advantage of youth. The difference in crops 
in favour of Venture did not more than cover the 
difference in expenditure. 
" If coffee cannot set a crop in a good season, unless 
manured at a heavy loss during bad seasons, it is 
worse than worthless. All analysis of the tables of 
manures which you published lately from the Customs 
accounts shews that during the five years 1865 to '69, 
we used, on an average, £30,000 of manure yearly ; 
from 1870 to 1874 £50,000 worth, and from 1875 to 
1879 £140,000 ! Cattle manures too were made to a 
much larger extent during the last five years ^1875-1879 
than ever before. Yet, with this enormous increase of 
expenditure, and 80,000 acres of young coffee which 
has come into bearing since 1870, our exports go down 
to about three-fifths in the ten years, 1870 to 1880. 
Leaf disease has beaten us. We have spent more than 
we could afford from the crop returns in cultivation, 
without apparently arresting for a moment the back- 
ward tendency of exports. This too with a railway, 
with the export tax taken off, without the heavy loss 
