Jan. I. 1894. J 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
45 1 
Soot. 
Soot is used to a small extent in England as 
a nitrogenous manure. It contains nitrogen ooth 
in the soluble and insoluble forms. In there 
samples analysed by Mr. John Hughes he found 
from -23 to 2-85 per cent of ammonia existing as 
chloride and sulphate and therefore soluble, also 
nitrogen in the insoluble state equal to from 1 -24 
to! '66 per cent of ammonia. The nitrogen in 
both forms reckoned as ammonia being from 1-74 
to 4-88 per cent. 
Of nitrogenous manures, containing nitrogen 
in the insoluble form, there is a considerable 
variety. 
Dried I'lesh. 
Dried flesh has been used as a manure, but 
not extensively. It is rich in nitrogen. There 
samples analysed by Voelcker imported from 
Australia, New Orleans, and South America, con- 
tained from 11 to 12 per cent of nitrogen, and 3 
to 8 per cent of ash. Since the development of 
the tinned meat and meat extract industries, bye- 
products from tiiese manufactures are utilized as 
manures and sold vrnder such names as meat 
guanos, meat meal, Ficybentos guanos, mixed 
.scrap, &c. 
Meat meal is sold according to the percentage 
of nitrogen present, of which there should be the 
equivalent of from 8 to 13 per cent ammonia. 
Liebig's meat meal is guaranteed to contain 
nitrogen equal to 13 per cent of ammonia. 
Dried Blood. 
When blood is thoroughly dried it contains 
about 15 per cent of nitrogen. Being difficult to 
dry, however, there is generally a considerable 
quantity of water in the commercial article. A 
sample from a quantity imported into Ceylon ^\■as 
analysed with the following results : 
Moisture 
* Organic matter 
t Ash 
* Containing Nitrogen 
Equal to Ammonia 
t Containing ... 
Lime 
Pliosplioric Acid 
Potash 
As "ood commercial dried blood 
per cent. 
... 13-40 
... 80-ij7 
... 6-03 
100-00 
... 12-36 
... 15-00 
-424 
-16 
•33 
diould contain 
from "lO to 13 per cent of nitrogen, the above 
analysis may be regarded as representing a good 
average sample. 
Woollen BcfKse and Hcdv. 
' Woollen refuse and hair are used as manure on 
account of the nitrogen they contain. The 
amount of nitrogen in pure wool and _in hair is 
about the same, and amounts to about 17 per cent. 
The mineral matters are small in amount about 
•i per cent, liefuse wool, such as old woollen 
fabrics, and shoddy, are considerably poorer in 
nitrogen than pure wool. The nitrogen in woollen 
refuse, as it linds its way to the manure market, 
may vary from 2 per cent to nearly 12. 
The mineral value of woollen refuse is lessenedby 
the oresence of water, oil, or mineral impurities; 
also by the in-esence of cotton or other non-nitro- 
genous lil<res. 
The following are Mr. Hughes' analyses of 
good commercial shoddy : — 
No. 1 
No. 2 
per cent. 
per cent. 
Water 
... 19-93 
9-86 
Organic matter 
... 63-40 
76-08 
Ash ... 
... 16-67 
14-06 
100-00 
100-00 
Nitrogen 
... 6-83 
7-92 
Crushed Oil Calxs. 
The nitrogenous manures that are most in 
request, or most easily obtained in Ceylon, are 
oil cakes ; of which the favorite is 
Crushed Castor Cake. 
This is the crushed residue of the seeds of 
the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, after the 
oil has been expressed. The white castor cake 
is more valuable than the brown or black as a 
manure. The two latter contain a considerable 
proportion of the husks of the seeds, which are of 
little value, and impart the dark appearance to 
the sub-stance. 
The following two analyses made for a local 
firm exhibit the composition of good qualities : — 
Analyses of Crushed Castor Cake 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Moisture ... 
8-20 
8-95 
Oil 
12-84 
12-66 
*Albuminoids 
43-81 
48-13 
Mucilage, digestible | 
Fibre, &c. J 
7-51 
10-09 
Cellulose ... 
16-45 
11-34 
Soluble Ash 
6-58 
5-77 
Sand 
4-61 
306 
'Containing Nitrogen.. 
100-00 
7-01 
100 00 
7-70 
For manurial purposes much less elaborate 
analyses suffice. The follo^\■ing give all the 
details necessary to enable buyers to judge of 
the quality of castor cake, which, as a manure, 
is usually valued altogether on the basis of its 
nitrogen : — 
Analysis of Fresh and Old Castor Cake. 
Moisture 
Organic matter 
Asti ... 
Sand 
Valuable Ash .. 
Nitrogen 
Fresh, 
per cent. 
Old. 
per cent. 
8-88 
8-74 
80-58 
80-62 
10-54 
10-64 
100-00 
3-08 
7-46 
7-25 
100-00 
2-70 
7-94 
6-70 
