March i, 1894.] TkB TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
621 
if the land is well selected they can, with a little 
trouble and care, be so kept down that the damage 
done is trifling. 
Timber. — With an outlet towards the Atlantic, the 
timber ou the territory would become a source of 
great income, Ou walking through the lorest I en- 
ooaatered immense trees of cedar, madogany walnat,and 
roEewood, some walnut trees near Metrato would give 
boards of about 15 to 18 inches wide, but with the 
present means of conveyance could not be exported. 
There must be a snffioient number of valuable trees 
growing within reasonable disttnce of the Perene, 
and its tribntaries, to make lumbering an induatry 
of great importauoe. Numerous other kinds of 
various qualities are found very suitable for boarding 
and general building purposes. 
"NunsEBiES." — I have now got about 10 acres of 
land cleared and ground will soon be got ready for 
Beads of all kinds. At preaent I have coffee seeds 
sown, which should give about 80,000 plants, and 
with the extra seeds to be sown shortly will enable 
mo to supply all demand.s for this season. A small 
bed of Huanaco coffee seeds sown last autum have 
done exceptinnally well, and I hope to be able to 
have the seedlings plantrd out for seeding purposes 
as soon as the rains commence. The introduction 
of blue mountain coffee eeeds would be of the greatest 
benefit, and could be set apart and growQ to supply 
seeds for Colonists. A little later on I may be able 
to collect plants and seeds and make an eichanue 
with the authorities of the Botanic Gardens, Jamaica. 
Dentville. — Not much c»n be Baid about this 
little town in the meantime, but I have every con- 
fidence in saying that it will rise to be a very 
important place, as well as a very pretty one. 
Al'hongh it lies rather low and is enoloeed by an 
amphitheatre of hills, a strong breeze blows up the 
valley of the Peroue, and makes the temperature 
nice and bracing. During the roiny season, a little 
trouble was caused by malaria, due no doubt to the 
dampness nnd thick fjrest around, but I am of 
opinion that this will disappear as it is opened out. 
Besides the Indinns' houses, I have erected two new 
ones which will suffice for the houpirg of the pre- 
sent population. The ^ Plaz*, or Square, is now 
marked off, cL aned an ready for buildirg^", and in 
due time the ground wi'l be laid out with the neces- 
gury walk? nnd beds. Along the river lank, for 
about 2 miles, a splendid drive or walk can be laid 
down with very little expense, as the place abounds 
with palms and other ornamental trees, and I hope 
in due time to take this in band. 
KoAns AND Bbidges.— lu spite cf the great diffi- 
culties to be contended with, I have great pleasure 
in saying that this important work is b-jing carried 
on quickly. It is of the utmost importance to 
the rapid development of the Colony that spcciil 
time and money be devoted to this great task, as 
without means of coovejanoe into the interior 
we can never expect to make any markei head- 
way. The road that is being constructed be- 
tween Peroue and Dentvilla is an cxcGllent one, 
and when completed will be of the greatest im- 
portance to the Colony. Not only will it be a great 
highway into the inferior, but va<!t tracts of valuable 
lands on both sides of it can be colon zed. The river 
communication is only open for a few months in the 
year, and no dependence can be put 0'\ the Indians f(ir 
supplies or taking away produce. They dislike hard 
work of any kind, and having their own little affdrs 
to attend to no reliance can ba placed on their 
services: also I m*y ad I, that the navigation of 
the river to Dentv.Ue is so dangerous that bal.sat 
with cargo ru i a great risk of getting upset o i the 
journey down. Tue bridges a^e al-o being puahe I on, 
and in ab u* two months I expect tj eoe the bridire 
over the Paiicartambo comjdetcjJ. 
" Prospects." — From an agricultural poiut of view 
the prospects of the Colony are vury e icoura^iiip, 
and tho Colon's^, notwithstanding the difficulties of 
establishing himiolf, will find his labours amply re- 
wardcJ. The man who is afraid o( hurJ work need 
uover come here, as an idler osnoot get ou iu this 
foautr^. To men with ti. little capital thin tectitory 
presents a field nnsurpassed iu any part of the world, 
and with roads a little more advanced hundreds of 
colonists can be settled within easy reach of the 
markets. Every kind of produce sells readily, as the 
demand far exceeds the fupply. In concluding I 
wonld add that all that is required to ranke this a 
great C'dony is the emigration of Colonists with a 
little means to give them an interest in their estates. 
I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
(Signed) JA8. KOBB. 
P.S. — I omitted to say under the heading of 
Nurseries " that one crop of rice and two crops of 
maize were raised at Dentville, as an experiment, 
with -complete success. In my next leporo I shall 
be able to deal more fully with these matters. — J.R. 
" WHAT THE ANALYTICAL CHEMIST CAN DO 
FOE, THE TEA PLANTERS." 
In the hope that the Planters' Association at 
their approaohing meeting may refer the whole 
subject of Scientific aid for the Planter to a Sub- 
committee for Report, we would call attention to 
another Department in which good service could be 
rendered. The Analytcal Chemist can always furnish 
useful and valuable information by the examina- 
tion of a Soil, and that without having recourse 
to very elaborate and expensive analyses. The 
more valuable, as well as the less valuable con- 
si ituents of a soil are drawn from two sources, viz. 
the atmosphere, and the purely mineral part of 
the earth. The virgin forest has for ages been 
assimilating anJ accumulating in the soil the 
wealth derivable from the atmosphere. By a 
simple determination of the amount oE nitrogen 
in a sample of unmanured soil, the analyst can 
reckon up this aocumulated capital. In like 
manner, by a determination of the pbosphoria 
acid in a soil, the analyst obtains an excellent 
index of the mineral resources of the land from 
an agii-hortioultural point of view. No one should 
purchase land from which the forest has been 
cleared, without getting a report on the contents 
of the land; so far as the nitrogen and phosphoric 
acid are concerned ; but even a nitrogen determi- 
nation only, is a valuable test of the fertility of 
a soil. A high percentage of nitrogen is the 
record left by long existing luxuriant forest, and 
Euch forest could not have existed without a 
sufficiency of mineral plant food as well. 
To illustrate further the value of a nitrogen 
determination in samples of soil — suppose we 
have two soils equnlly favoured in other respect 
but Que containing only '1 per cent of nitro- 
gen, while the other contains -2 per cent, the 
latter has additional capital in the form of 
nitrogen, which may be understood by the con- 
sideration that nitrogenous matter equal to about 
17 tons per acre of castor-oake of 6 per cent 
nitrogen would require to be incorporated with 
the soil of the former land to bring the nitrogen 
up to the amount in the latter. 
The Eervioes of an Analyst are also useful in 
determining the value of the Kainfall, and in all 
agricultural experiments in which it is necessary 
to record the character of the soil and composi- 
tion of the manures employed. In oonneotion 
with the purchase o£ Manures, the services of an 
analyst sooner or later become indispensable, 
wherever the manures of commerce come to ba 
largely used. 
We may illustrate, e.'j., tho usa of analysis in 
tho purchase of such an exaollent manure as 
castor-jake. Tbe best quality contains about 7-7 
per cent of nitrogeu ; but most of what is sold 
contains less ; a great dsal of it only contains 
6 pet cent and under, U these two ^ujli. 
