Sept. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
161 
Sulphuric anhydride 
Carbonic anhydride 
Silica 
Sand and Carbon 
•11 
trace 
4-35 
•25 
•94 
36 95 
2-13 
11-77 100-00 
The fat obtained was of a dark green colour 
from the presence of chlorophyll in the ether 
extract and not readily separable ' from it. 
Iri order that the above analysis may he 
readily compared with that of other fodder 
crops, I have calculated the results to grass 
containing 15 per cent of moisture and all the 
nitrogen into albuminous compounds, as is cus- 
tomary, although some of the nitrogen exists 
in other forms. 
The results are thus in a form in which 
they can be directly compared with the analyses 
of a number of fodder crops in an interesting 
table in Johnston and Cameron's Elements of 
Agricultural Chemistry and Geology. It will 
be observed that in the matter of albuminoids 
guinea grass compares favorably with the average 
results of other grasses, although of course the 
percentage is lower than in the clovers, trefoils, 
most of the vetches, lucerne and sainfoin which 
all belong not to the grasses but to the legumi- 
nous order of paints. 
p 17- pe^C^OJOOOO»p7*>7lrH 
r-i o i i ks o o 6 i 10 (o is 
fx* 
r-2 O 
0) >-s 
00 tji i'o ■* w o ih o » (N 00 
CN CC CO CO CO Co CO CO CI *3 10 
00 r^OCOI^^OOOOr-.OC'lp 
00 10 1- i ■* o ■* © cs 
6-1 WNniitoww'Nmw 
© 
00 CO CO I— t— l/JlOffl? V 1 
00000000 
in 
:| :-s| '•• '•■ '■• ' 
• &, T~ 
%S I :::::: : 
1:1 "life.! " " 
-/ ^ i 5 « «3 c 
° t k I 3 - • § >2 ~ % ' a 
The nutrient ratio or ratio of nitrogen to 
non nitrogenous digestible substances calculated 
after the same manner as for cereal grains is 1 : 
4-56, while the mean of Way's analyses of 18 species 
of grass indicates a nutrient ratio of 1 : 4-82. 
In meadow-hay it is 1: 5'21. The nutrient 
ratio in this sample of guinea grass is thus 
higher than is indicated by these analyses of 
grasses and of meadow-hay. 
In making this comparison it is to he remem- 
bered that the analysis of meadow-hay is the 
mean result of 50 analyses, while in the case of 
the guinea grass a single sample of well-grown 
grass of a rich green colour was analysed. 
As regards mineral matters guinea grass is 
very rich in potash and has also a considerable 
proportion of phosphoric acid. 
THE DANGER, OF TROPICAL OVER- 
PRODUCTION. 
(From " Delusions About Tropical Cultivation " in 
the " Nineteenth Century.") 
But even if all these difficuties ahoul I in some unfor- 
Eeenmatner be overcom", and Australia slionli be able 
to oLtain labourers iu pract cal y unlimited numbers, 
there wcu'd s jll remiiu the grea'er difficulty, which 
consideration will quickly t-how to be insuperable, of 
Bell i i g at a remunerative price the enormous quantities 
of produce which would be ueces a ily iuvolved in tlie 
contemplated development. 
In oider to appreciate this aul other economical 
d thcul ies, 1st us suppose cu'tivation extended over 
6,000,000 acr s or less than 1-100, h part of the total 
area of Tropical Australia. 
And let u? in the first p'ace consider of wl at this 
suppoEed extent of cultivation would be meat lik'ly 
to corsii-t. We have se n that at preeent in Queens- 
land, the only part of Tropical Australia where there 
is any agriculture of appreciable extenr, the area of 
land in sugarcane is twice that of other cultivation. 
Aa it is ntw more than twen y years since the com- 
mencement of tiopical agriculture thtre, it is probable 
that Australian enterprise and energy have by this 
tone made cousiderab'e pr gress towaids the discovery 
of what kinds of tropical produce and what proportion 
of each kind hold out the best prospects of profit iu 
cultivation. But besides thi<, there are other and 
stronger reiaons, which will be indicated 'nconoeotioa 
with ihepurt cular product*, why the above prof ortiou 
is i;ot likely to be disturbed by the increase of other 
cul ivatioc re'atively t > that of sjgar. Indet d in view 
of the d< cl nil g production of maize a-d bananas, 
which occupy areas in extent second enly to that of 
sng>>r, indications would eeem to poiut rather in the 
otner direction. Let us suppeso, however, that the 
proportion remains the same ; iu which case 4,000,000 
acies of the above area would be in cane and 2,1 00,000 
in other cultivation. According to the present yield in 
Qneen^land (one and a half ton to the acre) which the 
progress of scienre will probably increase, the abova 
area of cane would \ roduoe 6,000,000 tons of sugar, 
this qu mtity been considerably mere thau double the 
whole of the caneengar consumed by the civilized 
world (2,805,733 tons per annum according to the 
returns of lt87) of which, moreover, 139,168 ton3 came 
from temperate climates (Louisiana and Egypt). It 
thus nppeare that when the abore point ot develop- 
ment 1 as been reached, the consumption of cane-sugar 
will have more than doubled even if, the production of 
ihe rest of the world being extinguished, Australia 
wt re monopolizing the whole supply and more than 
trebled if merely the increase of coL6umption were 
supplied from Australia, produotion elsewhere having 
retnained stationary. Even if very lar^e allowance ba 
made for possible evenlua'ities, the above coi sider*- 
tion would seem to defer the supposed development to 
an extremely distant date ; and there are alio other*, 
to beudverted to preseutly, w hich appear to indicate 
su even more indefinitely prolonged postpoi eiueut. 
With a view, however, to estimate its effVctp, let us iu 
the first place suppose that this development hag 
