Oct. i, 1894.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
219 
the fertilisers used were at the following rats per 
acre: — Sulphate of potash, 320 lb; nitrate of soda, 
4d0 lb; sulphate of magnesia, 208 ib; and bone 
superphosphate, 430 lb. They were weighed out into 
two equal portions, each containing its due weight 
of the above four substances. One of th te portions, 
after being dissolved in distilled wa er, was mixed 
with one lot of soil, and to insure intimate distri- 
bution, this soil was divided into fourteen equal parts, 
witu which was carefully incorporated a corresponding 
part of the solution. The soil was then again mixed, 
placed in a large shallow wooden case, divided in 10 
lour sections, and the seeds were duly sown. To the 
other lot of sA similarly placed, the manures we e 
applied in a dy state, Light rows, 6 inches deep, 
were marked out to a depth cf 4j inches, and in 
ex h of the u was carefully distributed an eighth pare 
of the to'.al portion of fertilisers. Iu adjac.nt 
parallel lines was sown the same number of seeds as 
in the other case. 
Without entering into the minute details of the 
results obtained by M. Schloesing, he found, as 
rega:ds the ptiosphoric and potassic manures that 
where they had been applied in rows, they had been 
utilised by the plants to a considerably greater 
extent; and that a though this method caused the 
crops to ripen later, it iucieased their development, 
and iu every case gave a greater yield. The p r- 
ceutagj increase in the yield was as follows: — Wheat, 
03 per c:nt; and Potatos, 26 per cent; Beans, 29 
per cent; and Peas, 2-1 per cent. It should bb added 
that the sam; kind of crop in each case was weighed 
on the same day, as soon as the earlier was consi- 
dered ripe, so tlrat this was to the disadvantage of 
the later crops, which even then gave the increase 
shown above. 
A second series of experiments of the same nature 
was lately reported to the French Academie des 
Sciences, and is contained in one of the recent 
Comjftes Ucndus. 
SI. P.unet, confinijg his observations to the 
Potato, worked in a much larger a:ea th.n M. 
Schloesing had done, one of h s plots (B), being half 
a hectare (1'37 acre) in extent Two kinds of so 1 
of the following nature were selected : — 
S il. 
a r 
Nitrogen. Potash Lime. 
con 
soil) I taine 
"i per 
B I luOO 
907 
1-02 
•695 
•954 
2'64 17-0 
1-83 2-67 
Plot 
(light 
Plot 
(heavy soil) pa. ts 
Each plot was divided into three sections here 
called 1., II . and III., for tbe sake of clearness. 
Section I. in each plot was left unmanured, and 
served as the control section. To Sections II. and 
III. manures were applied as follows: — 
Nitrate of soda, at the rate of 120 lb per acre. 
Sulphate of potash at the rate of 120 lb per acre. 
Mineral supjrphosphate at the rate of 210 lb 
per acre. 
In section II. of each plot the fertilisers were 
carefully mixed with thesoil, but in III. they were 
placed in a line parallel to the tubers. The following 
table shows the calculated yield per acre of the crops 
iu each section: — 
iSect 
( Sect 
'\ :: 
Section I. 
II. 
III. 
Section I. 
Plot U •{ „ II. 
ill. 
Ton. cwt. 
. 5 8 
. 7 6 
. 8 (i 
qr. 
2 
12 
lb. 
21 
21 
10 
0 
21 
12 
In each plot, therefore, the method of app'ying 
the manure in lows gave an increased yield per "acre 
as uuder:— Ton. cwt. qr. lb. 
Plot A .. ... .... 0 19 1 14 
Plot B .. .. .. 0 12 2 16 
Without giving all the oilier detailed results, the 
following table shows the calculated weight of starch 
per acre contained in the tubers : — 
Ton. cwt. qr. lb. 
I Section I. ... 1 4 a 2 
Plot A „ II. ... 1 8 1 25 
I „ III. . . 1 13 3 14 
( Section I. ... 1 10 4 6 
Plot B< „ II. .. 1 10 2 24 
I „ III. ... 1 15 1 14 
Showing an increased yield of starch of III. over 
II. as follows: — cwt. qr. lb. 
Plot A ... ... .. 5 1 17 
Plo B ... .. ... 4 2 18 
Prom the experiments of Schloesing and Prunet, 
it appears, therefore, that phosphatic and potassic 
rnanu es are better utilised by plants when applied 
in rows than when they are equally distributed in 
the soil. In the latter case their points of contact 
with the elements of the soil being inumerable, the 
precipitation of the fertilising principles is more 
ra id than when the contact is limited in extent. 
M. Prunet also observed that the roots attained a 
greater development n- ar the li>:es of manure, and 
he corroborates what M., Schloesing had said of the 
fertilising elements required by plants, that large 
rations absorbed by even a few roots are of greater 
service to the plant than if even all the roots absorb 
small quantities. 
It must, however, not to be forgotten regarding 
phosphati j and potassic manures, that their better 
utilisation when the) are applied in rows a so implies 
a greater draiu on the soil, which will be left rela- 
tively poorer in these fertilising principles, a fact to 
be taken into consideration in manuring for succeed- 
ing crops.- B.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 
THE COST OF STARTING A FRUIT FARM 
IN CALIFORNIA. 
Thi* is an important question to many, and while 
a larger capital is desirable, anyone possessing from 
£250 can make a very comfortable Home in California, 
and maintain himself aud family w th his chickens, 
cows, aud annual crops, until such time as his trees 
and vines begin to bear. After the land has been 
select d the following details wi 1 give an approximate 
idea of the amount necessary to start a 2o-acre 
fruit farm the first season, as per diagram iu my 
pamphlet, which can be had on application. 
The price of the land is from §cC per aore, which 
is about £12, and the terms of payment are one- 
quarter cash down, aud the balance in the third, 
lourtli, and fifth year, with interest on deferred 
payments. This arrangement enables the purchaser 
to realise on crops to make these payments. 
Water, which i-i another factor in the success of 
tlis district, there is abundance of. It is derived 
fr m the Kern River, under a perfect system of 
irrigation comprising 350 miles of canals. 
For the accommodation of all, the company under- 
take to furnish the best vines and fruit trees and 
plant and cultivate the same with thorough attention 
tor one year. 
Thus a 20-acre fruit farm, which should bring in 
a net profit of from £20 to £60 per acre aud more 
according to cultivation, would cost to have planted 
ntt including the house, and possibly some levelling 
as follows •. — ° 
One quarter deposit on 20 acres, at 5>C0 
per acre, which at the English and Ameri- 
can Exchange on money equals about £62 10 0 
10 acres of raisin vines, cultivation and 
attention to same one year at$3f per acre, 
equal to 72 18 4 
5 acres of fruit trees, 100 108 to the 
acre, cultivating and attention to the same 
one yeac at f#l5 per acre e qua! to 46 17 6 
2i acres of alfalfa at §10 per acre, 
equal to 5 4 2 
Fencing 20 acres, about 20 J 6 8 
Water gates, about 6 5 j 
Management and superintendence first 
}' eai ' 20 10 8 
£235 T~4 
