710 
Supplement to the "Tropical Agriculturist.'' [April i, 1895. 
wide interval from the molars. The lower jaw 
has never more than two of these incisors, and 
the upper jaw very rarely ; but sometimes there 
are four upper incisors. There are no canine 
teeth, arid the molars and premolars are few in 
number (rarely more than four on each side of 
the jaw). The feet are usually furnished with 
five toes each, all of which are armed with 
claws. To this order belong the mice, nits, 
squirrels, rabbits, hares, beavers, porcupines. The 
first five mentioned are all more or less destruc- 
tive to agricultural and horticultural produce. 
The beaver is hunted chiefly for the sake of its 
skin, but also for the substance known ms cwsto- 
reum. This is a fatty substance secreted by pecu- 
liar glands and employed as a therapeutic agent. 
The quills of the porcupine are used, among other 
purposes, for making porcupine-quill boxes welt- 
known in Ceylon. 
The order Chieroptera is considered ''the 
most distinctly circumscribed and natural 
group" of the Mammalia; the following are 
the characteristics of the Chieroptera : — The 
anterior limbs are longer than t he posterior, the 
digits of the fore-limb (excepting the polleX (or 
thumb) being enormously elongated, and united 
by membrane (pataginm) which is also extended 
between the fot'9 and hind limbs and the sides 
of the body, and sometimes even between the 
hind limbs and tail. This membrane serves for 
flight. The thumb and sometimes the first finger 
have claws, while all the toes are clawed, 
the digits being all of a size. 
The order includes only the Bats, the great 
peculiarity of which — already referred to — is the 
modification of the hand for the purpose of sup- 
porting a flying-membrane. 
Bats generally appear at dusk or at night; 
they are sometimes carnivorous, sometimes frugi- 
vorous, and often do much damjge to fruits. 
Their ears are large compared with their eyes, 
and their sense of touch is believed to be very 
acute. During the day, bats retire to caves and 
other dark recesses, where they suspend them- 
selves by means of their hind-feet which are 
provided with curved claws. The droppings of 
bats in such places form a very rich manure. 
Tasectivora comprises a number of small mam- 
mals resembling the Eodents, but without the 
peculiar incisors of the latter. In the insectivora 
all three kinds of teeth are present ; the molars 
are serrated with numerous small pointed cusps 
for crushing insects. Usually all the feet are 
furnished with five toes which have claws. The 
animals walk on the soles of the feet, and are 
generally rioctural and subterranean. To this 
order belong the moles, shrews and musk-rats. 
VALUATION OF MANURES. 
The following useful data and many of the 
tables that follow are taken from Bulletin 
55 of the New York Experimental Station, 
prepared under the direction of Dr. Peter Cellier : — 
Price per lb. 
in pence. 
Nitrogen in ammonia salts ... 8J 
Nitrogen in nitrates ... 7f 
Nitrogen in meat, blood, and mixed 
fertilisers ... 8| 
Nitrogen in fine-ground bone and 
tankage ... 7§ 
Nitrogen in coarse bone and tankage . . M 
Phosphoric acid, soluble ... 3J 
Reverted phosphoric ax-id ... 3 
Phosphoric acid in fine bone and 
tankage ... 3 
Phosphoric acid in coarse bone and 
tankage ... U 
Phosphoric acid in wood asdics ... gj 
Potash, high grade sulpliate ... 2j 
Potash, kainit ... U 
Potash, muriate ... 53 
Organic nitrogen in mixed fertilisers s 
Insoluble phosphoric acid in mixed 
fertilisers ... ] 
Chemical analyses often show the three elements 
in combination not referred to in this tabulation. 
There the nitrogen may be given as aminonii 
j or the potash may appear as the chloride or 
sulphate, in which case it will be necessary to 
reduce such compounds into their equivalents 
of the element or other compound required. 
These conversions may be made by the use of 
| factors as shown below : — 
1. To change ammonia into equivalent nitrogen, 
multiply ammonia I13- -8235. 
2. To change nitrogen into equivalent ammonia, 
multiply nitrogen by 1-214. 
3. To change muriate (chloride) of potash into 
equivalent potash, multiply muriate by "63. 
4. To change potash into equivalent muriate of 
potash, multiply potash by 1 '585. 
5; To change sulphate of potash into equivalent 
potash, multiply sulpliate by -54. 
6. To change potash into equivalent of sulphate 
of potash, multiply potash by 1'85. 
7. To change phosphoric acid into equivalent 
phosphate of lime, multiply phosphoric acid 
by i 183. 
8. To change soluble sulphate into equivalent 
phosphate of lime, multiply soluble phos- 
phate by 1 -325. 
How these tables are used will be best seen 
by means of an example. Suppose one of the 
mixed fertilisers common in the markets be pur- 
chased, which is guaranteed to contain — nitro- 
gen 3 per cent, soluble phosphoric acid 6 per 
cent, reverted phosphoric acid 4 per cent, potash 
2 per cent. The commercial value, first of 100 lb. 
of this fertiliser and then of one ton (2,240 lb.) 
will be shown in the following calculation: — 
3 per cent nitrogen — in 100 lb., 3 lb. s. d. 
—at 8fd. ... 2 24, 
6 per cent soluble phosphoric acid — 
in 100 lb., 6 lb.— at 3£d. ... 1 7* 
4 per cent reverted phosphoric acid — 
in 100 lb., 4 lb.— at 3d. ... 1 0 
2 per cent potash — in 100 lb., 2 lb. 
-2^d ... 0 4£ 
Value of 100 lb. ... 5 2^ 
Multiply this value of 100 lb. (62Jd.) by 22-4 gives 
us as the value of one ton (2,240 lb.) of this ferti- 
lisers, £5 16s. 6d. 
To make another example, in this case a Queens- 
land manufactured bone-dust. The analysis shows 
for this article the following composition: — 
Moisture 5 -38 per cent 
Organic substances (containing 3 - 78 
per cent nitrogen, equal to 4 -59 
per cent ammonia) 40 TO ,, 
Lime 29 15 „ 
Phosphoric acid (equal to 48 - 78 per 
cent phosphate of lime) 21 - 42 „ 
Carbonic acid 1-06 „ 
Insoluble (sand, &c.) 0 - 72 „ 
