434 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1892. 
the  soil  that  an  analysis  would  not  be  of  service  in 
trying  to  apply,  what  the  land  was  supposed  to 
want.  Using  fertilisers  in  all  cases  was  not  altogether 
successful.  An  analysis  of  the  soil  was  certainly 
useful  to  a man  who  knew  what  chemistry  was  and 
how  to  use  it,  but  how  many  farmers  understood 
it?  Chemistry  came  in  handy  when  it  came  as 
natural  causes.  The  use  of  potash  to  their  ground, 
if  they  could  afford  to  use  it,  might  prove  beneficial. 
If  the  soil  were  absolutely  wanting,  too,  chemistry 
would  be  of  practical  utility.  Unless  they  understood 
the  chemistry  of  farming  they  would  get  into  a 
quagmire.  All  vegetation  was  supposed  to  contain 
the  following  thirteen  things: — Oxygen,  nitrogen, 
hydrogen,  cai'bon,  phosphates,  sulphates,  chlorine, 
silicon,  iron,  manganese,  magnesium,  sodium  and 
potash.  All  these  alums  were  found  in  vegetation 
and  were  naturally  provided  for  its  growth.  All 
the  man  could  apply  in  the  way  of  manure 
numbered  four — namely,  nitrogen,  phosphorus, 
potash  and  lime.  The  air  and  earth  formed  the 
others.  The  most  important  fertilisers  that  ever 
have  been  found  are  those  materials  taken  directly 
from  the  farm  and  the  plantation.  While  they 
talk  of  those  four  manurial  forms,  they  all  try  to 
put  them  in  the  soil.  Humus  was  something  that 
came  from  decayed  vegetables  or  animals  and 
formed  in  the  earth.  It  was  in  itself  a food  for 
plants  and  also  acted  on  the  elements  and  made 
plant  food.  That  was  one  of  the  inconsistencies 
which  they  experienced.  Then  it  was  held  that 
the  soil  contained  a lot  of  little  animalcules  which 
had  the  power  to  produce  nitrates  in  the  soil.  That 
was  another  inconsistency,  which  was  given  to 
show  how  complex  was  the  question.  Nitrates  should 
be  good  to  the  soil.  The  application  of  water  to 
the  plant,  it  was  well  known  had  a powerfnl  effect 
on  its  growth.  It  was  altogether  a fascinating 
question  the  matter  of  applying  manure  to  the 
ground.  Take  for  instance,  stable  or  cattle  manure 
or  anything  that  came  from  animals.  The  composi- 
tion consisted  of  the  four  alums  mentioned  and  a 
mixture  of  some  of  the  other  14  gases,  etc.  They 
might  have  manure  good  in  weight  and  the  right 
color  which  would  make  them  believe  it  to  be  a 
perfect  fertiliser,  yet  it  might  not  be  worth  haul- 
ing to  the  field.  Manure  to  be  valuable  must  come 
from  something  valuable.  Horses  fed  on  one  thing 
might  produce  ten  times  better  manure  than  if 
fed  on  anything  else.  For  himself  he  (Professor 
Shelton)  would  sooner  have  manure  made  from  the 
decomposition  of  lucerne  than  ten  times  as  much 
coming  from  the  decomposition  of  cane  tops.  Lucerne 
contained  a lot  of  nitrogen.  Manures  get  their  value 
out  of  the  substances  from  which  they  are  made. 
English  farmers  knew  these  things  on  account  of 
the  keen  competition  which  went  on  amongst  them — ■ 
each  one  trying  to  be  better  than  his  neighbor.  Cotton 
seed  was  enormously  rich  in  nitrogen.  It  seemed 
that  all  the  numerous  nitrogenous  seeds  went  to 
Europe  mostly  to  England  and  the  English  Isles. 
It  seemed  to  be  the  focus  into  which  all  those 
seeds  were  gathered.  The  soil  when  taken  from 
the  cotton  seed  or  linseed,  left  the  nitrogen  behind, 
and  that  was  most  valuable  for  their  soil.  The 
colonial  farmer  wasted  his  manure  as  a rule,  or 
allowed  it  to  waste  its  nitrogen  and  become  value- 
less. Oftentimes  he  had  seen  the  stable  manure  piled 
up  against  the  walls  of  the  stable,  and  the  rain 
from  the  eaves  of  the  roof  pouring  down  through. 
The  water  carried  off  all  its  good  qualities,  if  it 
were  kept  in  a compact  mass  it  would  still  hold  its 
value ; and  if  it  was  to  be  of  use  it  must  be  protected 
from,  and  not  receive  the  rain  or  soakages  from 
buildings.  How  might  they  apply  these  fertilisers 
to  the  best  advantages  ? He  had  noticed  in  going 
around  the  district  a lot  of  cane  tops  and  megass 
on  the  land.  They  were  not  valueless,  however, 
when  allowed  to  rot  there  was  a lot  of  acid  in 
them.  It  took  a long  time  to  decompose  even 
when  in  the  ground.  If  any  of  the  common  nitres 
were  used  with  them  there  would  no  doubt  be  a 
good  result.  Lime,  for  instance,  would  be  a good 
thing  to  mix  with  them,  and  it  would  cause  a 
speedy  decomposition.  Their  scrub  lands  around 
here,  though,  were  in  a splendid  natural  physical 
condition,  and  perhaps  if  the  cane  waste  were  used 
to  too  great  an  extent  the  soil  might  be  depreciated. 
To  place  manures  in  the  land  in  heaps  was  obsolete, 
a thing  of  the  past.  There  could  be  no  use  in 
the  heaps  until  the  oxygen  got  to  it.  The  old 
notion  when  the  manure  was  spread  and  gave  out 
a rank  odor  in  the  field  was  that  it  was  indicative 
of  waste.  The  farmer  then  said  let  us  put  it  into 
heaps.  The  odor  was  not  really  ammonia,  as 
they  supposed,  unless  it  was  stirred  up.  What  did 
escape  was  in  infinitesimal  quantity  of  ammonia 
and  several  other  gases.  The  knowledge  of  this 
has  effected  the  process  of  farming  of  to-day.  The 
manure  was  now  spread  on  the  field,  and  the  rain 
beat  it  into  the  earth.  There  was  no  waste  prac- 
tically, it  was  “of  the  earth,  earthy."  It  didn't 
matter  how  long  it  laid,  if  for  six  years.  Another 
good  lesson  had  sprung  from  this  knowledge.  The 
best  method  was  now  found  to  be  to  plough  the 
land,  spread  the  manure  over  it,  and  then  go  over 
it  with  a light  plough  or  harrow.  There  were  of 
course  objections  to  it,  as  everyone  must  work 
according  to  his  requirements.  The  methods  of 
ploughing  it  in  to  a depth  of  six  inches  below  the 
ground  was  one  to  be  avoided,  because  the  manure 
remained  a soild  mass  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrows 
practically  untouched.  The  roots  of  a plant  could  not 
get  through  it  as  it  became  a green,  festering  mass, 
and  was  useless  for  the  purpose  intended.  The  land 
then  takes  two  or  three  ploughings  to  co-operate 
with  it.  If  it  could  be  worked  iu,  it  would  have 
been  beneficial  throughout  the  land — the  young  plant 
would  have  got  the  use  of  it — whereas  it  doesn’t. 
One  of  its  great  functions  is  that  it  must  be  used 
so  as  to  give  the  young  plant  a quick  start.  Among 
old  English  and  Scotch  farmers,  where  the  pennies 
are  of  value,  every  grower  knows  what  this  is.  Now 
every  grower  knows  what  a quick  start  is  to  a plant . 
All  experienced  farmers  study  little  things.  Yet 
this  was  not  a little  thing,  for  to  give  a quick 
growth  meant  no  trouble  about  its  after  growth. 
It  is  astonishing,  he  said,  how  a young  plant  will 
go  after  the  manure.  For  the  matter  of  that  it 
strikes  one  forcibly  the  strange  affinity  both  young 
and  old  plants  have  for  manure.  They  will  send  down 
their  arms  like  outposts  with  all  the  avidity  of  a 
hungry  rapacious  traveller.  Where  the  food  is  there 
the  root  will  be  always.  Only  the  other  day  he  was 
digging  up  a portion  of  his  garden  which  he  manured 
about  six  months  ago  and  distant  about  three  or 
four  feet  from  a poinciana.  It  never  occurred  to 
him  that  that  would  be  affected  in  any  way.  But  he 
noticed  in  time  that  its  phloxes  were  dried  up  with 
the  slightest  drought.  Examination  proved  that  the 
whole  garden  was  a ma=s  of  poinciana  roots.  It  had, 
so  to  speak,  sent  its  skirmishers  out  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  manure  and  practically  taken  possession 
of  the  flower  garden.  They  had  eaten  out  every 
particle  of  the  nitrogen.  They  ought  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  great  difference  in  manures  necessary 
for  different  plants.  One  variety  of  plant  life  is 
benefited  by  one,  another  by  another  entirely  dif- 
ferent, and  so  on.  For  example,  the  orchard  requires 
manure  different  entirely  from  that  necessary  for 
sugar  or  maize.  There  are  different  classes  of  crops 
and  plants  with  different  desires.  Farmers  need  this 
fact  Drought  to  their  attention  continually.  Som  1 
require  something  that  acts  quickly  and  is  easily 
dissolved  and  easily  accessible  to  the  plant.  Take 
broken  bones  for  instance.  Under  an  orange  tree 
there  may  be  nothing  the  first  year  or  two,  but  it 
mav  be  fruit  bearing  for  the  next.  Again,  he  re- 
peated they  must  adopt  for  different  plants  and 
crops  different  manures.  Speaking  of  commercial 
fertilsers  he  continued,  the  most  important  were  the 
nitrates.  They  exist  under  certain  forms,  the  com- 
monest of  which  is  obtained  from  the  arid  regions 
of  South  America.  Thousands  of  lives  have  been 
lost  to  get  possession  of  them ; they  had  made  the 
fortunes  of  millions,  and  in  late  years  England  as 
usual  had  taken  the  great  bulk.  This,  however,  was 
only  one  of  a series.  Sulphate  of  ammonia  was 
another  obtained  from  the  refuse  of  gas  works,  and 
here  he  would  not  let  the  opportunity  pass  of  saying 
