498  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Feb.  i,  1893. 
The  moisture  given  off  when  the  saturated 
soil  was  spread  out  and  left  for  24  hours  also 
varied  inversely  as  the  specific  gravity  in  the 
three  surface  soils;  hut  it  was  lowest  in  the 
subsoil.  Of  course  in  comparing  quantitatively 
the  power  of  different  soils  to  absorb,  retain,  or 
give  ott  moisture,  results  will  be  affected  by  the 
state  of  the  atmosphere  as  regards  humidity  at 
the  time  when  the  experiments  are  made. 
It  will  be  observed  from  the  mechanical 
analysis  that,  while  the  state  of  division  of  the 
four  soils  is  very  varied ; the  proportions  of 
the  total  mineral  and  organic  matters  differ 
only  to  a very  small  extent. 
For  the  chemical  analysis  only  that  portion 
of  the  soil  was  taken  which  passed  through  a 
sieve  of  ten  meshes  to  the  lineal  inch.  This 
excluded  the  coarse  gravel.  For  ordinary  analyses 
it  is  commoner  to  exclude  the  line  gravel  also. 
Thus  at  Cirencester  lioyal  Agricultural  College 
the  portion  of  soil  taken  for  chemical  analysis 
is  what  passes  through  a sieve  of  ■(;  milimeter 
(one-fiftieth  of  an  inch)  mesh.  This  includes  the 
coarse  sand,  line  sand,  and  finest  particles  with 
the  accompanying  organic  matter.  The  coarser 
ingredients  are  examined,  or  analysed  separately 
when  it  is  considered  desirable  to  do  so. 
In  the  portions  taken  for  the  chemical  analyses, 
the  proportion  of  moisture  varied  in  the  same 
order  as  in  the  mechanical  analyses. 
The  organic  matter  in  the  chemical  analyses 
Is  not  notably  higher  than  in  the  mechanical 
analyses  except  in  the  case  of  No.  1.  In  this 
case  there  was  a considerable  proportion  of 
coarse  gravel  associated  with  only  a small  pro- 
portion of  organic  matter,  which  is  not  included 
in  the  portion  of  soil  taken  for  the  chemical 
analysis. 
In  two  of  the  surface  soils  the  amount  of 
protoxide  of  iron  was  higher  than  in  the  sub- 
soil; but  the  proportion  of  protoxide  to  peroxide 
was  higher  in  the  subsoil.  There  have  been  too 
few'  determinations  of  the  former  in  Ceylon  soils 
to  enable  one  to  fix  a limit  above  which  the 
presence  of  protoxide  of  iron  is  to  be  regarded 
as  injurious.  In  his  numerous  analyses  of  Ceylon 
soils,  Mr.  Hughes  does  not  appear  to  have  made 
a separate  determination  of  this  ingredient,  but 
only  in  conjunction  with  peroxide,  of  which  the 
amount  may  be  very  high  without  any  detri- 
ment to  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  a large 
percentage  of  w hich  is  even  desiiable,  on  account 
of  its  property  of  fixing  the  atmospheric  ammonia 
brought  down  by  the  rain. 
The  available  lime  was  lowest  in  the  subsoil. 
In  No.  2 it  wras  well  above  the  average  of  the 
older  estates.  The  magnesia  in  these  contiguous 
soils  was  higher  than  the  lime. 
The  potash  is  present  in  good  proportion,  the 
quantity  available  being  highest  in  the  three 
surface  soils. 
In  soil  No.  3 the  amount  was  phenomenally 
high  for  a Ceylon  soil.  The  sender  of  this 
sample  stated  that  it  was  drawn  from  a new 
clearing,  and  not  according  to  either  of  the  two 
methods  of  sampling  described.  The  probability 
is  that  it  contained  an  undue  proportion  ot 
wood  ashes  due  to  the  burning  of  the  forest. 
The  available  soda  was  found  to  vary  in  the 
same  order  as  the  potash,  only  a trace  being 
found  in  the  subsoil. 
The  phosphoric  acid  w'as  present  in  good 
proportion  in  No.  1 and  No.  2,  in  fair  proportion 
in  No.  3,  and  in  the  highest  proportion  in  the 
subsoil. 
The  nitrogen  was  present  in  fair  proportion 
in  all  four  soils  being  highest  in  the  subsoil. 
Analysis  of  soil  from  an  old  coffee  estate  in 
the  Matale  district,  Ceylon,  together  with  that 
of  the  prevailing  rocks,  and  of  the  fertiliser  used. 
Only  the  more  important  ingredients  of  this 
soil  were  determined,  the  following  being  the 
results  obtained  : — 
per  cent 
Organic  matter  and  combined  water  ...  12  84 
Nitrogen  ...  ...  ...  -197 
Phosphoric  acid  ...  ...  -098 
Potash  ...  ...  ...  -179 
Lime  ...  ...  -150 
This  soil,  the  sender  said,  “represents  a 
field  of  about  3,500  feet  elevation,  western 
aspect,  rather  steep,  comparatively  free  from 
wind,  with  a rainfall  of  100  inches,  well  dis- 
tributed, full  of  small  stones  same  as  sample 
No.  1.  The  field  lies  on  a slab  rock  of  much 
the  same  nature.  There  is  also  a pretty  fair 
proportion  of  stones  same  as  No.  2.” 
Stone  No.  1 was  a piece  of  light-colored 
metamorphie  lock  with  a distinctly  stratified 
structure.  Stone  No.  2 was  a piece  of  meta- 
morphie rock  much  darker  in  color  than  No.  1, 
the  stratification  being  also  much  less  distinct. 
Another  stone  marked  No.  3 was  also  sent  with 
the  remark  that  it  was  a chip  from  a boulder 
near  which  the  coffee  was  very  flourishing. 
These  three  pieces  of  rock  were  analysed  with 
the  following  results: — - 
Analyses  of  stones  from  a Coffee  Estate  in  Matale. 
No.  1. 
No.  2. 
No.  3. 
Silica  ... 
65 '55 
51-04 
6119 
Alumina 
19  79 
19-99 
21-78 
Oxide  of  iron 
461 
10-02 
5-51 
Lime  ... 
1-96 
9-47 
5-40 
Magnesia 
■50 
5 *75 
1-15 
Potash 
474 
1-20 
312 
Soda  ... 
2-72 
2 05 
1-80 
Phosphoric  acid  ... 
13 
* 1 2j  Trace 
100-00 
100-00 
99-95 
No.  1,  it  will  be  observed,  has  the  highest 
percentage  of  potash,  No.  2 the  highest  per- 
centage of  lime,  while  No.  3 has  a considerable 
proportion  of  both  of  these,  but  is  poorer  in  phos- 
phoric acid. 
Of  the  soil  the  sender  remarked  “that  it  had 
been  thirty  years  in  coffee,  and  had  given 
originally  large  crops  without  manure.  It  had 
gradually  declined  from  average  crops  of  8 cwts. 
per  acre  to  less  than  an  average  of  4 cwts. 
per  acre.  By  the  application,  in  alternate  years, 
of  a manure,  at  one  time  well  known  in  Ceylon, 
called  Sombreorum,  the  crops  had  been  increased 
in  a series  of  eight  years  from  4-68  cwts.  per 
acre  average,  in  the  first  four  years,  to  5-54 
cwts.  per  acre  average  in  the  last  four.  The 
Sombreorum  had  been  regularly  applied  in  semi- 
circular holes  round  the  trees  one  foot  from  the 
stem.  The  sender  had  been  careful  in  drawing 
samples  of  the  soil  to  take  them  at  some  distance 
from  the  holes.  His  mode  of  taking  a sample  was 
to  scrape  the  surface  slightly  in  four  different 
parts  of  the  field,  near  to  each  other,  and  of 
the  same  physical,  appearance,  and  to  take  the 
soil  from  under  these  spots,  to  mix  the  four 
samples  together,  and  to  send  a portion  for 
analysis.” 
A sample  of  the  Sombreorum  manure  was  sub- 
mitted to  me  for  analysis  by  my  correspondent, 
but  which  he  was  careful  to  state  was  not  in 
the  same  dry  condition  as  wheu  received,  having 
