13^ 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
[Aug; 1, 1900. 
best to apply the manure fresh, a.s ia this state it 
tends to keep the soil open, and thus render it more 
friable. No farmer or fruitgrower can afl'ard to ne- 
glect farm manure, as is the common practice at 
present, as, no matter how ri^h the soil, continuous 
cropping is bonnd to deplete it of its available plant 
foods ; and our heavy raius and high temperature 
rapidly exhaust the humus or organic matter in our 
beat scrub soils, thus rendering them more difficult 
to work, less retentive of moisture, and deficient in 
nitrogen. I cannot emphasise too strongly the im- 
portance of conserving all fa m manures, and I 
strongly recommend o.ll fruitgrowers and farmers to 
make the most of all home resources of fertility 
before they spend their money on commercial fer- 
tilisers. Home manures should always from the basis 
of all manuring, and they should ba supplemented , 
Commercial fertilisers may be divided into two 
classes ; complete fertilisers and especial or incom- 
plete fertilisers. The former contain all the prin- 
cipal plant foods such as nitrogen, phosphgric acid, 
and potash, in varying proportions, whereas the latter 
contain only one or sometimes two of these essen- 
tial elements. 
There are a large number of commercial fertilisers 
now on the market, a considerable proportion of 
which consist of the refuse of our meatworks and 
boiling-down establishments. These fertilisers con- 
sist mainly of blood, bones either fine or coarse, and 
dried refuse flesh. They very considerably iu their 
composition, owing to the source from which they 
are obtained, and are valuable on account of the 
nitrogen and phosphoric acid they contain, but as 
they contain practically no potash they rank as iu- 
OJmplete fertilisers. 
A good average sample of a bone and blood fer- 
tiliser should contain from 6 to 7 per cent, of nit- 
rogen, and from 12 to 14 per cent, of phosphoric acid, 
and be worth from £4 43. to Mo per ton. The nit- 
rogen is available, and is valued at 10a. per unit— 
that is to say, each per cent, of nitrocen present in 
the fertiliser is worth lOs. per ton. The phosphoric 
acid is insoluble, and is only worth 2s. per unit, and 
the rapidly with which it becomes available tor plant 
food depends on the fineness to which it has been 
ground: thus, fine bouemeal is rapidly acted upon 
by the carbonic acid iu the soil, and rendered solu- 
ble and available for plant food, whereas coarse 
bonea only beaome available slowly, and their 
action lasts over a considerable time. When quick 
results are required the manure should be ground as 
finely as po;aiblo; but for crops such as fruit trees, 
which occupy the soil for many years, it is advis- 
able to have a proportion of coars ma erial mixed 
with the fine, so that the action of the fertiliser 
may be more lasting. The proportion of nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid m such manures varies consider- 
ably, and it is dependent on the amount of dried blood, 
bone matter, or dried flesh present. When there is 
a large portion of dried blood or flesh, then the nit- 
rogen is high : but when there is a greater propor- 
tion of bone matter, then the nitrogen is lower and 
the phosphoric acid higher. 
Instead of mixing the blood, bones, &c., together, 
they are sometimes kept separate and sold as either 
bonedust or blood-manure. 
A good sample of bonedust should contain from 
50 to 55 per cent, of bone phosphate, equal to '2'i 
to '2-3 per cent, in lound figures ot itjsolublo phos- 
phoric acid, and about 3 per cent, of nitroi;on, and 
be worth from £4 to £4 5s. per ton. 
A good sample of dried blood should contain 12J 
per cent, of nitrogen, and be worth £,G 5a. per ton; 
and of nipho, 12 per cent, of nitrogen, worth i'6 
per ton. 
Bonedust is most advantageously applied in con- 
junction with other manures, such as superphosphate, 
bulphato of ammonia, or sulphato of potash, but if 
jt iu used abno it shyulij bt) applied to tha laucl 
some time before it ia required; otherwise it will 
not be available on account of its insolubility, but 
will tell more on the succeeding crops than to that 
to which it is applied. lUood and nipho, on the 
other hand, are iu a readily available condition, and 
the orcp to v.liich they H.re applied derives a quick 
benefit thtreftoin. They can, therefote, eith-^r be 
app;ied at the lime of planting the crop or can be 
used as a top dressing by beiiig ppplied broadcast, 
and either harrowed, cultivated, or chipped in ao- 
cordicg to iht\ nature of the crop to which they are 
applied. Neither blood nor nipho are complete fer- 
tilisers, as their manurial value depends entirely on 
the nitrogen they contain, and, before they can be 
made complete, must have phosphoric acid and 
potash adiied. 
A second class of commercial fertilisers are these 
special fertilisers containing only one element of 
plant food, usually either nitrogen or potash— such 
as sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, sulphate 
of potash, muriate of potash, and iiAinit.— Queensland 
Agricultural Journal. 
(To he continued). 
OSIER OR WILLOW, CULTURE FOR INDIA 
AND CEYLON. 
The cultivation ot Osiers, t.c, species or varieties of 
VV illow which are specially adopted for basket making, 
f-hould prove succe.^sful, if not a profitable industry 
in the hill districts of India and (JeyloD; This perhaps 
is already an established fact in thu former country, 
though apparently Willow culture has never tempted 
a proper trial in Ceylon. Considering the importance 
of this industry in Europe, more especially in France 
and Germany, where it gives emplyoment to many 
thousands of persons, it is not surprising to hear of 
fresh interest being manifested iii its development in 
America and Australia. The U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, Division of Forestry, has lately issued a 
pamphlet on the subject, dealing with the cultivation 
and use ot Osiers, together with notes on their geogra- 
phical distribution and characteristics. 
Willow-ware should win popularity in India, where 
the best ot timbers are affected by the climate, 'becom- 
ing expanded in wet, and contracted iu dry weather 
Considering also th» universal habit of the natives 
in carrying everything on their heads— which with 
even field or factory labourers is practically the only 
mode of transport— and the immense number of 
baskets which must consequently be used in the 
various agricultural and other industries, light Willow 
baskets should, in certain districts, fincT a ready 
demand. Though bamboo or rattan wares, perhaps 
answer the purpose equally well, these are not every' 
where easily procurable, and in some localities their 
cost is probably more than what the Willow article 
could be supplied for. Besides transport-baskets 
tea-baskets, manure-baskets, etc., the flexible Willow 
shoots are fitted for a great variety of useful and 
ornamental articles of wicker-work, the making of 
which should prove a favourite and remunerative 
occupation for many natives. 
Willow citltivation involves but little care or ex' 
pense. A marshy soil by the side of streams or 
river.s, or round lagoons, such as is unfit for other 
agricultural pursuits, ia the most suitable. No manur- 
ing is required, and a renewal of plants seldom 
necessary. Propagation is usuallv efl'ected by cuttings 
which should be about 15 inches long and planted 
in lines 2 feet apart. A crop may be expected in 
the second or third year. Planted on sloping swampy 
land, WiUowa should also serve the purpose of bind- 
ing the soil and preventing it being washed away 
in heavy rains. 
Among the best Willows for basket-making are: 
Salix aiiii/f/dahna. S. viminalis, S. purpurea S. lucida 
and S. ca-prca.—B.. F. Macmillan, Peradeniya, Ceylon' 
—Indian Gardening, ' 
