Nov. 1, 1900. \ THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
309 
BONE MEAL. 
We are constantly being asked by our readers 
whether we consider bone meal (or bone dust) to 
be a good manure ; whether it should be used in 
a fine or coarse state, and whether it is good for 
this or that crop. It appears to us that a few 
words of explanation are necessary. To begin with, 
bone meal as a fertiliser scarcely has an equal ; 
mixed with saltpetre, cowdung, castor-cake, or linseed- 
cake it has been found to produce very heavy ont- 
tnrna when used for field crops. For coffee it has 
been found to give excellent results, either alone 
or when mixed with other manures, In the case of 
tea also it has been found to give very satisfactory 
results. To give our readers an idea of the value 
of bone meal compared with other manures in 
common use, we reproduce below analysis of ten 
samples of manures chemically analysed by Dr. J. 
W. Leather, Agricultural Chemist to the Government 
of India : — 
Manures. 
o ^ 
Sand. 2ja 0-3 
.■SP-i.a cj 
a ft 
Per Per Per Per Per 
cent. cent. cent. cent. cent. 
. 34-01 8-18 48-27 0 44 1-15 
, 7-90 27-51 5-06 4-69 23-49 
43-26 18-86 31-77 0-53 0'29 
62 15 17-92 15 82 0-59 
80-06 10-94 7-51 0 36 
46-68 26-28 20-57 0-84 
78-45 10-06 9-91 0-30 
0-38 
0-29 
0-37 
0 19 
Poudrett 
Bone dust 
Cowdung (Bazar) 
Dung, litter and urine 
Dung alone . . 
Litter alone .. 
Dung alone . . 
Urine-earth from cattle 
getting concentrated food 16-73 10 11 65-29 0 44 0'23 
Urine-earth from cattleget- 
ting no concentrated food 11-63 8 73 68-39 0 33 0-20 
Sheepdung .. .. 50-01 16-26 26-02 0-87 0-53 
From the above it will be seen that bone dust 
had the smallest percentage of moisture and sand, 
and the largest percentage of organic matter, nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid ; the two last named are the 
two most important elements of plant-food. Potash 
and lime are also important constituents of plants. 
Of the former, bone meal has a trace, acd of the 
latter 28 per cent., against 0-28 per cent, in cowdung. 
Taking all the foregoing circumstances into con- 
sideration, it will be readily understood that bone 
meal is a very valuable manure. 
So far we have only discussed the question from 
the planters and agriculturists, point of view. la 
the garden it has been found to be of immense 
value, not only for flowering plants in pots and in 
the open bed or border, but in the kitchen and fruit 
garden as well. We have seen some remarkable 
results obtained from the use of bone meal for roses, 
aroids, ferns, and even annuals, such as heartsease, 
Btock, etc. We have seen it used in combination 
with Ichthemio guano and cowdung for flowering 
plants, and with linseed-cake and saltpetre for 
cabbages, cauliflower, turnip, knol-khol, etc. ; also 
for vines, peaches, plums, etc., in combination with 
linseed-cake. It has been given as a surface dressing 
to the orange tribe with great benefit. Pomeloes, 
especially, derive great benefit from its use. There 
is an idea prevalent that it takes a long time before 
bone meal can be absorbed by plants. Chemically 
this is no doubt quite correct ; in practice the re- 
sults obtained in the garden would seem to negative 
this theory. We have seen bone meal applied to 
Cannas, which were in a very poor condition. Two 
months after those very plants were over five feet 
high, and in robust growth, having sent up dozens 
of suckers. No other manure of any kind was 
applied. This would go to prove that the action 
*f bone TTjeal is more rapid than is generally be- 
lieved. There is one point on which some miscon- 
ception exists. It is considered by some that a coarse 
grist is useful for farm crops. Our own experience 
is that the finer the meal the more readily is it 
assimilated by the roots of plants. Therefore in order to 
derive immediate benefit from this fertiliser it should 
always be used in the shape of fine powder, whether 
for field crops, garden or pot culture. To those who 
intend exhibiting at the next flower show, whether 
flower, fruit or vegetables, we strongly i recommend 
the use of bone meal. — Indian Gardening and Planter. 
FRUIT CULTIVATION IN CEYLON 
THE EXPERIMENTS WITH ORANGE 
GROWING IN UVA. 
Under the first heading above, our London corres- 
pondent, in the portion of his letter published yester- 
day, makes reference to the scheme contemplated 
by Mr. A. J. Pearson, of Messrs. Brown and Co. 
some years ago, for starting orange-groves in Uva- 
and tays that he does not think the scheme ever, 
got beyond a newspaper article. Oue of our repre- 
sentatives, who saw Mr. Pearson yesterday, learns 
that the chief difficulty the latter experienced in 
starting the scheme on a large scale was his in- 
ability to secure a suitable piece of land. Owing 
to this, and not having sufficient time at his dis- 
posal, Mr. Pearson has been unable to carry on tha 
scheme as vigorously as he could have wished. At 
the same time he has by no means lost interest in 
the subject, and, as a matter of fact, gets regularly 
every year from Australia a fairly large number of 
trees for friends and others. Last year, for example, 
He imported about a thousand grafted orange and 
lemon trees. These have been planted in all parta 
of the island and are doing nartionlarly well. On 
the Uva side they seem to' thrive the best on 
account of the dry climate which prevails during 
the fruiting season, and at Hatton also they do 
well ; but the weather, there is generally inclined 
to be web at the time when the fruit is ripenino-. It 
would be impossible Mr. Pearson explained, t°o get 
accurate results of the experiments for a year or two 
but many of the trees planted three years ago are now 
bearing fruit, and on a small scale, the scheme haa 
been most successful. He thinks there are great pos- 
sibilities for the cultivation of oranges and lemons in 
Ceylon if suitable land could be obtained, 
Mr. Pearson is also of opinion that many of the 
deciduous sub-tropical fruits could be grown well in 
certain parts of the Island, such as the fig, peach, 
aprioot, nectarine, persimmon, Japanese plum, &c. He 
states that he has seen splendid Peach trees at eleva- 
tions of 4,000 ft. and over, but the fruit on them indi- 
cates them to be worthless mongrel seedlings, and 
there seems no reason why the very best varieties of 
grafted or budded trees should not do just as well. 
The deplorable habit of growing from seed is answer- 
able for the bad quality of fruit that is general in the 
island, and if people would only realise, when plant, 
ing fruit trees, that when they plant a seedling 
tree, or grow from a seed, the chances of obtaining fruit 
of decent quality are about 10 to one against, they 
would probably be at more pains to secure pknta 
they could depend on. Then, in addition to the un- 
certainity as to the quality of the fruit, it has to bo 
borne in mind that seedling trees take about eight 
years to come into bearing, whereas a healthy grafted 
plant with proper cultivation may begin to shew fruit 
in two years from planting, and should certainly do 
so in three years. 
The orange industry in Jamaica has grown consider- 
ably of late years. That Island has no advantagea 
over Ceylon as regards climate for citrus cultivation 
nor transport facilities, and it seems strange that an 
industry which is looked on as one of great importance 
in other parts of the world should be here so entirely 
neglected. ^ 
QUEENSLAND ARr6wR00T. 
With reference to the prices of arrowroot in Great 
Britain, which appear in British price lists as much 
hgher than can be obtained by the growers and 
manufactures of Queensland who export tha article, 
we wish to draw attention to the fact that Queena- 
