620 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. 1, 1901. 
it is to be feared that much yet remains to be 
done before farmers are brought to a knowledge of 
the appalling loss that takes place annually through 
careless and indifferent management. Experiments 
have been made to compare exposed and unexposed 
manures. It was demonstrated that there is a greater 
loss of nitrogen and organic matter from exposed 
manure than from thut protected. The former lost 
one-third of .its nitrogen and tlie latter about one- 
fifth. Ten per cent more organic matter was de 
stroyed in the exposed than in the protected manure 
There is practically no loss of potash and phosphoric 
acid from protected manure. Exposed manure that 
is rotting may lose about one-sixth of its phosphoric 
acid, and somewhat more than one-third of its potash. 
The chief changes, due to fermentation, take place 
within tha first months of rotting, and experiments 
show that there is no apparent benefit in rotting 
the manure longer than for a period of three months. 
"When gypsum was used, 3 tons of horse and cattle 
manure, mixed in equal proportions, were allowed 
to ferment without the addition of any preservative, 
by way of comparison with an equal weight of the 
same kind of manure intimately mixed with ground 
gypsum (land plaster) at the rate of 50 lb. of 
gypsum to every ton of manure. These lots were 
fermented at the same time, in separate bins, inside 
of a building, the manure being fresh and com- 
pacted as closely as possible, being undisturbed for four 
months (July to November), when they were weighed 
and analysed. The results showed that gypsum re- 
tarded, to a certain extent, the destruction of 
ftnimal matter. The amounts of nitrogen in both 
lots were the same, no useful result from the 
application of gypsum being observed. The proper 
place to use gypsum is in the stable, as it is in 
the stable that a groat loss of ammoaia occurs. 
MANAGING THE HEAP. 
When manure is kept mtist, the loss of potash 
cannot be prevented without a water-tight, non-absor- 
bent fioor, but when tire manure heap is kept com- 
pact and moist there is not any considerable loss 
of ammonia. It is evirienc that if manure is exposed 
to rains, no matter what the absorbent materials 
may be, the water cannot pass down without carrying 
soluble matter with it, and when the water reaches 
h* bottom it must either go dowQ into the ground 
or flow off in some direction. Whatever sulastance 
has been dissolved out of the manure remains in 
the water and passes off with it. The remaining 
materials of the heap may be almost worthless, but 
they receive jast as much p„ttention, and as much 
abour is bestowed in hauling and spreading the 
substances as though the loss of soluble matter 
had not occurred. It has been shown that when 
manure is compacted, and the air kept out, the fer- 
mentation of the mass is not so rapid, but when 
loosened and the air admitted, fermentation be£::ns, 
because the oxygen of the air influences chemical 
action. When manure is under shelter the rains do 
not dissolve the plant food from the heap, and ^^hea 
the liquid manure is thrown upon the solid portions 
by pumping or otherwise, the solids become absorbent 
and assist in retaining the liquids. All locations 
for manure should havo water-tight bottoms, for 
then any accumulations of liquids can be retained 
and addsd again to the heap, and tanks should be 
arranged into which all liquids from the stable should 
flow, so as to save the soluble matter. If the hefip 
is then too wet, more absorbent material of some 
^ind should be added. — Farmer and Stockbreeder. 
COOK ISLANDS. 
In A recent report on the ti'ade prospect.s and 
social condition of the Cook Islands, the British 
KeHidcnt, Ijicut.-Colonel N. K. Gudgeon, says 
that durin>; hi.s late visit to the outlying islands 
of tlie Federation, lie found it neccssai'y to coiu- 
meul in filfo'.ig tei'mti pjj, Uk; jEavt that at least 
two-thirds of the area of the group was practic- 
ally unproductive, owing to the owners of the 
soil having neglected to plant the cor.il f.irmation 
with cocoanuts, and to their having done com- 
paratively little to improve even the most fertile 
lands. He also pointed out tliat, in the event 
of a hurricane, man}' of the old cocoanut trees 
would be destoryed, and therefore the islands 
would have absolutely no export for the ensuing 
eight or ten years, since they had no young 
trees planted to take the place of tliose that 
would be destroyed. He could not say that 
he expected any crood result would follow Lis 
remarks, inasmuch as the Cook Islanders were 
too easy-going to take into consideration pros- 
pective privations or benefits. But he was now 
in a position to report that his view of the 
situation had impressed the native owners of 
the soil to this extent, that they were planting 
both cocoanuts and bananas in very large (juanti- 
ties, and therefore there was a prospect that 
at no very distant date the trade of these islands 
with New Zealand would be vez-y largely in- 
creased, for there was no reason why the export 
should not be fivefold the present quantity. 
He regretted that he had to report that the 
coffee crop of last year, which at one period bade 
fair to be abundant, had proved almost a failure. 
Late in the season the trees were attacked by 
the Ceylon leaf blight, which it would seem 
was introduced by a Mr. Dodge, who, about the 
year 1896, imported several hundred coffee plants 
to this Island ; the result had been that Karatonga 
was not likely to appear as an exporter of coffee 
for many years to come, since the whole of the 
old trees had been entirely killed. P'ortunately, this 
blight had not reached the Islands of Mangaia 
or Aitutaki, but that was of small moment as 
compared with Earatonga, since the last-named 
island had alw'ays exported ten times the weight 
of coffee produced by the two former. The failure 
of this important item of export had made it 
imperative that copra should as much as possible 
take its place, and, therefore, that coconut 
planting should be encouraged. 
There was at prese^it every prospect of a very 
large orange crop, and he confidently anticipated 
that the amount available for export would be 
at least twice that of last year. That was a 
position which might easily" be maintained or 
exceeded, if the native owners could only be 
brought to see the necessity for pruning and 
artificial manures. At the present moment the 
natural impression on the mind of any stranger 
would be that orange trees were grown in 
Raratonga not so much for their fruit as fo 
timber purposes.— Ijnperial liistitufc Joui-na 
♦ 
THE RUBBER INDUSTBY OF 
SIERRA LEONE. 
The Kewattia, or rubber tree of West Africa, 
is one of the most beautiful trees of the forest, 
growing usually to the height of from forty to 
sixty feet. Its leaves are from four to nine 
inches in length by from one to three inches in 
width, oblong and tapering towards the ends, 
supported by a stem from eight to nine inches 
long. Tliere are several species of vines which 
yield a grade of rubber inferior in some respects 
to that obtained from the trees ; however, when 
gathered with care, this commands a ready sale. 
The United States Consul in Sierra Leone savs 
that the supply of Freetown market for the most 
part comes from the hinterlands of Sierra Leone 
and from the Foulah country in the French pro- 
tectorate farther in the interior. That which 
come fiom the Foulali country is limited, owipg 
