576 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturists [Feb 1, 1901. 
A sale of 8 cows and 12 calves drafted from llie 
Government Dairy herd took place on the Gov- 
ernment Dairy on Thursday, the 17th inst., with 
the following results : — 
One cow and calf purchased by Mr. H. P. 
Rudd for 
purchased by Mr. Chas Peiris ... 
Dr. Rockwood 
Mr. F. Ratna«npapatby 
,, Chas. Peiris ... 
and calf 
,, and calf 
One bull calf 
One cow calf 
Dr 
Richard Perera 
W. B. de Saram 
C. E. A. Dias.. 
, G. de Saram .. 
Mr. Ekaiiayaka, Md. 
»> >• 
„ Chas. Feiris 
)> )) 
„ W. B. de Saram 
„ Ratnasapapatby 
„ Chas. Peiris 
„ H. F. Rudd ... 
,, Chas. Feiris 
Rs. 
50 
26 
55 
50 
57 
45 
21 
40 
63 
48 
78 
62 
40 
60 
38 
47 
50 
67 
47 
47 
Rs. 981 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OP DECEMBER, 1900. 
1 
Saturday 
. -23 
2 
Sunday 
. -29 
3 
Monday 
. Nil 
4 
Tuesday 
. 1-10 
6 
Wednesday . 
. Nil 
6 
Thursday 
. Nil 
7 
Friday 
. -39 
8 
Saturday 
. Nil 
9 
Sunday 
. Nil 
10 
Monday 
. Nil 
11 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
12 
Wednesday . 
. -71 
13 
Thursday 
. Nil 
14 
Friday 
. -06 
15 
Saturday 
. Nil 
16 
Sunday 
. Nil 
17 
Monday 
. -02 
18 Tuesday . 
19 Wednesday 
20 Thursday 
21 Friday 
22 Saturday 
23 Sunday 
24 Monday 
25 Tuesday 
26 Wednesday 
27 Thursday 
28 Friday 
29 Saturday 
30 Sunday 
31 Monday 
1 Tuesday 
Total. 
Mean . 
2-52 
•06 
•59 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
•02 
Nil 
.5^76 
. •IS 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hours 
on the 18th, 2-52 inches. 
Recorded by C Driebeeg. 
COCONUT MANURES. 
We are inclined to think that the complete 
analysis of the coconut made by Dr. Bachofen, 
tUe Chemist in charce of Mr. A. Baur's labor- 
atory, established in connection with the 
latter's manure works, did not, at the time of its 
publication in the Press— nearly a year ago— 
receive tlie attention it merited. We are re- 
giiadea of tilis fact by seeing thv results of tUe 
analysis, as originally published in Ceylon, going 
the round of the Agricultural press in the various 
colonies. The analysis referred to is undoubtedly 
a valuable one, and shows in as definite a way 
as it is possible for an analysis to shew, the actual 
demands made by . the coconut upon the mineral 
constituents of the soil. Ou reading through the 
figures of Dr. Bachofen's analysis, the most 
remarkable facts are the large percentages (1) of 
potash (30-7 %) and commou salt (45 '95 %) in the 
ash of the husk; (2) of potash (54 %) in the ash 
of the shell ; (3) of potash (4o^8 %) in the a>^h of 
the kernel; and (4) of potassium chloride (41 %) 
and common salt (26"3 %) in the ash of the 
"milk." Calculating the quantity in pounds 
removed by a thousand nuts (assuming that the 
entire nuts are conveyed off the land) we find 
that the following are the figures for the chief 
ingredients of plant food : — 
Nitrogen ... ... 8 '6 lbs. 
Phosphoric acid... ... 2*4 ,, 
Potash ... ... 18-7 „ 
Lime ... ... 2'3 ,, 
Common suet ... ... 21*4 
It will be readily conceded by any one perus- 
ing these figures that, to meet the demands of 
the coconut, the use of potash, manures and 
common salt together witli the nitrogenous and 
phosphatic fertilizers usually applied, should not 
be neglected. That ^^ ell-known authority, Pro- 
fessor Warrington, tells us that neither sodium 
nor chloride are among the essential elements of 
plant food, but that they are to be iucluded in a 
class, which, though not indispensable, yet 
perform useful functions in the plant economy. 
But certain plants have, so to speak, a "fancy" 
for special ingredients of plant food — essential or 
non-essential, such as that of the glorias and 
diatomaceae for sillica, kumbuk, terminalia 
glabra, for lime (the bark containing no less than 
60 % of the carbonate species of solsola for carbo- 
nate of soda &c. It may be assumed in the case of 
the coconut that it has a decided peticliant for com- 
mon salt), and this being so, there is no justification 
for giving it so niggardly an allowance as finds its 
way into the palm with the ingredients of wood- 
ashes and other manurial substances. The very fact 
of the palm being found growing with impunity 
with its roots saturated with sea-water- -a condition 
of things few cultivated plants are calculated to 
tolerate — is a direct enough indication that the 
coconut revels in well-salted food. AVe find the coco- 
nut has become reconciled to inland sites, where it 
grows and waxes strong on the rich soils of the 
interior, contented with a less salted diet that it 
had on the comparatively barren sands of the sea 
shore. So, too, cereals which affect sillica, will 
grow even in the total absence of this ingredient. 
But with the large demands made by the palm, _ 
as shown by analyses, for commou suet and 
potash, it is only reasonable that the limited 
supplies in the soil should be .supplemented with 
added fertility as regards these substances. On 
referring to Mr. Cochran's published analysis of 
the husk of the coconnt, we find very similar 
figures given to those of Dr, Bachofen for the 
percentage of potash and common salt, Mr, 
Cochran's analysis gives the following percentages 
for tlie two salts respeptiYelj'; §'4i5 % and 4 ^| 
