574 
Supplmmt to thi " Tropical Agricultunst." [Feb. 1, 1900. 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH OF 
DECEMBER, 1899. 
1 
Fridfly • ■ 
2 
kj(i 1' u 1 u ci> y • • 
3 
Oi.lLJ<Jtl V • • 
4 
T n P rl f t V 
i t-icovitt. y • « 
Q 
7 
JL li Li I DvltU V • • 
8 
Friday 
9 
Sfiturday . . 
10 
Sunday 
11 
Monday 
12 
Tuesday . . 
13 
Wednesday 
14 
Thursday . 
15 
Friday 
16 
Saturday . 
•02 
17 
Sunday . . 
Nil 
1-13 
18 
Monday 
Nil 
•52 
19 
Tuesday . . 
Nil 
•22 
20 
Wednesday 
Nil 
Nil 
21 
Tliursdny . . 
Nil 
Nil 
22 
Friday 
•22 
Nil 
2:5 
Saturday .. 
•15 
Nil 
24 
Sunday 
Nil 
Nil 
25 
Monday 
1^36 
•4 
Tuesday . . 
2^5 
Nil 
27 
Wedne^^day 
Nil 
isil 
28 
Thursday . . 
Nil 
Nil 
29 
Friday 
Nil 
Nil 
30 
Saturday . . 
Nil 
Nil 
31 
Sunday 
Nil 
Nil 
Total. 
.6-30 
Greatest amount 
on the 26th inst. 
Recorded 
of rainfall in any 24 hours 
was 2 '5 inches, 
by Mr. J. A. G. Rodbigo. 
GUINEA-GRASS. 
Mr. A. A. Ramsay, P.C.S., Sugar Chemist to 
the Department of Agriculture, and Superintendent 
of the Sugar Experiment Station, Mackay, has 
kindly furnished the following analysis lately 
made by him of Guinea-grass. He says : — 
Guinea-grass has been grown for some time now 
at the sugar experiment station, for feed purposes 
and also for seed. 
In July we had a number of stools of over- 
mature grass, which the stock would not eat, while 
they seemed very fond of the young leaves shooting 
from stools cut previously. I was led, by tbis, 
to make analyses of two samples with the 
following result : 
Over-ripe Grass. 
Moisture . • ••• 70 92 
Soluble Albumenoids 
Insoluble do 
Digestible fibre 
Woody fibre . . 
Soluble ash . . 
Insoluble ash 
Chlorophy] amidee, &c 
•66 
1-94 
2011 
1- 07 
2^29 
2- 18 
100-00 
Youne Shoots. 
. 69 •OS 
•86 
, 2'20 
. 2^25 
. 13 ^92 
. 102 
. 3-55 
. 7-12 
100^00 
Total nitrogen . . '40 . . '71 
Total albumenoid nitrogen -25 . . -49 
Albumenoid ratio ... 1:14 "3 ... l;5^o 
I would state that these analyses are of the few 
stools of grass that were growing here, and 
available for our purpose, and no special cultivation 
or attention has been given them. The grass 
■was planted in rows 3 ft. 6 in. apart and 4 ft. 
between the stools. The average weight of the 
shoots analysed (of overripe grass) was nearly 81b. 
Frnm figures publi>hed under the authority of 
the Royal Agiicultural Society of England I 
give, for the purpose of comparison, the 
total nitrogen in average grass, meado.v hay and 
clover (these latter are calculated to 70 per cent, 
■water for easier comparison). There are 
Grass 4 
Meadow hay . . 5 
Clover hay 7 
JADOO FIBRE. 
By J. C. Bbunnich, 
Chemist to the Queensland Departiuenl of Agrievlture. 
Several articles have appeared in this Journal 
on Jadoo fibre, an artificial fertilising product, 
which, so far, has hardly received in this colony 
the attention it seemingly deserves. 
The Depaitmeitt of Agriculture supplied a 
quantity of Jad'io fibre to the Agricultural College 
for experimental purposes, and the results of these 
experiments will be looked for with interest, 
although in our rich College soils the effects might 
not be so marked as in poorer soil. 
In order to see if what the inventor claims is 
really true, 1 made a complete analysis of the 
product with the following result: — 
I found Jadoo fibre to be a fine fibrous product, 
of brownish colour, which, almost like a sponge, 
has the power of absorbing an enormous quantity 
of water up to six to eight times its own weight. 
This fact alone will explain part of its practical 
value, when used for pot plants in the orchard or 
vineyard. This fibrous raw material is saturated 
with plant foods, which, according to analysis, are 
to a large extent soluble in water, any plant having 
thus a fair amount of plant foods at once available 
for its growth : another portion of the plant foods 
is like some in the soil not soluble in water, but 
soluble in hydrochloric acid, and these will become 
available gradually, by the chemical dissolving ac- 
tion possessed by the root-' of growing plants. As 
a matter of fact, Jadoo fibre must be considered a 
highly fertile artificial peaty soil. 
Analysis. 
Per cent. 
Organic matters ... ... ... 71'40 
Containing '812 per cent, of 
Nitrogeii='986 percent. Am- 
monia, Mineral matters — 
Soluble in water (total, 4"36 per cent.) 
Per cent. 
Phosphoric acid. Pa O5 ... ... -445 
Sulphuric acid SO3 ... ... 1-286 
Nitric acid, N2 O3 ... ... -520 
Alumina and Iron, AI2 O3, Fe2 O3 ... '271 
Lime, CaO ... ... -303 
Magnesia, MgO ... ... '107 
Potash, Ko O ... ... -357 
Soda, Na2 O ... ... -750 
Ammonia, NH3 ... ... -020 
Soluble in hydrochloric acid, 1^1 sp. gr. 
Silica, SiOi ... 
Sulphuric acid, SO3 
Phosphoric acid, P2 O5 ... 
Alumina, Al 2 O 3 
Iron, Fe2 O3 
Lime, CaO 
Magnesia, MgO 
Potash, K2 0 
Soda, Na2 O ... 
Insoluble in HCl.. 
Total ash 
Moisture 
Per cent. 
•031 
•926 
•715 
•765 
•170 
1-876 
•163 
•402 
•791 
5^S.S8 
4012 
9-86 
18^75 
