590 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1900 
in valu e per ton that these manures sustained. This 
table i 3 a most instructive one, and worthy of care- 
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Conclusions. 
1. Fermentation causes loss. In both instances 
there was loss by destruction of organic matter 
and nitrogen, though the loss of these constituents 
was much greater in the exposed than in the pro- 
tected manure. By rotting we must allow that the 
organic matter is converted into compounds that 
more readily form humus in the soil, and this is 
certrinly an advantage. It is an offset against the 
loss we have mentioned. 
2. There was no loss of phosphoric acid in the 
protected manure, but the exposed manure suffered 
loss in this element. Hotting had a useful effect 
in renderiug the phosphoric acid more available. 
3. Though practically no potash was lost from 
the protected manure, more than one-third the 
amount of this value element was lost by drainage 
in the exposed manure. 
4. Eottmg does not affect the availability of the 
potasli ; in other words, the potash of fresh manure 
is just as valuable as plant-food as that in rotted 
manure. 
5 There appears to be no object in rotting manure 
for a longer period than three months. 
6. The best conditious for rotting necessitate (1) 
protection from rain, sun, and wind, (2) a water- 
tight cement floor, and {3) that the mass of manure 
be kept moist and compact. 
7. Weig-ht for weight, well rotted manure is much 
richer in plant-food than fiesh manure. 
8. Rotting manure destroys weed-seeds that may 
be present. 
lu answer to a question as to whether it would 
not be bi'tter for the farmer to use manure inihe 
green state, unless he has loul seed in it, and he 
should then ferment it to destroy the seed, IMr. Sliutt 
said:— "Not necessarily. For certain crops and cer- 
tiin soils it is bettor to have rotted manure, though 
it may not be possible to rot the manure without 
some loss; but if he is not pre))ared to have such 
arrangements whereby the manure is protected and 
preserved from leaching, and if he is not prepared 
to keep the manure moist and compact, then it is 
better for him to get that manure into the groand 
as soon as possible. It seems to be the opinion of 
naost practical men that heavy clay loams are those 
which benefit most by fresh manare. There is no 
doubt that the soil is a storehouse which prevents 
loss of the fertilising material of the manure. Clay 
loams are very much improved in their mechanical 
condition by the application of fresh manare. On the 
other hand, for light and sandy soils, rotted man- 
ures are probably the best. In working light and 
leachy soils it seems to be the greater economy to 
feed the crop rather than to try to improve the soil ; 
in other words, to apply the manure aniaually in the 
rotted condition. For such soils there is nothing 
better than leguminous crop turned under. This is 
the cheapest way of permanently improving such 
soils." — Agricultural Gazette. 
BOKDE.\UX 
MIXTURE FOR 
FRECKLE. 
PEA.CH 
A correspondent writes, that in his experiments 
with Bordeaux mixture (very carefully prepared) for 
peach freckle, the fruit and leaves of some of the 
trees were destroyed. 
The fruit expert, Mr. Allen, reports that in nsing 
Bordeaux mixture on tender foliage, unless the cli- 
matic conditions are absolutely favourable, it is well 
to always be on the safe side and dilute the 40 
gallon mixture up to 45 or even 50 gallons of water. 
Mr. Allen also wishes fruit-growers intending 
to fumigate while trees are making new growth to 
note that not more cyanide than I oz. to 200 cubic 
feet ten-space should he used. — Agricultural Gazette. 
Banana Food for Invalids. — After a long expe- 
rience with typhoid patients, Dr. Ussery, of St. 
Lois, maintains that the best food for them is the 
banana. He explains by stating that in this disease 
the living membrane of the small intestines becomes 
intensely inflamed and engorged, eventually begin- 
ning to slough away in spots, leaving well-defined 
ulcers, at which places the intestinal walls become 
dangerously thin. Now, a solid food, it taken into 
the stomach, is likely to produce perforation of the 
intestines, dire results naturally following ; and this 
being the case, solid foods, or those containing a 
large amount of innutritious substances, are to be 
avoided as dangerous. But this banana, though it 
may be classed as a solid food, containing as it does 
some ninety-five per cent, nutrition, does not possess 
sufficient waste to irritate the sore spots ; nearly 
the whole amount taken into the stomach is absorbed, 
giving the patient more strength than can be ob- 
tained from other food. — Journal of the Jamaica Agri- 
cultural Society. 
Nettle Fibre in Germany. — Nettle fibre has of 
late come greatly into favour in the manufacture 
of fine yarns and tissues in Germany. In that country, 
according to the United States Consul at Glauchau, 
there are factories which use these fibres, both in 
spinning and also for ulterior purposes. In nettle 
spinning alone, over 10,000 spindles and some hundred 
workmen are employed. The raw material is imported 
almost exclusively from China, whence from 660,080 
to 800,000 lbs. are annually sent to Germany. Nettle 
fibre produces one of the finest tissues obtainable from 
any known kind of vegetable fibre. In view of the 
importance with this seems likely to attain in con- 
nection with the weaving industries, it is intended 
to introduce the cultivation of nettles, if posssible, 
into the Cameroons. The idea is to prepare the 
products of this experimental culture at the place 
where they are obtained, and test them in German 
factories. Should favourable results follow from these 
experiments, it is intended to organise nettle-growing 
enterprises on an extensive scale. — Journal of the 
Society of Arts, 
