April l, 1904.] 
Su2)2)leme7it to the Tropical Agriculturist," 
The harvesting of bamboo polris is not done 
before August, iis culms cut earlier than this date 
are likely to be attacked by insects, not having had 
time to sufficiently harden. A Kyoto grower of 
black bamboos remarked that ilie Kobe exporters, 
by insisting on having their bamboos for export 
cut earlier than this date, had seriously injured 
the foreign demand, ns the quality of the wood was 
much injured by this early harvest. 
A saw is often used in cuiting the shoots, by 
making cuts on opposite sides of it near the base. 
When cut, the poles are classified, lied into bundles, 
and stacked like hop or bean poles to dry. In 
the lumber yards of Japan these stacked poles of 
bamboo form a prominent feature. 
Dr, Shiga, chief of the bureau of forest 
management of Japan, when asked whether 
bomboo growing was profitable or not, said 
promptly that it was the best paying plant culture 
in the country, yielding a net return of 2o0 yen 
per hectare, which is the equivaleut of about $50 
gold per acre. The f pecies referred to by Mr. Shiga 
iu tlis case was the edible one. Twenty per cent 
of this amount represents Ike profits from the 
sale of edible shoots. Mr. Tsuboi's profits on 
his groves of Fhyllostachys quilioi, a strictly 
timber species, averaged $20 au acre, while those 
of one of his friends near Kyoto were i^JO. The 
profits of a good grove of edible bamboo are evident- 
ly greater than those from one grown for timber 
only, and the author was informed by one of the 
best bamboo growers near Kyoto that liis profits 
per acre were about |90 on land which, cleared of 
bamboo, would not bring more than S^SO, while 
good rice land sold for %i{>0. A second grower of 
bamboos near Kyoto, who ships for the export 
trade from Kobe, informed the writer that the 
culture iu his province of Phtjllostachys quilioi 
yields a net income of about $40 per acre, while 
P. henonis brings in only about $30. Five years 
ago the black bamboo brought in a profit of $200 
per acre, but now scarcely nets $.50. Rice culture 
iu this region, according to Mr. Tsuboi, barely pays 
more than for the cost of labor and manure, the 
former reckoned at 35 to 40 sen, or IT^ to 20 cents 
gold, a day. All of these figures, however, have 
uo practical bearing on the profits of bamboo grow- 
ing in America, where a market for the culms can 
only be made after a constant reasonable supply 
has been assured. 
The cost of the attention which is necessary in 
order to grow bamboos is so much less than that 
required for rice growing, suitable laud is so much 
cheaper, and so much less risk is run from bad 
weather, that the statement that it is the best 
paying culture in Japan seems correct, au<l such 
inquiries tend to confirm it. 
THE MANURING OF GRASS-LAND. 
The necessity for manuring land is only now 
beginning to be recognised by the more intelligent 
section of the agricultural community, European 
and Ceylonese. The " upcouutry products " (Tea. 
Cacao, &c.) get the best attention in the way 
of manuring. Coconuts may be said to come ne.xt, 
while paddy is being treated iu a haphazard sort 
of way— getting a little bonedust or fish manure linf ^ 
some parts — without any guidance from the 
Agricultural Chemist, as in thu case of the crops 
before mentioned. But the necessity for nsanuring 
grass-laud in an intelligent manner has never 
occurred to stock owners as being a desirable 
practice. True, Alaurit ius or water grass (Panicum 
maximum) is allowed to get what benefit it 
can from all sorts of town refuse, but pasture 
land is noc considered deserving of any fertilizers 
to make up for the exhaustion that is bound 
to follow upon tlie grazing of cattle. What 
wonder then that the best breeds of imported 
cattle— whether Sind or other — deteriorate after 
a few years ! 
The Dairy Commissioners — whose report is' 
referred to elsewhere — make special mention of 
the poverty of the pasture land about Colombo, 
and the necessity for a series of experiments 
calculated to improve the quality of cattle fodder. 
In this connection the effect and importance of 
the judicious manuring of grass are well illustrated 
by the results of the practical experiments of 
Mr. Ernest Parke on his farm at Kineton, in 
AVarwickshire, conducted in co-operation with Mr,' 
Bernard Dyer. 
The grass experiments are carried out in two 
separate fields of naturally poor pasture, which 
had for a long time been " under-farmed " — laud 
typical of much iu many parts of the country. 
In these two fields the unmanured yield of the 
Lnid, even iu this season of abundance, has been 
respectively only 7 cwt. and IGcwt. of hay per 
acre. In the one field 3 cwt. of superphosphate 
per acre has raised the crop to \\ tons, and 2 cwt, 
of nitrate of soda per acre has produced a - similar 
increase. 
The two fertilisers combined have given a crop 
of 2^ tons of hay per acre. In the other field, 
where Dr. Dyer advised that basic slag was more 
suitable to the soil than superphosphate, 5 cwt. 
slag raised the crop from half a ton per acre to 
nearly 2 tons, and 2 cwt. nitrate of soda per acre 
raised it to nearly l£= tons. 
When both dressings were combined the yield 
was increased to 2-^ tons per acre. Thus, in the 
two fields, au average increase of nearly 2 tons of 
hay per acre has been obtained by au expenditure 
of, roughly speaking, 30s. per acre iu manure. 
The quality of the herbage after two years of 
this treatment, has also, in both fields, undergone 
a great change for the better, good succulent grasses 
and clovers growing in rich abundance : while the 
still neglected portions of the fields, preserved for 
comparison, give but a poor, wiry produce, full 
of weeds. 
The Field in pointing out the importance of 
manuring grass laud, remarks that potash maybe 
applied to pastures iu the form of kainit or 
sulpliate of potash ; generally the dressing should 
consist of from 4 cwt. to 6 cwt. of kainit per acret 
This material contains about 12 per cent, of 
potash, or from 2 cwt, to 3 cwt, of sulphate of 
potash per acre, which will contain cO per cent, 
of potash. 
To this should be added about o cwt. of basic 
slag or 3 cwt. of superphosphate of 30 per cent 
