858 
Stqiptemenf to the " Tropcnt Agriculturist." [June 2, 1902. 
acquaint themselves with the character and action 
of special manures in their various forms, there 
would naturally be a tendency to a careless use of 
them, careless in the sense that their use is not based 
upon a definite knowledge of the substances 
employed. A perusal of Mr. Hughes' paper and the 
discussion that followed thereon will show how, 
even in England, the question of economical 
manuring is still far from settled. 
Mr. F. J. Lloyd, another authority on chemical 
questions, speaking at the same meeting gave it 
as his opinion that the time had come when some 
authoritative body should lay down a definite 
standard which could be accepted universally as 
a means of estimating the available food in both 
a soil and a manure — a statement that still further 
proves the unsatisfactory character of our know- 
ledge of the relation of manures to soils. 
One inference to be drawn from the paper under 
review is tliat an alkaline phosphatic manure is 
under ordinary circumstances the most economic, 
for while superpuospliate is suited only to soils 
which contain plenty of lime, basic slag is best 
restricted to soils which are particularly sour. 
' The question will be asked, what is alkaline or 
basic superphosphate ? This is the new manure 
which Mr. Hughes may be said to have " dis- 
covered." The following extract from his paper 
will give our readers a fair idea of the fertilizer:— 
It occurred, to the author, after careful con- 
sideration in the autumn of 1900, that a new 
and useful manure could be produced by the care- 
ful admixture in suitable proportions of ordinary 
acid superphosphate with finely ground or slaked 
lime. 
-J After making numerous trial mixture the most 
suitable proportions were decided upon, and a 
manure was produced which possessed a distinctly 
alkaline or basic character, and at the same time 
supplied from 25 to 27 per cent of phosphate of 
lime in a form readily soluble in the standard 
solution (1 in 1,000) of citric acid. 
The manure so produced was appropriately 
called basic superphosphate, because it combined 
the alkaline nafureofhlag with the well-known 
solubilily of superphosphate. 
The mechanical condition is superior both to 
that of biisic slag and superphosphate. Compared 
with the former it is much more bulky and lighter 
in weight, so that if equal weights be placed in 
two glass lubes about 1 foot long, basic superphos- 
phate will be found to occupy a space of II inches 
as compared with only 4^ inches occupied by basic 
glag, the relation in round numbers being as 100 
to 40. 
Compared with superphosphate the new material 
is very much drier, containing only 4 to 5 per 
cent of moisture instead of the 14 to 18 per cent 
usually found in commercial superphosphate. 
Being in a fiiudy ground dry powder of light 
weight and bulky iiainre, greater uniformity and 
J more perfect di-,Lribui ion can be obtained than is 
pof^>ibl'i w ii ii basic sing, which when sown by 
Ijaiid is apt, to drop boiwueu the fingers before 
complete delivery can be effected. 
The general composition of basic superphospbat 
may be gathered from the following analysis: — 
Composition of Basic Supeephosphatb. 
Moisture (lost at 212° F.) . . . . 415 
Combined water and loss on ignition 12'8fS 
^Phosphoric acid (total; . . . . 13 60 
Lime . . . , . . . . 36'15 
Sulphuric acid . . . . . . 28*50 
Oxides of iron, alumina, magnesia, &c. 2".14 
Insoluble siliceous matters . . . . S'4rO 
Total ,.10000 
*Equal to phosphate of lime 29-68 
The manure usually contains from 33 to 35 per 
cent of total lime, so that in this respect basic 
superphosphate supplies fully 10 per cent mora 
lime than ordinary acid superphosphate. 
Basic superphosphate can be applied, indeed hat 
been applied in the season of 1901, with gr«ftt 
advantage on soils deficient in lime, such as sand, 
gravel, granite, peat and clay. 
Briefly, it may be stated that all soils containing 
less than one per cent of lime will be greatly bene- 
fitted by the application of basic superphosphate 
instead of slag or ordinary superphosphate. 
It is of practical importance to state that, though 
originally invented to supplement the deficient 
solubility of slag, which is fully recognised by 
those interested in its sale (they therefore recom- 
mend its application during the winter months), it 
has been found by actual field results that the 
new manure is superior also to superphosphate 
on soils deficient in lime. 
For a further account of the new manure and 
results of trials made with it we must refer our 
readers to Mr, Hughes' paper. There is no doubt 
that a useful fertilizer has been brought to light, 
and that through it the problem of how to secure 
the most economic results in the us» of phosphates 
has in a measure been solved. It has been long 
recognised that the action of these manures is 
to a great extsnt dependent on and controlled 
by the presence and proportion of lime in the soil. 
But lime, as we know, is very liable to leave the 
surface soil, and as Mr, Hughes points out it would 
be far more expensive to supply sufficient lime to 
a soil that lacks lime so thut every square inch 
should contflin enough of it to neutralije any acid 
brought in contact with it. The adding of about 
20 per cent of lime to the superphosphate, 
sufficient to neutralise all the acid and produce 
slight excess in order to give it a distinctly acid 
character, does everything that is required to be 
done. 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE GROUND NUT, 
The pea, earth, or ground nut (Arachis HypogcBo) 
is an annual of the leguminous order, or i)ea tribe 
of plants. Before it blooms it gei.'erally assumes 
an upright habit, usually attaining a height of about 
one foot ; but when the flowers appear the plant falls 
over, and makes its subsequent growth in a pro- 
cumbent position. The leaves are abruptly pinnate, 
bearing two pairs of leaflets without any tendril ; 
stipules elongated and aduate to the leaf-stalks. 
