September i, 1891. 
TMF TROPICA?^ AOniOOLTURtST, 
173 
THE APPLICATION OF MANURES. 
Mr. Pringle, on this occasion (see his 
paper below), deals with a practical subject of 
great interest to planters ; ar d although 
his remarks apply primarily to cofiee culture, 
the principles enunciated are equally appli- 
cable to the tea planters' pursuit. Mr. Ptingle 
seems to have fixed on 4 cwt, (one-fifth of a 
ton) of artificial mauure as the appropriate quantity 
for an acre (calculated to operate, we suppose, for 
the olhodox pciiod of three years) ; but he recom- 
mends that the artificial manure should be 
" diluted " by a larger quantity of cattle manure, 
or with at least its own bulk of burnt clay. 
The merits of this latt6rsubstance,especiallyits power 
of absorbing nitrogen, have been long acknow- 
ledged ; and we suppose the reason why it is not 
more largely used is the expense of preparing it, 
especially where fuel is scarce. The neoeasary 
attention to a mass of brushwood and logs, which, 
under a covering of lumps of earth, must be kept 
smouldering for three weeks or a month, must in 
many oases act as a deterrent. But where clay is 
prepared as recommended and applied, especially 
to stiff, wet soils, the results will well repay 
all the trouble and expense. In the early days 
of our connection with the Ohscrer, " Burnt 
Olay " was the familiar signature to a series of 
letters by old Mr. Hawke, who came to Ceylon 
from Mauritius with the Chermonts and others 
in "the forties." As an absorbent of ammoniaeal 
matter in horse stables, cattle sheds, pigsties 
and poultry houses, its value can scarcely 
be over-rated. Mr. Pringle advises manuring 
only at the termination of the monsoon rains ; 
he denounces mammoty digging ; recommends the 
use of the alvanga instead ; and advises the surface 
and broadcast application of manure after a slight 
forking, which will do the smallest possible 
injury to the feeding rootlets. We suppose 
no one thinks of applying manure in the 
heavy and almost constant rains of the mon- 
soons ; but we suspect that, in view of the 
generally raininess of our climate and the 
steepness of our gradients, few will venture to 
exchange the system of shallow trenches for the 
broadooast surface process recommended by Mr. 
Pringle. Readers who are planters and who 
manure their fields will, however, judge for 
themselves. The kinds of artificial manure which 
Mr. Pringle favours have been already mentioned, 
but there are few if any better than the old 
Ceylon favourites : finely ground boaes and white 
castor cake. If some fish can be added so much 
the better, especially if " dilution " with burnt 
clay is resorted to. 
APPLICATION OF MANURES. 
By William Pringle, bi. s. o, i., 
liilB AaUIOULTDEAL CHEMIST TO BIESSIiS. MATHESON & CO. 
IN COOKG, 
( Under special arrangement for piiblimtion in th^ 
" Ceylon Observer" and " Tropical AgrictiUurist") 
Having selected the manure or manures intended for 
use on the estate, the question is how to apply it so 
that tho maximum results may be produced at the 
minimum cost. 
First to ensure equable distribution it is necessary to 
dilute euoh c.oncentrated«,ninuures as boues,tish, hindey* 
and otlier artificial manures with cattle mimnre or 
burnt earth. If cattle manure is procurable it may be 
used at the rate of two or more bandy loads mixed 
'f Wo doubt the local »&Mg for sgmo oil-oalte,~ED. y, A, 
with the artificials, per aote. Where there ia not 
sufficient, burnt earth will be found most useful. 
The following analj'sis shows the change produced 
by burning a soil; — 
Parts per 100. 
A B 
. Uatural. BuTnt 
Original Matter and Combined Water* 7 572 .023 
Oxides of Iron and Alumina ... 10-3G9 14 345 
Lime _ ... ... ... -253 499 
Magnesia ... ... ... -iqi j^gg 
Potash ... ., ... -070 -389 
Soda ... ... ... .026 -OgU 
Phosphoric Acid ... ,,, -loy •2ci9 
Sulphuric Acid ... ... -023 -009 
Insoluble Silicates (sand &o.) ... 81-367 83'494 
100 000 100.000 
* Containing nitrogen -ISO -005 
The burning has practically destroyed all the organic 
matter and nitrogen, (it is rather over burnt), but 
Las rendered some of the insoluble silicates soluble; 
the increase of potash as shown by analysis B is 
partly due to that and partly to tho wood used in 
burning. At least 1 cubic yard of burnt earth or 1 
ton of cattle manure should be mixed with every 4 
owt. of artificials (the quantity of bones feo. necessary 
for one acre). 
To prepare the burnt earth select good yellow clay, 
or peaty .swamp soil, cut it into six to nine inch cubic 
clods, dry them in the suu. About six cubic yards 
should be cut for every ton of manure that is to bo 
mixed. 
The clods when dry are built up into a heap with 
layers of brushwood (cofiee prunings and shade lop- 
pings will do) ; a little heavier wood should be used 
at the bottom to start the fires. 
It is a mistake to use too much wood, or to allow 
the heap to burn too rapidly; instead of aotuallv 
bnrning, it should smoulder gently. A heap ten yards 
long by two high and five broad should take about 
three weeks or a month to burn. 
The earth should not be red when burnt, but iust 
in part beginning to turn red ; if of a nice warm 
brown color when finished it is excellent. If the 
fires are going too fast plaster the outside with mud. 
It is rather good than otherwise to have a iair per.* 
centage of charcoal left in the heap, especially if the 
manure is intended fur poor saady soils. AVhen the 
heap has cooled down break up all tho olods and 
pass them through a screen with four meshes per 
linear inch ; better results will be got if a 16 mash 
screen is used, but the cost ot pulvtriz n^ will be 
considerably increased. It is now ready for mixing with 
the manure and the following plan will generally be 
found best. 
Upon a clean dry floor or barbacue spread a layer 
of two inches of the prepared earth (or dry pulverized 
cattle manure); upon it spread | an inch ol bone meal 
or other manure or manures, over this burnt earth 
and so on earth, manure, earth, finishing with tua 
latter. When the heap is about 12 to 15 inches thick 
turn the whole over ; first from one end then from the 
other, then Irom one side, then from the other; fiop.Uy 
simultaneously from the four corners throw the .stuS 
up into a heap in the centre, and careful, y iu:u it over 
twice. Then pass it throngh the screen, and again turn 
it over. This is necessary to ensure an equal propor- 
tion of manure throughout the mass. 
It is now ready to cart out to pits, which 
should be out one for every five acres; a convenient 
size is 4| feet deep, G feet wide and 7^ feet long, 
When these are filled with tho mixed manure they 
should be covered with about a foot of earth and 
thatched over, a gutter being out rouud to run off 
the monsoon rain. 
If raw bones are used it is sometimes advisable to 
sprinkle water over the mauure as it is put into the 
pit to facilitate fermentation; just damp it. Havin" 
the manures in pits obviates the necessity for cartage 
when the roads aro soft. The manure oau be ptei 
pftjed Rn4 catted o«t iu the dry we«tber, 
