[Aug.  r,  1S9S'. 
T06  TIIK  TROPICAL 
siblo  to  treble  our  food  supply  and  Dritain  again  lie 
self-supporting.  We  have  only  to  carry  out  nature's 
laws  to  do  this,  for  such  is  the  compensating  scheme 
throughout  the  products  of  nature  that  that  winch  the 
body  does  not  appropriate  the  vegetable  luxuriates  in  ; 
and  though  we  cannot  create  a single  atom,  we  can, 
by  conforming  to  the  conditions  of  nature,  change 
that  which  is  already  created  into  more  useful  forms, 
and  convert  what,  looks  dead  to  the  eye,  and  which 
has  served  its  original  purpose,  into  new  and  vital 
forms  of  usefulness.  Nature  has  provided  material 
ill  our  almost  inexhaustible  peat  bogs,  which  only 
re(|uire  our  surplus  labour  organising  to  dig  out.  dry,- 
!lnd  prepare  with  acid,  and  we  have  at  once  the 
most  perfect  and  complete  disinfectant,  deodorisei-j 
and  absorbent.  Night  soil  sprinkled  over  or  mixed 
tvith  One-eighth,  its  weight  of  dry  acidulated  peat-dust  is 
Coiiverted  into  a harmless  black  soil,  without  smell, 
inoffensive  to  the  eye,  clean  to  remove,  and  has  no 
danger  to  health  ; becomes  at  once  a fertiliser  of  in- 
calculable value  to  agriculture,  and  an  untold  blessing 
to  the  country  from  a national,  economic,  and  sanitary 
point  of  view.”  The  following  advantages  are  claimed  for 
this  over  any  other  system: — 1.  This  has  the  greatest 
absorbent  and  deodorising  propartics,  and  can  he 
used  without  mechanical  contrivances  to  either  the 
pail  system,  the  ordinary  midden  closet  reconstructed, 
or  the  dry  earth  closet.  ‘2.  The  acid  combines  with  the 
ammonia  in  the  urine,  and  forms  sulphate  of  ammo- 
nia, the  mo.st  powerful  of  all  manures  ; in  all  sewage 
systems  this  is  lost.  In  additon  to  the  sulphate  of 
ammonia,  the  product  contains  all  the  other  elements 
necessary  to  the  growth  of  plants  on  which  we  live. 
;5.  The  acidulated  peat  dust,  by  its  acidifying 
the  mass,  destroys  all  germs  of  disease  ; hac- 
teriologists  have  proved  that  these  are  de- 
stroyed in  an  acid  medium.  1.  Peat  i ot  only 
prevents  offence  in  tlie  removal  and  transit  of  rc- 
nrse,  but  supplies  very  valual)lo  humus  to  the  soil. 
Jiesides  this  there  w’ould  he  no  necessity  for  such  a 
nuisance  as  manufacturing  mauui-e  in  towns,  as  this 
product  maybe  profitably  sent  away  (without  offence) 
from  large  towms  by  either  boat  or  train  loads,  or 
by  steam  tramways,  to  county  depnls,  which  might 
he  established  by  Country  Councils  in  convenient  dis- 
tricts for  farmers  to  reacli. — ^Wii.i.i.wi  Jlowi.mt.  Long- 
■sight,  Manchester. 
We  invited  the  opinion  and  criticism  of  .Mr.  .M. 
Cocliran,  f.C.s. , on  the  above,  and  lie  has  been 
gimd  enough  to  write  as  follows  ; — 
Referring  to  the  leiter  of  William  Howler  in  the 
Queeiislaiidn-  on  the  subject  of  acidulated  jicat  dust 
as  a sanitary  absorbent  and  basis  of  a manure,  I 
think  his  rem.arks  are  not  unworthy  of  the  attention 
of  Mnnicipal  authorities  when  both  the  peat  and  the 
acid  can  be  had  exceedingly  cheap,  and  where  there 
are  market  gardens  to  utilise  the  product.  I have 
no  doubt  the  acid  referred  to  is  sulphuric  acid,  as 
this  is  the  only  cheap  acid  that  would  both  char 
the  peat,  and  retain  the  small  (juaiitity  of  nitrogen 
in  it.  Whether  the  process  could  be  applied  with 
economy  to  the  Muturajawella  and  Nuwara  Ehya 
peat  is  another  question,  seeing  the  sulphuric  acid 
would  have  to  he  imported.  Hiiherto.  1 think  the 
class  of  manures  made  from  the  sanitation-])roduet.s 
of  towns  has  never  been  rich  enough  in  fertilising  in- 
gredients to  admit  of  other  than  a short  carriage  from 
the  place  ot  production  to  the  place  of  application. 
In  order  to  use  our  own  resourei's  of  peat  deposits 
for  sanitary  and  fi'rtilising  yuuqjo.^es.  T think  we 
should  have  to  he  contented  with  diying  ami  cliari  ing 
the  peat  l>y  heat.  C'harred  peat  should  ccitaiidy 
make  a tirst-vato  ahsoriicnt,  instead  of  earth,  for  tljc 
dry  system  ot  disposing  of  excreta.  'I'ho  product 
might  lie  afterwards  used  on  land  near  tlictown  either 
before  or  after  iucincrat'on,  as  migiit  lie  found  more 
•economical.  I’eat  charcoal  al)sori>s  all  sorts  of  gases 
and  especially  ammoiua-.  Accor.lmg  to  Stenhouse's 
exptuitnonts  A gram  of  ))eat  (.harcqal  ( 7,'  grains) 
absorlis  ttti  cid)ic  contimctics  of  aijimoiiia  gas. 
It  would  1)0  interesting  to  Icnovv  if  an  \ one  in  Ceylon 
has  ever  tried  the  effect  of  cliavrod  [joat  pui-e  iind 
simple  on  land.  It  is  true  (hat  chemical  analysis 
does  not  reveal  much  manuriul  value  in  peat.  Tcr- 
feetly  dry  peat  won’t  contain  on  an  average  more 
AGRICULnjRIST. 
than  1|  per  cent  of  nitrogen,  a large  proportion  of 
which  would  be  lost  by  cmiirring.  The  ash  left  by 
burning  air-dried  peat  varies  between  wide  limits  from 
about  1 to  1-13  per  cent.  A large  quantity  of  it  has  from 
2-i  to  10  per  cent  of  ash,  surface  peat  containing 
least  ash.  Of  the  ash  not  more  than  lA  per  cent  of 
phosphoric  acid  or  1 per  cent  of  potash  could  be 
reckoned  on.  It  would  thus  seem  that  charred  peat 
would  he  rather  a pool’  luanure  to  spread  on  laild  J 
yet  we  find  it  stated  in  “.Johnston  and  Cameron’s 
Agricultural  Chemistry  ’’  that  50  busliels  per  acre  of 
charred  peat  has  been  used  alone  for  the  turnip 
crop  with  as  good  a return  as  was  obtained  from  50 
carts  of  farmyard  inanuie.  It  is  not  easy  to  account 
for  a result  like  this  if  it  was  not  a case  of  mis- 
taking jiost  hoc  for  jiroiilec  hoc.  The  power  char- 
coal has  oi  ftbsorbing  atmospheric  ammonia  could 
.scarcely  accohut  for  it.  We  know  thai  charcoal  has 
the  po'wer  of  condensing  oXygen  in  its  pores  and 
this  oxygen  oxidises  other  gases  that  are  absorbed 
in  a condensed  form  by  the  charcoaL  If  it 
could  he  shown,  though  I am  not  aware  that 
it  ever  has  been  shown,  that  charcoal  has  the  pewer 
of  oxidising  even  to  a very  small  extent  the  fi’ee 
nitrogen  of  the  air  to  nitric  acid,  a plant  food,  then 
the  mystery  would  be  explained. 
Professor  Nevvth  in  his  new  book  on  Inorganic 
Chemistiy  181)1  mentions  the  results  of  more  recent 
experiments  thus  “ Saussnre  found  that  recently 
heated  beechwood  charcoal  was  capable  of  absorbing 
DO  times  its  own  volume  of  ammonia  gas ; while 
Hunter  by  employing  charcoal  made  from  coconut 
shell  found  that  17P7  vohinies  of  ammonia  were 
absorljed  by  one  volume  of  charcoal.” 
.All  this  information  from  Mr.  rocliran  i.s  ai 
great  importance  to  our  planters  and  agi’ienltilr-' 
isls  ;iii(l  suggests  s(>veral  directions  in  whieli 
e\])ei’impiUs  f)uglit  to  he  made. 
'r  IIP  A -M  ST  !•;  11 1 )A  .M  (’  I ,\(  • H ( ) \ A -M  A 1 1 Iv'  KT'. 
dune  ()th. 
•Our  Amsterdam  corrospomlent,  telegraphing  on 
Wednesday  niglit,  ohseryes  “ The  exports  of  cin- 
chona hark  from  Java  in  the  month  of  May  amounted 
to  ■lli2,70(>  half  kilos.  In  April  they  weret)15,u00  half- 
kilos. On  June  Pith,  5,091  bales  and  2:i9  oases  (weigh- 
ing together  5;iD,230  kilos)  of  dava  cinchona  bark 
will  be  offered  by  :mction  in  -Amsterdam.  The  total 
equivalent  of  sulphate  of  quinine  in  the  manufactur- 
ing bark  is  •20,27:1  kilos,  in  the  pharmaceutical  bark 
;-)72  kilos.  This  gives  an  average  of  5 per  cent  for 
the  manufacturing  hark.  The  May  shipuient.s  from 
Java,  continues  our  correspondent,  give  a moderate 
figure,  and  the  feeling  lieie  is  that  the  total  ship- 
ments for  1895  will  show  a smaller  figure  than  for 
the  lueceding  year  ; thus  far  the  deficiency  is  in 
fact  rather  marked.  The  feeling  for  our  bark-sale  of 
P-lth  instant  is  rather  firm  than  otherwise,  in  sjiite  of 
the  heavy  supply  of  bark.  The  diminislied  stock  of 
ijuinine  in  London  is  also  considered  a favourable 
feature  of  the  position  of  the  two  articles,  and  Hkelv 
to  work  well  for  hark  in  a short  time. — ('hcn)ixt  and 

J’our.  Ti;.\.--A'et  anothei-  i>rohahle  rival  to  India 
as  a tea-gi’owiug  country  ! 'i'lie  jiroviuce  of  Hatoum 
has  lieeii  tavoiiiably  rcpoited  on  as  being  suitable 
for  t.‘a  cullivatioii  iiv  \l.  Ki'asnov,  a Professor  of 
(ieograiihy  at  the  Ki-asnov  I'niversity,  who  said  tliat, 
if  cultivated,  poitions  of  llatuum  would  compare 
favoiiruhly  witii  the  tea  jilantations  of  .lapan  and 
Ceylon.  Tlio  Agricultural  Society  of  Russia,  which 
lias  taken  no  I he  iptestion  of  tea  cultivation  in  Ratonni, 
lias  instructo.l  Air.  Klmgeii  to  purchase  large  plots  ot 
land  near  (Unirka.  Messrs.  Krasnov,  and  Khugen 
and  some  other  gentlemen  will  visit  the  chief  tea- 
])ro(hicing  centres  of  the  world,  including  Darjiling, 
Ceylon,  China,  Canton  and  Japan,  and  they  were  to 
leave  Odessa  foi-  tliis  purpose  about  the  end  of  Fe- 
bruary last. — 'f'hc  I'lnutec, 
