562 
TFIE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[FeI!.  I,  1897. 
for  annupv!  root  cropi^.  It  is  .'■iiroly  nectlless  to 
refer  to  tlie  case  of  coil'ec.  The  most 
manurctl  estates,  i c.,  estates  coiistaiitiy  worked 
up  witli  artilicial  manures,  weie  llie  lirst  to  suc- 
cumb to  di.sease. 
I should  be  Jtlad  to  see  the  practice  of  using 
distinctly  artificial  manures, — those  which  act  as 
strong  tonics,—  abandoned.  It  is  all  very  well  to 
force  root  crops ; but  it  is  surely  an  error  to 
force  perennials. 
I give  the  above  as  the  bumble  opinion  of  one 
who  has  studied  botany  and  farming  in  a small 
way,  and  I hope  I may  be  absolved  from  any 
idea  of  pretence  to  s[)eak  with  authority. 
For  my  own  part  1 ])urpose  to  use  110  artilicial 
by  itself  ; and  oidy  when  mixed  with  bulk 
(compost  of  cattle  muck,  line  refuse,  I'avine  soil, 
jungle  Stull',  etc. ) sparingly.  F.  U.  R. 
No.  VI. 
Kelburne  Lstate,  Dec.  2'1. 
Dear  8iu, — In  reply  to  your  circular  rc  manur- 
ing tea,  I beg  to  infonn  you  our  rlistiict  is  so 
very  much  in  its  infancy  with  this  ju'oduct,  that 
but  very  little  manuring  has  been  attempted.  I 
have  myself  made  a small  experiment  of  manur- 
ing 25  acres  with  crushed  bones,  castorcake  and 
muriate  of  potash  and  I am  awaiting  to  see  the 
result. — Yours  faithfully,  D. 
No.  VII. 
Maskeliya,  Dec.  81. 
Dear  Sir,— In  answer  to  your  printed  letter, 
I would  answer  as  follows  : — 
1.  It  has  not  become  general  anywhere,  but 
is  becoming  more  courmon. 
2.  Bulky  manure  is  best,  but  very  little  is 
available  anywhere.  For  this  reason  artilicial 
has  to  be  used. 
3.  The  mixture  is  usually  castorcake  with  a 
little  bonedust  added,  and  'it  is  usually  mixed 
in  Colombo.  Some  fish  manure  is  also  used,  and 
probably  a very  little  nitrates. 
4.  I don’t  think  any  harm  is  being  done. 
5.  The  oldest  manured  tea  yields  much  better 
than  unmanured  tea  un'ess  the  latter  is  in  very 
fine  soil.  I’LANIER. 
No.  VHI. 
Ramboda,  Dec.  31. 
Dear  Sir,— Yours  duly  received  rc  manuiing 
tea.  There  is  not  the  least  use  in  my  writing 
on  the  subject,  as  I may  say  I have  no  cx- 
iierience.  No  manuring  has  been  done  here  and 
of  what  I did  on  the  oilier  side  I have  not  seen 
the  eliects.  There  are  two  liclds  opposite  me  on 
the  other  side  the  river,  which  have  been  manured 
twdee  : they  look  very  well  in  the  distance,  and 
1 am  told  'have  doubled  their  crop.  B. 
No.  IX. 
Ilantanc  District,  Jan.  1. 
Dear  Sir,  — In  reference  to  your  circular  on 
the  important  (luestion  of  manuring,  tea  estates 
in  thisili.strict  are  using  manure  more  or  less. 
Bulky  manures  are  juit  out  on  estates  where 
they  can  easily  be  got  ; others  apply  artilicial.  Of 
arti'lical  fertilizers  bonedust  is  not  much  used  as 
it  tends  to  increase  seed  ; the  favourites  ape  a 
mi.xture  of  castmx’.ike,  lishmanuie,  and  a little 
bonedust,  while  some  add  nitrates  or  sulphate 
of  ammonia.  xManuring  has  in  no  ease  that 
I know  done  harm  to  tea— all  the  other  way,  by 
increasing  the  size  of  bushes,  aiid  the  returns  of 
crop. 
The  oldest  manured  tea  very  favourably  coni- 
jiares  with  unmanured  tea  of  the  .same  age, 
especially  on  old  laml  where  the  difference  is 
very  marked.  'I’he  important  question  for  planters 
is  how  to  obtain  their  fertilizers  pure.  To  pay 
for  such  a useless  thing  as  sand,  amigo  to  the 
extra  ex|)ense  of  rail  fare  and  cart  hire  as  well, 
is  I'cry  grievous,  lu  the  Manual  of  Mr  Hughes, 
fish  imanure,  for  example,  is  said  to  have  con- 
tained as  much  as  50  jiercent  of  sand  when  he  was 
in  the  island ; but  owing  to  increa.sed  interest  on  the 
part  of  liuyers  and  also  to  local  analy.sis, 
fish  manure  can  be  had  today  with  from  15 
to  2'i  per  cent  ( nly.  As  the  fish  itself  contains 
no  sand  there  is  still  much  room  for  improve- 
ment. The  above  example  is  put  in  another  way 
on  the  basis  of  the  most  valuable  of  manurhal 
ingredients,  viz.,  nitrogen.  I find  that  when  Mr. 
Hughes  analysed  it  {ciclc  ''  Cochran's  Manual") 
it  contained  from  4 to  4^  per  cent,  whereas 
now  numerous  analyses  from  Mr.  Cochran  show 
that  it  can  easily  be  procureil  with  from  5J 
to  (i  per  cent  nitrogen.  This  means  an  in- 
crease in  the  manurial  value — ^taking  the  highest 
figures  in  each  case — of  about  40  jier  cent.  \Vhat 
all  that  is  to  the  planter  who  is  spending  his 
moue}'  on  fertilizers  is  patent  enough. 
Uii  the  other  haml  wdute  castor  cake  in  Mr. 
Hughes’  day  showed  I think  about  7 per  cent  of 
nitrogen,  whereas  it  is  at  pie.sent  difhcult  to  get 
it  much  above  6 per  cent. 
This  means  that  for  every  seven  tons  of  the 
superior  article,  you  require  fully  eight  tons  to 
produce  the  same  ell'ect. 
The  crying  need  of  today  on  this  (piestion  is 
to  be  able  to  get  manures  of  guaranteed  composi- 
tion.— Vours  truly,  HANTANE. 
No.  X. 
reply 
Holmwood,  Dec.  31. 
to  your  questions  rc 
Dear  Sir,— In 
manure : — 
(1)  Manuring  estates  has  only  become  general, 
in  my  opinion,  in  the  old  districts,  and  in  the  old 
districts  it  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  older  estates. 
(2)  Bulky  manure  is  very  little  used  except 
where  it  is  iiurchased  .at  a cheap  rate. 
(3)  Manures  are  almost  always  mixed  with 
casiorcakc  and  bones,  or  castorcake,  fish  and 
bones. 
(4)  I think  it  probable  that  we  are  drawing  on 
our  c.apital  by  the  use  of  such  unscientific  manures 
as  those  now  in  general  use.  In  my  o[>inion  they 
are  forcing  to  the  bushes  at  the  ex])cnse  of  the 
soil  and  that  unless  a change  is  made,  a day  of 
reckoning  will  come. 
(5)  So  far  as  my  experience  goes  the  ohlest 
manured  tea  gives  about  twdee  as  much  as  un- 
mauured  tea  of  the  same  .age. 
As  to  your  (jucry  about  values — I think  w'e  have 
reached  the  limit  of  the  swung  of  the  pendulum, 
though  I do  not  autici|iate  any  immediate  re.action 
owdng  to  the  difliculty  of  obtaining  investment 
for  the  enormous  amount  of  money  in  the  hands 
of  capita'ists.  Shares  may  be  forced  up  by  inter- 
estcil  operators,  but  there  is  small  margin  even  now 
for  them  to  work  upon.  (>%  and  7%  seem  to  be 
tiie  outside  intere.st  procurable  in  sound  Comp.anies. 
— Yours  truly,  J5. 
No.  xXf. 
F|>l>or  Maskeliya,  Dec.  30. 
DExVR  Sir, — 1 cannot  say  whetiicr  manuring 
has  become  general  in  other  districts  or  even  in 
the  lower  jiart  of  this  district.  x\t  this  end 
of  Maskeliya  most  estates  are  applying  artificial 
