Feb. 1, 1898.] Sufflemmt to the “ Troincat Agriculturist ” 
579 
true remedy consists in iiiterposiug a loose 
powdery or fibrous stratum several inches thick 
between the layer of soil in which the roots 
live and perform their functions and the ex- 
ternal air ever greedy of moisture. And there 
are two ways of doing this. 
THE MANUEING OF PADDY. 
Eeport on the proportions in which Bood Mi.xed 
Thomas’ Phosphate Powder and Sulphate of Potash 
may be used as manure for paddy. 
I propose to base my calculations on the re.sults 
obtained at the Bardwan Experimental Farm for 
years 1894 and 1895. The following is a tabular 
view of the experiments : — ■ 
Quantity of Manure 
Outturn per Acre. 
PER Acre. 
1893- 
-1894 
1894- 
-1895 
Mds. S, 
Grain 
Straw 
Grain 
Straw 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
1 Cowdung 150 8 
3641 
4.388 
3291 
4287 
2 Unmanured — — 
1.343 
1714 
1330 
1577 
3 Castor Cake 6 0 
3334 
4114 
3195 
4251 
4 Cowdung 150 0 
4443 
5691 
3845 
5279 
5 Unmanured — — 
1646 
3291 
1467 
2743 
6 Bone-meal 3 0 
4.321 
6295 
3826 
5993 
7 Do 3 0 
3707 
3801 
4637 
6267 
8 Unmanured — • — 
1786 
2332 
1574 
2061 
9 Bone-meal 3 — 
10 Saltpetre — 30 
|4690 
6308 
1 
4673 
6377 
I take the Indian maund to be equal to 9 8 
gallons ; i.e., a maund of water would weigh 
98 lbs. equal measures of bone-dust,, and of water 
would weigh about the same ; so in round numbers 
I shall take the maund of bone-dust as equal to 
100 lbs. and the maund of niter as about 111 lbs. 
Experiments 7 and 9 will be, therefore, when 
stated in lbs. per acre as follows 
No. 7. 
300 lbs, bone-meal per acre. 
No. 9. 
30011)s. bone-meal per acre. 
83 „ nitrate of potash. 
The first of these tNe. 7) would supply lO’d to 
13 lbs. of nitrogen and 70 lbs. of phn | l.cuic acid 
per acre. The second (No. 9) would -supply 21'3 
to 22 8 lbs. nitrogen, 70 lbs. of phosphoric acid 
and 83 lbs. potash. 
The following are mixtures containing the same 
amounts approximately of nitrogen, phosphoric 
acid and potash. 
(1.) Corresponding to the 300 lbs. per acre of 
bone-dust, the following mixture might be used: 
86 lbs. Blood-meal. 
370 „ Thomas’ Phosphate Powder. 
(2.) Corresponding to 300 lbs. bone-meal and 
83 lbs. nitrate of potash : 
163 lbs. Blood-meal. 
370 „ Thomas’ Phosphate Powder. 
66 „ Sulphate of Potash. 
As a certain am. unt of nitrogen in the form 
of nitrate is regarded us of special efficimcy to 
rice in the earlier stages of it.s growth, it is 
found desirable to have nitrogen present in two 
forms (according to some authorities) a more 
soluble form, say, nitrate of potash and a less 
soluble form, say, blood-me.il, instead of the 
last mixture, therefore the following may be 
used : — 
(3.) 86 lbs. BlonrUrneal. 
83 „ Niaaie of Potash. 
370 ,, Thomas’ Phosphate Powder. 
In experiment 7 in the table, the amount 
of nitrogen is a little over halt w'hat it is in 
experiment 9, while the bone-dust alone in ex- 
periment 7 contains about the quantity re- 
commended in “ The Farmers’ Guide ” for the 
manuring of rice. I am, therefore, of opinion 
that the iucreased yield in No. 9 is not neces- 
sarily due to the extra nitrogen, but may be 
attributed to the potash in the experiment. 
I think, therefore, 1 hat the following mixture 
would give good lesulls, more e.'^pecially in cases 
where the soil already contained a fair amount of 
nitrogenous matter : 
(4.) 86 lbs. Blood-meal. 
370 „ Thomas’ Phosphate Powder. 
66 ,, Sulphate of Potash. 
In all these mixtures (1 to 4) -I have taken 
370 lbs, Thomas’ Phosphate powder as the 
quantity containing p>ho.sphoric acid equal in 
amount to 300 lbs. bone-meal. I am disposed, 
however, to regard 870 lbs. a.s a maximum 
quantity, and it is po.'-sible that even 300 lbs. 
would be sutficient, when the greater availability 
of the pho.-phate powder is taken into account. 
On upland peaty soils, rice could be grown 
without nitrogenous manure. On such soils 300 
lbs. acid pho.-phate and 100 lbs. muriate of potash 
are said to give remunerative results. 1 am, 
therefore, of opinion that tlie following mixture 
W’ould do even better on such land, the Thomas’ 
l)hn.sphate powder tending to correct by means 
of its lime the luitural acidity of such soils: 
(5.) 300 lbs. Thomas’ Phosphate Powder. 
100 „ Sulphate of Potash. 
100 lbs. sulphate potash doses not contain so 
much potash as 100 lbs, muriate of potash does, but 
w'ith the former there is considerably less loss by 
drainage through the ground than with the 
muriate, and, therefore, 1 think the sulphate 
would be practically equal in manurial effect, 
weight for weight to the muriates. 
Another authoiity recommends the following 
manures for use in the cultivation of rice on 
new fields ojul on exhausted fields respectively: 
The tiguies are giveir in lbs. per acre. 
New field: 
?• Exhausted fields. 
Sulphate of ammonia 89 
178 
Acid jihosphate 
... 222-5 
356 
Muriate of potash . 
.. 44-5 
80 
In place of the 
above the 
following might be 
substituted : 
New field: 
5. Exhausted fields. 
Blood- 1 - ( rl 
... 150 
300 
Thon;;..- j ho,‘])hate 
pov. dvr 
... 222 
356 
Sulphate of potash 
... 45 
80 
(Signed) iM. COCIIEAN, F.C.S., 
Cifij Analyst. 
