go 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[August x, 1891, 
diBtanoe, bow muob less is its produotion likely 
to bo profitable in Oeylon where our forafje grasses 
are generally so poor and imported food in the 
shape of gram and gingelly poonao so expensive. 
On nearly every estate, of course, a few cattle 
must be kept as milk yielders ; and there are 
estates which find it profitable to employ bullocks 
for draught purposes. In such oases, the 
manure is a by-product, and will be very 
valuable, as will horse manure, when applied 
near the sheds and stables, but it seems 
pretty evident that, as a general rule, estates when 
they need applieationa of fertilizing mutter must 
rely on artificial manures ; and the question to be 
solved is, what are the boat to choose and employ ? 
Analyses of soil, such as Mr. Pringle gives, must 
be of great assistance. Ho shows that while 
nitrogen is specially wanted in one case, it would 
be simply a oostly folly to add it in another. 
So with lime and in the ease of kainit or 
other potash manure. We suppose that anyone 
baying bones or castor oake from any 
of the loading firms in Colombo is guar- 
anteed but certainly a system of publio 
and obeap analyses would be very useful, as new 
manures are ocoasionally offered lor sale. Mr. 
Pringle is mistaken in supposing that planters 
have devoted slight attention and inourrod but 
small expenditure on analyses and manures.* Apart 
from the employment of Mr. John Hughes by 
the Ceylon planters and the expenditure of large 
sums in the unsueoessful combat with leaf-disease, 
we had, in the Observer towards the end of the 
seventies a series of elaborate letters from a Mr. 
Tolputt, embodying detailed analyses of Wynaad 
soils and of manures recommended and applied 
with reference to such analyses. Only a low days ago 
in going over accumulated papers, we found a aeries 
of soil analyses received from the gentleman named, 
which bad been put by for publication at a convenient 
season. The figures will now be of interest in com- 
parison with those given by Mr. Pringle or those 
which he may hereafter adduce. Meantime the 
paper we today publish, although specially devoted 
to coffee, is just as applicable, in the general principles 
laid down of adapting manures to constituents 
of soil shown by analysis to bo deficient, 
to tea, cinohona, cacao, cardamom and even 
coconut palm culture as to coffee. We can never 
go far wrong in applying bones and castor oake, 
in moderate quantities and in due proportion to 
our soils, at intervals of about three years, what- 
ever the iiroduot cultivated may be. Such a potash 
manure as kainit will be useful on many of the 
older coffee estates, replanted with toa|; and where 
it can be afforded, we should think it would be 
eminently beneficial to coconut land, not only 
for the potash, but for the appreciable quantity 
of common salt it contains. Lime, bones and 
kaini, ought, we submit, to largely increase the 
growth of the palms and the yield of nuts, while 
the moderate and judicious use of bones, super- 
phosphate, castor cake, fish and in some cases 
kainit, ought to increase the quantity and improve 
the quality of tea flush. 
COFFKK MANURE. 
By WlLtlAM Pbinole, m. s. c. i., 
lA TE aomCOLTUBAL CnXMIST TO MESSES. MAIIIESON & CO. 
JN COOHO. 
{Under special arranement for pMication in the “ Cey- 
lon Ohaei'ver" and " Trojneal Anculturist. ) 
The question of manuring coffee has had little sys- 
tematic work spent on it, compared w ith the vast in . 
"•"ThTTat^ d r. R, B. Tytler had everything con- 
ueotod with the coffee tree and soil analysed before 
m akiiig up his patent manure, sombreorum. 
terests at .stake ; most planters have been content t 
use such manures as were most readily come at , with 
out bothering tbeir heads as to whether they got an 
adequate return forthemonsy spent on them or not. 
I have known line rubbish oarted five miles ; it could 
only in very rare instances bo worth the cartage. 
In Boleoting a manure to be used on an estate we 
should be guided by the analyses of the Soil, as well as 
by our knowledge of the oompositiou of tbo coffee shrub, 
nnd its requirements. 
One glance at the annexed analyses of Sonth Coorg 
soils will show that they require very different treat- 
ments:— 
* Organic matter and combined 
.rarta ] 
A. 
^er nunc 
B. 
irea. 
0. 
water 
9'.530 
8080 
5-475 
Oxideslof iron and alumina 
, , 
13-065 
6-861 
7844 
liinie .. •• 
•622 
•120 
•380 
Magnesia 
•396 
•446 
•101 
Potash 
•044 
•127 
•042 
Soda 
•019 
•063 
•020 
Phosphoric acid 
•135 
•039 
•122 
Salpbnrio acid .. 
•128 
•079 
•013 
Chlorine 
•003 
•001 
•002 
Insolnblo silicates 
•• 
76168 
84-184 
86 001 
100 000 loo ooo loo noo 
• Containing Nitrogen 
, , 
•143 
•292 
•089 
Equal to Ammonia •• 
. . 
•174 
•365 
-094 
Moisture in air dried sample 
.. 
3-24 
1218 
1'78 
On A and 0 the great object should be to con- 
serve the rhoistnre by shade, and the use of as much 
good cattle manure, made by bedding the cattle with 
leaves and ferns, as possible. Both are ralhor short 
of potash, and one cwt. of nitrate of potash (nitre) per 
aero should be added to the manure: this will supply 
nitrogen as well as the potash, and 0 is very short 
of that most important eleinent. 
A, requires nitrogenous manures with potash, but s 
little bone phosphate should be added to prevent soil 
exhaustion. The following manure was rccommonded : — 
2 cwt. bone meal 
1 cwt. nitrate of potash 
This should bo mixed with 1 cubic yard of burnt 
earth or 2 bandy loads of cattle manure. 
It would be a sheer waste of money to apply lime to 
such a soil. 
B, is vorylahOTt of phosphoric acid bones in fine 
meal will be the best manure, 4 owts. per acre will be 
enough and lime may be used with advantage six 
mouths afterwards. 
To nso oil cake as a manure to snob larrd to say the 
least would I e a waste of money. Lime used before the 
phosphates have time to act would lead to the rapid 
exhaustion of the land. It is a case where the indica- 
tion of tbo analysis is very clear. On such a land 
arnmoniacal manures used without phosphates would 
never prodnee any results commensurate with the ex- 
penditure, and would do more liarm than good. The 
land as shown by the moistnro is very retentive, 
drainage is a necessity if the coffee is to bo kept healthy, 
over such laud the shade ,may with advantage be kept 
very light and thin. 
C on the other baud is a poor sandy soil, greatly 
wanting in moisture, shade should be kept thick, as leaf 
mould will render great assistance in retaining the mois- 
ture ; cattle and organic manures will also give results 
beyondtboir mere manqrinl valneon such laud. In fact 
on such plaoea oattlo mannro is invaluable. I reoom- 
mendod cattle manure, 2 tons with 1 cwt. fine bone 
meal, 2 owt. pare dry fish, and J cwt. nitrate of potash 
per acre. These _ examples show bow we may be 
guided in our choice of a manure by the soil analysis, 
that a knowledge of the power of the soil to retain 
moisture will assist us in regulating the shade, 
and decide many vexed questions of the best methods 
of cultivation to bo followed in a given case. 
The system of cultivation that might be successfully 
worked on B would not answer on C : the whole 
treatment required is different, abo the manures. So 
far X have meatioued, ns coffee inauutea, cattle muck 
