October t, 1891 . 1 
THr TFtOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Hi 
With other proditco the same eouree should be pursued. 
In this way it would be Seen what demand the plant 
makes on the soil for available food at different periods 
of the year. 
Having decided that a manure is required and what 
it is to be. the queitinn is how to supply the estate 
wiihitat I he least cost in the most suitable form. All 
manures vary greatly in quality; a merchant guarantees 
the bones or other manure supplied as pure, but the 
quality of pure bones and other manures of undoubted 
purity are of very difforeut mannrial value. The follow- 
ing analyses show how widely pure bones vary in 
quality: — 
cake and of its ash the following analyses may be of 
interest ; — 
Castor cake 
parts per 100. 
Moisture ... ... ... .. 0'71 
Oil ... .. ... ... 10 03 
Albuminous Compound 
Mucilage gum &c. 
Woody Fibre... 
Soluble Ash.. 
Insoluble matter, sand, &o. 
.. 30-29 
... 19T)4 
... 27-34 
... 510 
10000 
Analyst. 
Phosphates 
Ammonia 
Alkaline Salts 
Macadam. 
Highest. Lowest, 
per cent per cent 
57-08 4472 
5-23 3-34 
-85 -32 
Sibson. 
Highest. Lowest, 
per cent per cent 
48-14 4495 
1-91 -63 
Analyst. Hughes. 
Highest Lowest, 
per cent per cent 
Phosphates 54-03 39 40 
Ammonia 4 48 3-01 
Alkaline Salts — — 
Pringle.' 
Highest. Lowest, 
per cent per cent 
62-25 43 -77 
5-09 3-25 
2-02 -50 
Sibson unfortunately does not give the ammonia, 
and Hughes unfortunately does give the oarbouic acid 
with the alkaline salts which prevents comparison, but 
on page 107 of his report on " Ceylou ooffeo soils and 
manures ” the eomposiliou of Indian bone dust is 
assumed to be 
. per cent. 
Nitrogen 3 5 Equal to Ammonia 4-25 
Pho-‘poric acid 24 „ „ Phosphates 52-32 
Potash 1 
Here then in pm-o hones or what is sold as such 
we have Phosphates (i. «. Trioaloic phosphate) 
from 39 40 per cent up to 57-03 per cent aud 
the Ammonia from 3-01 percent up to 6-23 per cent. 
The alkaline salts found in bones are generally 
assumed to be magnesia and seda, hut in some samples 
a notable quantity of potash is found, whether it is 
derived from tho food of the animal or from acoid- 
ontal mixture with ashes I am not able to say. Tho 
Agricultural Societies of Britain generally fix selling 
price units for the seston and manures are valued on 
them ; for Southern India and Ceylon the units might 
be fixed by the Planting Associations and the Chambers 
of Commerce. 
For the present I will take bones and oil cake as 
the standards for phoaphati s ond nitrogen. It is 
necessary in the first place to decide what constitute.s a 
fair marketable quality of bones and Hiudy j.e.oilcake. 
In England the manure manufacturers generally buy 
bones on a basis of 48 per cent phosphates (i.e. Tri- 
oalcic phospbato) and 4 per cent ammonia. Numer- 
ous analyses show this to bo a fair average. 
, For valuing bones the alkaline salts are not con- 
sidered, onl^ the phosphates and ammonia being paid 
for. Assuming the price per ton for bone flour of 
that quality to be E60 in Bangalore, Colombo and tho 
West coast, we ran estimate the value of other 
inarmres in comparison with it. Castor hindy may 
safely be asiumod to contain 6 per cent of ammonia 
and Costs say R36 per ton; tho ash though very 
Valuable as plant food is not valued, as it generally 
corresponds to tho per cent of ammonia. We thus 
get the value of six ton units of ammonia in oil cako 
Thirty-six rupees or rupios six per unit per ton ; 
™at iu raw. bone flour is worth as much per unit, 
pt'duoting the value of four units of ammonia E24 
from the total price of the flour we get K36 as the 
value of 48 units of phosphates or three-f.'iirlhs of a 
rupee per unit per ton for phosphates. The Homo 
pnee is about one sbillieg aud ninopenoe for phos- 
phates and eleven to twelve shillings for ammonia. 
I 0 that these manures hero are cheaper than in Eng- 
laud. As showing the valuable nature of castor | 
Containing Nitrogen ... 
Eqnal to ammonia ... 
Soluble Ash Analyses 
Lime ... ... 
Magnesia ... 
Potash 
Soda ... .. 
Phosphoric Acid 
Snipimrio Acid 
Chlorine... 
6-05 
6-13 
•09 
•67 
1-98 
•76 
1-21 
•24 
•21 
6-16 
20 
132 
21 
1.38 
22 
144 
21 
144 
22 
150 
— 
144 
Analyses of ttie ash of oil cakes are seldom made, 
but the proportion of phosphoric acid worked out to 
phosphat'-s is equal to 2-64 percent, worth very nearly 
R2 per ton, and there is potash 1-98, worth about 
another two rupees. But the 116 paid for each unit 
of ammonia covers that. 
The following are the generally accepted propor- 
tionate values of phosphates and ammonia. 
Phosphates. Ammonia. 
90 per cent pass through screen 
Bonos i inch mesh 
Meal 1/6 „ ,, 
Flour 1/80 „ „ 
Fish wholo (about the size of sprats) 
Meal 1 16 
Oil cako 1,16 
In England the price of ammonia chiefly depends 
ou tho supply of ammonia sulphate, in ludia moat 
probably on oil cake ; a determination of the nitro^ 
gen in it, expressed as ammonia is all that is 
required to determine its value, as the consamer 
knows that from a mmurial point of view, if the 
cake is rich in nitrogen the percentage of, to him, 
valuable ash will be high, and tbo valufess oil low, 
and vice versa. 
Carriage is a most important item to most planters, 
and an oil cake which has over six per cent of am- 
monia is more valnalilo proportionately to them 
on this account than one with less, though both 
are paid for at the same rate per uuil tun. The 
buying of oil cako by analyses is the fairest plan both 
tor planters and manufacturers. For instancs sup- 
pose two coast firms offer oil cake one at E86 with 
6 per cent Ammonia and one at E42 per ton with 
7 per cent delivered on the coast. The npoountry 
planter has we will say ElO per ton to pay for 
carriage, therefore tho prices of tho cakes on his 
estate are respeotiyly R46 for 6 per cent, or H7 and 
66 cents or E7, II) annas aud 8 pica, while the 7 per 
cent costa U52 per ton or E7 and 43 cents or E7 6 annas 
10 picn. Let us snppose the order to bo for 100 tons 
6 per cent or the equivalent in 7 per cent, then the 
bill stands as follows: — 
100 tons 6 per cent at E36 , , . . E3,60O 
Oatriaige at ElO .. .. 1,000 
Cost on tho estate 
E4,(K)0 
Ammonia supplied 6 tons cost per ton .. E766 
Only 85 tons 14 cwt. 1 qr. of 7 per cent are 
required to supply 6 tons Ammonia therefore the cost 
is rooghly 85 tons J4 cwt. 1 qr. at E42 , , R3,0OO 
Oartiago on the above at ElO . , §57 
R4,467 
6 tons Ammonia supplied cost pet ton , , R743 
