624 
THE TROPICAL W3PRTOOLTUR18T, 
[March ii 1892. 
— — — — 
AfR. JOHN HUGHES ON “THE 
AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF SHODDY.” 
When we first heard that a manure manfaotured 
from old rage was to be applied on the well-known 
Mariawatte estate, we were under the impression 
that the use of such a manure as a fertilizer had 
been at that date oomparativel;, if not entirely, 
unknown to English agrioulturists. Mr. Hughes 
had, as we were then told, noticed the effeot of 
the applioation of old rags to the olive trees of 
Southern Italy ; and we bad conceived that it was 
upon his attention being directed to the beneficial 
results of such manuring that be had entertained 
the idea of making essay with a manure of a 
similar nature to the tea estates of this island. 
We were subsequently informed, through a conver- 
sation had by our London correspondent, with Mr. 
Hughes, that a fertilizer of the character referred 
to was manufactured and used at home, but we had 
no idea that it bad received such extended and 
lengthy applioation as we now learn from Mr. 
Hughes'^ letter to the Field it has had. This 
application appears to have commenced some twenty 
years back ; and it is singular that, if it be 
poesessed of the merit claimed for it by the Con- 
sulting Chemist to our Rlanters’ Association, it 
has not long before this been tried in Ueylon. 
So far as we have learned, the results to the 
manure which has been applied on the Mariawatte 
estate have not yet been sufficiently developed for 
an opinion to be given as to the value it may 
possess lor our leading local industry. Mr. Hughes 
has, however, explained that oue of the most 
valuable characteristics of the manure is the 
slowness with which it yields up its constituents, 
and be has expressed the belief that in the course 
of time its relative value as oompared with the 
other fertilsers our tea planters are in the 
habit of using wilt become manifest. II his 
opinion to this effect may be relied upon — and we 
know no expert in such matters upon whose views 
we should be inclined to place mors reliance — 
the letter he has written upon the subject will be 
of great interest and value. Mr. Hughes applies 
the term “ shoddy "—one of American origin, 
we believe,— to all kinds of woolen waste generally. 
This waste may be said to include the cuttings of 
the tailoring trade, old rags used by mechanics, 
and a countless number of other varieties pro- 
duced in different trades. The ingredients of such 
waste which appear, according to Mr. Hughes' letter, 
to be possessed of chief value as fertilisers are 
nitrogen and ammonia. Upon the quantity of those 
constituents in the manure depends its economic 
and financial value, and we see that samples which 
contain 8-85 per cent of ammonia are valued at 
£3 69 -Id per ton, the quantities and value de- 
creasing through a series of twelve samples until 
the lowest stage is reached in which there was 
present but 3-13 per cent of ammonia with a 
decreased value of £1 3 b 5d per ton only. These 
figures show how imperative it must ho, before 
reliance can be placed upon the manure purchased, 
that it should be subjeeted to close analysis and 
valuation by an expert. Mr. Hugbos writes that 
it is owing to the variableness of the quality of 
this shoddy manure that its use in Kent, where 
its has been applied for many years past to the 
bop vines, has of late coosidersbly fallen off. He 
refers in bis letter under notice to the experi- 
ment made on Mariawatte, writing as to this ; — 
“ Quite recently, in Ceylon, shoddy (manufactured 
into a fine powder by treatment with sulphuric 
acid) has been tried as a manure for the tea 
plantations ; and (or these, bearing in mind its 
riobneea in organic nitrogen — it promises to prove 
an excellent fertilizer, if only it be properly 
applied and of good quality." We recollect that 
with reference to the sample applied on Mariawatte 
Mr. Hughes stated some time back to our London 
correspondent that unfortunately its shipment had 
been made without opportunity having been 
afforded (or his making analysis to satisfy himself 
as to this item of quality upon which he places 
BO much stress. It is possible, therefore, that the 
at all events deferred success on that estate may 
have been due to some inferiority in manufacture ; 
and as two swallows do not make a summer we 
should be disinclined to accept an incomplete 
result to the sole trial it has received by our 
planters to denote that it has failed as a valuable 
fertilizer for tea. We are quite sure that Mr. 
Hughes would not accept such a conclusion ; 
and from all he has written on the subject it 
would seem to be certain that this shoddy manure 
might well receive a further trial on our tea 
estates, care being taken that the supply to be 
ordered should be subject to the result of analysis 
of samples taken after the stuff has been placed 
on board ship. We should much like to hear 
from the proprietors of Mariawatte what opinion 
they have now formed as to the result of the trial 
given by them to this manure. We have such 
confidence in Mr. Hughes’ judgment, that we (eel 
sure be would not have written so strongly as he 
has done in its favour unless he felt himself to be 
fully justified in doing so. 
PLANTING IN NCTHERLANDS INDIA. 
(Fiom the SiraiU Times, Jan. IStb ) 
In Java, there is hitherto no Labour Ordinance to 
regulate the relations between planters and coolies 
though there are euHctments of tho kind in the out- 
lying posaessions. The Home Government thinks that 
such laws era only required in those parts of Netber- 
landa India, where planters depend on imported 
labour. As pbinters in Javadu not carry on businesa 
with labourers fru-u foreign lands, there is, so it is 
hold, no need to ••■■gulato by law the relslioua between 
lliem and their cnulioi. Java planters find this hard 
as sometimes I . ,ourers reernited from dLtant parts 
of the island desert, and the only remedy against the 
evil is an action at law for the recovery ot advances 
that happen to he made to them at tho time of 
desertion. Of late years, planters in the thinly peopled 
disti'icts of Java find aijoth“r hindrance in their way 
arising out of difficulties in drawing labourers 
from populous trsc's there, as they have to con- 
tend ugaiiist foreign competition in the Java 
labour market. Tliere are enactments going 
against the recruitment of Javanese for estate 
hbour beyond tho Dutch Indies, but applications 
for exemption from this prohibition generally meet 
with a favourable answer I'rum Quverumeut. In this 
way large numbers of Javauese have latterly been 
reernited for labour in German New Guinea, the 
Malay Puainsuls, tho Straits Settlements, Aus- 
tralia, and Dutch Guiana. In 1890, the Govern- 
ment was petitioned by the planting interest 
ill Java to pass a Labour Ordionnee there and 
also to forbid the engagement of ocolies in Java for 
labour abroad, so long as their aorvioesaro required 
in the Netherlands Indies, but the Government replied 
in the m gativo. The plaiitcra have uot given it up yet 
and keep bringing the subject before the public. To 
strengthen their position, ti oy dwell upon the alleged 
foot that in British Nun b Borneo there are thousands 
of Juvaiicne who have never got permission to emigrate, 
and that these ooelics die there in hundreds. Un 
behalf of the planters, it is also alleged that while, so 
1 much work is made to counteract slavery in Africa, a 
! regnlar, though an underhand coolie slave market 
exists at Singapore. The latter assertion baa been 
made on behalf of the Planters' Association at 
Snkabnmie, which cvidentlly seeks to lay pariiciilar 
stress on restriotiug coolie emg ration from .lava. 
