HORTICULTURAL SOILS. 
73 
produce the greatest fertility, and the practical value of the 
results is the fact that, knowing the substances directly assimil¬ 
able by plants and the character of the soil to be cultivated, 
the horticulturist may, by means of applying the elements that 
are wanting, obtain the conditions best suited to his particular 
cultures. 
Jadoo Fibre. 
Most horticulturists have heard of “ Jadoo fibre,” and 
although it is not a soil, yet, as it is recommended to take the 
place of mould in gardening practice, I have thought it desirable 
to bring the subject before you. 
We have seen that the surface soil of a prairie, a forest, or a 
permanent pasture is exceedingly rich in organic matter, and 
that the inherent fertility of the soil may be very accurately 
gauged by estimating the amount of such organic matter, and of 
the quantity of nitrogen contained in it. It is the surface soil 
of a very rich prairie that the Jadoo fibre most nearly resembles. 
Colonel Halford Thompson, the inventor of the Jadoo pro¬ 
cess, says the material consists of peat-moss, to which soot, bone- 
meal, and gypsum, with a small quantity of phosphoric acid and 
potash, have been added. These ingredients are boiled together, 
and undergo a process which Col. Thompson calls “ fermentation,” 
and he says that the whole essence of the success of Jadoo fibre 
for plant-culture lies in the amalgamation by this “ fermentation ” 
of the various plant-food ingredients. 
When Colonel Thompson understood that I was preparing 
the present Lecture he very kindly supplied me with a quantity 
of the fibre for analysis and experiment. Table Y. shows the 
composition by a partial analysis of the substance. 
TABLE V.— Jadoo Fibre. Its Chemical Composition. 
Organic matter (water-free) .... 21*75 per cent. 
Moisture. 78*25 „ 
Total . 100*000 
In fresh In dry 
Per cent. Per cent. 
Mineral matter (ash) .... 2*70 12*41 
Nitrogen. 0*27 0*96 
These results show that Jadoo fibre contains 21f per cent, 
of organic matter, with 78J per cent, of moisture. The mineral 
