Soluble versus Insoluble Cane Manures. 
By E, E. H. Francis. 
Introductory Remarks. 
^S|CCORDING to the Official Blue Book an amount 
i»f| of sugar equal to 129,592 hogsheads was ex- 
ported from British Guiana in the year 1883, 
although the actual quantity manufactured is not stated. 
It appears, however, that 79,037 acres of land were 
under cane cultivation, which, at an average of two 
hogsheads per acre, would yield 158,074 hogsheads. 
The exact amount of sugar probably falls between these 
numbers, but for the purpose of this paper the latter 
may be taken as the current production. 
The value of the artificial manures imported during 
the year (15,082-^ tons) was £156,159, which, with 25 
per cent, added for freight, commission &c, represents 
a sum of £195,198, or 24/8 per hogshead of sugar pro- 
duced, paid by planters for artificial manure exclusive 
of lime. Presuming that twelve tons of cane yield 
a hogshead of sugar, it could be easily proved that 
24/8 would be sufficient to purchase in the form of 
artificial manure nearly all the mineral ingredients re- 
quired by that amount of cane ; so that if the manures 
imported properly fulfilled their purpose, the soil need 
contribute scarcely anything towards the maintenance 
of the plant. It is, however, far from certain that the 
large amount of money now being devoted to the pur- 
chase of manure is expended to the greatest advan- 
tage, and there is every reason to believe that a consider- 
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