The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-04-11
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] purpose to refer in what follows.
If q plant in its element, and the
chemist in his laboratory proceeded
in the same, or an analogous way,
to decompose the soil, aud to sepa-
rate from it that which the plant
hungers for, and requires for lis
proper growth, the value of the
chemists analysis of the soil to the
planter would be beyond measure.
Unfortunately, the physical culture
only of even the most valuable
plants has absorbed the attention of
mankind, so that we need not be
surprised that the skill of plants in
such decomposition and separation
is hardly equal to the best methods
of our highly trained chemists, sup
piled with reagents in abundance
and equipped with appliances al
most as wonderful as the means by
which plant draws its sustenance
from the three sources mentioned in
the last preceding paragraph of this
paper. But we need not mourn the
neglect suggested, if we recognise
the fact, that chemists and plants
work in a totally different way-for
the present at least. When chem
lists may be asked, not what proper
tions of phosphate, lime, potash,
etc., particular soil contains, but
what are the active assimilative
agents of such a soil, lin other words,
what proportions of phosphate, etc.,
that plant can absorb, are to be
found IN a specified soil the value of
such an analysis would be great in
deed. For all l know to the con-
trary, that happy day is yet far dis
tant. L do not say that q planter
would he foolish to conclude, when
chemists report on his soil showed
that it possessed considerable per-
centage of those elements that are
the principal food of the sugar
| plant, that large yield of cane
would follow its cultivation, but l
do not hazard much in stating, that
if any one or more of those elements
were combined with other valueless
substances which nature will not
aid the plant to dissolve, the yield
of cane would be too small to evoke
in the breast of the planter, in this
case, Blessing on the chemist tor
services rendered.
AS do not desire that this paper
should possess, if any, only mega
tive value, shall conclude it by
showing what every planter can do
to ascertain what the soil of his
plantation requires TO maintain, and
add to its fertility.
The certain essential elements Of
the soil for the production of any
plant are phosphate, lime, potash
and nitrogen; so that if crop fails
the failure is attributable only to
the scarcity in the soil of some one
ormore of them. In the case of sugar
cane the functions performed by the
first named ingredient. phosphate,
predominates, the functions perform
ed by the other three ingredients
being subordinate to those of the
dominant element. But although
subordinate constituents, potash
and nitrogen are so necessary that il
any one of them is not in the soil,
or not there in proper proportions,
the other constituents would remain
wholly inactive, or be only partially
active, as the case may be. What
poor or exhausted soils require to
produce crops that will recoup the
rent and cost of cultivation, etc., is,
surely, or ought to be, proper
matter of inquiry for every planter
and none the less because the answer
can he obtained from the soil itself.
Let planter take six small sections
of his plantation and plant one OF
them without fertiliser, second
with fertiliser which will posses
Ingredients aforementioned in the
percentages stated:
Nitrogen ......,.....,,.. .2.5O
Phosphoric Acid. ............. rs
Potash. ............... 81
Lime. ........... .ZZ.O
And the remaining sections with 8
fertiliser consisting of different
combination of three only of the
four before stated ingredients of the
fertiliser applied to section two, and
the result of such an experiment
will furnish all the information that
an intelligent man needs to enable
him to determine that, for his future
paintings, he must provide a ferti
User rich in that element whose
absence from the fertiliser deposited
on the section yielding the lightesl
crop, points it out as the element
that must be supplied to the soil be
fore good crops can be obtained
OF course more than one of the es
sential constituents may be only
scantilly found in the soil, in which
case the fertiliser required mus
contain these constituents in ampl,
proportions to make up the def
cheney. But the experiment, if in
diligently made, will reveal to tn
planter what is the actual condition
of the soil of his plantation.
In the island of Guadalupe tn
experiment am recommending wa
made some years ago with the follow
ing result:
Tons Cwts
Section /, manure con-
tatpinrr "a fnnr in.