Abstract
THIS interesting and valuable paper opens with an historical survey of the question: “Is the soil of Japan generally fertile?” The observations of former travellers and the evidence of recent investigators are used in order to show how far the productiveness of Japanese soils is due to natural fertility, and how far to artificial condition, using these terms in the agricultural senses usually attached to them in England. Prof. Kinch has collected some analyses of Japanese rocks made by various authorities, and has supplemented them by analyses of nine soils. The results, so far as nitrogen and immediately available phosphoric acid and potash are concerned, do not point to any high degree of natural fertility. Passing from the soil-question to that of manures, he gives analyses of fossil shells and of various vegetable ashes employed for enriching the land. An examination of crude nitre yielded 56.5 per cent, of pure potassium nitrate. The Japanese use certain leguminous plants for green manuring; they also employ as manure the cakes of oil-seeds, malt dust from rice, millet, and barley, the residues from the manufacture of rice-beer and soy, and the “cleanings” of rice-grain. Analyses of these materials have been made by Mr. Kinch. A waste product obtained in the manufacture of indigo was found to contain about 3 per cent, of potash, 5.75 per cent, of phosphorus pentoxide, and nitrogen equal to 1.70 per cent, of ammonia.
Contributions to the Agricultural Chemistry of Japan.
By Prof. E. Kinch. (Trans. Asiatic Soc. of Japan, 1880.)
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C., A. Contributions to the Agricultural Chemistry of Japan . Nature 23, 456 (1881). https://doi.org/10.1038/023456a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023456a0