TE KUITI PAPA ROOK.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2603, 19 March 1889, Page 3

TE KUITI PAPA ROOK.

A FEW weeks ago we received a parcel of stuff from the neighbourhood of Te Kuiti designated by the sender ns papa rock and asking us to ascertain if it had any manorial value. In describing the locality he mentioned that in moat of the deep cuttings on the Kuiti section and on through the Poro-o-tnrau tunnel this class of rock was met with. \\ hat led him to assume that it had some manurial valuo was due to his having noticed some tufts of red clover {.rowing luxuriantly in places on the sides of some of the deepest cuttings where there was no other mixture of soil from which it could draw nourishment. Being desirous of ascertaining if it had any value as a manure, as the quantities were unlimited and facilities for obtaining were easy by rail, we forwarded samples to Mr Ivey, Director of the School of Agriculture, Lincoln, and now subjoin his courteous letter and Professor Gray's report thereon which, although estimating the stuff at a low manurial value from the small proportion of phosphoric acid it contains, it might, nevertheless, prove of considerable advantage to much of the land in Waikato, which is known to be so deficient in lime : Canterbury College School of Agriculture, Lincoln, New Zealand, 12th Marjh, 18S9.—Dear sir,—l enclose you Mr Gray's analysis of the "stuff" received from you and described in your memorandum of tho 23rd January. You will see that it is of no manurial value beyond, perhaps for, the lime it contains. The value of this, however, would not warrant its being carried to any distance. Mr Giay, seeing it is a niarl, has taken some trouble in ascertaining whether it would be useful for the manufacture of hydraulic cements. You will see what he says in this connection. I shall be glad if this information proves of uso ; we make no charge for work we undertake. —Believe me, yours faithfully, W. E. Ivkt, Director.—George Edgecumbe, Waikato Times, Hamilton. PEUCENTAGE COMPOSITION. percent. Moisture and organic matter ... 7.00 Silica and insoluble; matter ... 09.00 Albuminic oxide ... ... 2-9-Ferrous oxide; ... ... ... 3.81 Calcic carbonate ... ... 20 33 Magnesia ... _ ... ... 283 Phosphoric anliy dride ... ... -GO Loss and undetermined ... ... 337 Total 100.00 The above analysis shews this substance to be a marl, which of itself is not sufficiently rich in lime to make hydraulic cement. It might, however, be useful for mixing with a richer limostone for this purpose, but this can only be ascertained by experiment. As a manure it is of no value from the phosphoric acid it At the same time it might produce beneficial reHults on soils deficient in lime.—Gkokge Gray, F.C.S., Lecturer on Chemistry.— March 12th, 188!).