I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 387 



products rich in that element ; that nitrogenous fertilizers are 

 of the highest importance for this purpose ; and that the 

 presence of nitrogen in the manure, as an ammonia com- 

 pound, is more favorable to the formation of morphine than 

 as a nitrate. 28 (7, January, 1873, 18. 



FISH GUANO. 



A sample of Norway fish guano, from Meinert, in Leipsic, 

 was found to have the following percentage of composition : 

 Moisture, 9.85 ; mineral matter, 32.73 ; organic matter, 57.42 ; 

 the amount of phosphoric acid being 13.30, and of nitrogen, 

 8.48. At about seven cents per pound for phosphoric acid, the 

 price of nitrogen is entirely too high higher than in fertil- 

 izers which contain it in the form of ammonia salts. 8 C, Sep- 

 tember 1^,\%1 2. 



EXPERIMENTS ON A SUBSTITUTE FOR iERUVIAN GUANO. 



In experiments made by Professor Jorgensen with phos- 

 phate of lime (Baker guano), soda, potash, sulphates of mag- 

 nesia, lime, and ammonia, and stable manure, in diflferent com- 

 binations, it was found that, with barley, the best results were 

 obtained by the simultaneous application of sulphate of am- 

 monia, phosphate of lime, the alkalies, and sulphates of lime 

 and magnesia. About the same followed the use of stable 

 manure. The preparations of sulphate of ammonia and phos- 

 phate of lime came next, the nitrogenous matter seeming to 

 assist in the solution of the mineral ingredients of the soil. 

 The results Avith other combinations were no better than on 

 unmanured portions. The average results were very good, 

 as the soil was naturally a good one, had been well manured 

 in previous years, was thoroughly drained, and kept clean, 

 and it was only in the last years of the experiments that the 

 above differences manifested themselves. In one particularly 

 dry season, the portion treated with stable manure was most 

 productive, and the unmanured portion next indicating that 

 in dry seasons concentrated artificial fertilizers had an inju- 

 rious rather than a beneficial effect. Stable manure, on the 

 contrary, seemed not only to generate moisture in its decom- 

 position, but also to attract moisture from the atmosphere. 

 With beans, the second best crop was obtained by the use 

 of alkalies alone, or combined with other manures. The gen- 



