34 PROCEEDIXGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



It is somewhat comforting to turn from this statement to another of a very different 

 kind. Here is a statement of the manures bought by the Kelso Association, which I 

 understand, is the oldest Analytical Association in Scotland : — 



Bone Meal, .... 



,, .... 



Dissolved Bones, . 



,, ... 



,, ... 



Superphosphate, . 



)> ... 



,, ... 



,, ... 



Peruvian Guano, . 



,, ... 



Ichaboe Guano, . 

 Fish Guano, 



Turnip Manure, . 



Special Manure, . 



,, ... 



Average, . 



In almost every case the manures have been bought at less than their value, the 

 average increase of value over price being 12s. per ton. 



The members of this association, from long experience, seem to know well both what 

 to buy and how to buy, and the excellence of their purchases shows that such associa- 

 tions are capable of doing a great deal of good, and the progress they have made in the 

 art of buying manures should be an encouragement to all younger associations. 



It will naturally be asked, why it is that special maniires are frequently sold at such 

 exorbitant prices? I have examined their analyses, but have looked in vain for any- 

 thing in them to explain their dearness. Their composition is very various, and even 

 among manures sold under the same name the greatest diversity is found to exist. 



Wlien merchants advertise manures as specially adapted for certain crops, one is 

 naturally led to look for some special characteristics entitling them to their name. In 

 the case of turnip manures, for instance, I find that they may contain ujDw^rds of 20 

 per cent, soluble phosphates, or they may contain less than 2 per cent. ; of insoluble 

 phosphate they may contain a little over 3 per cent, or a little over 30 per cent. ; of 

 ammonia, the amount may be anywhere between 1 and 6 per cent. ; and as regards 

 potash, opinions seem equally divided as to whether there should be any at all ; — ^those 

 that contain potash have it in amounts ranging from | per cent, up to about 7| per cent. 



Potato manures have from 12 to 24 per cent, soluble phosphate, and as regards their 

 other constituents, they show even greater variations than turnip manures ; while the 

 other special manures variously named have various compositions, but very similar 

 to what may be found among turnip and potato manures. One is apt to conclude, from 

 a consideration of these analyses, that if manure is made to contain a little of every- 

 thing, you may call it what you like. If it is called " dissolved bones," you may get 

 it for £7 per ton ; if it is called " turnip manure," you may pay £8 per ton for it ; 

 while if it is called " potato manure," you will probably require to pay £9 per ton for 

 it, or i)erhaps a little more. The chief difference seems to lie in the name, and the 

 name commands the price. 



I have compared the turnip manures supplied to various districts, to see whether the 

 differences in their composition could be explained by the different soil requirements of 

 one district from those of another, but I find that the tuinip manures supplied to one 

 district differ as widely among themselves as they do from those supplied to districts 

 far remote from it. It is possible that such differences may be no greater than the 

 differences of soil requirement in the same district, and from the small number of 

 analyses before us this year, one is not entitled to make any general statement on that 

 subject. 



If I found one district preferring one kind of turnip manure, and another preferring 

 another, and if I were assured that these preferences" were directed by the results of 

 accurate manurial experiments conducted in each district, it would be an exceedingly 

 gratifying circumstance, for it would be a proof of high intelligence and great progress 

 among our farmers. Undoubtedly turnip manures ought to differ considerably accord- 

 ing to the soil and climate of the district where they are applied. To make a general 

 formula of a manure for the turnip crop or for any other crop, such as we find in books 

 upon artificial manures, and to recommend it for universal application, shows a great 

 want of rudimentary education in the science of manuring. But the great differences 



