40 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



market value. Available nitrogen is worth in the market, in small 

 quantities, twenty-five cents a pound. And if you buy a super- 

 phosphate on the wharf in Bangor you pa}' twenty-five cents a pound 

 for every pound of available nitrogen there is in it. If you are 

 cheated in the quality of the superphosphate j'ou may be paying a 

 great deal more than that ; it is worth the price named in the market 

 and you do not often buy things for less than they are worth. 



Phosphoric acid, soluble, that is, available for plant food, is worth 

 twelve and a half cents a pound, — so reckoned at the experiment 

 stations. A pound of potash is reckoned at seven cents a pound. 

 Where potash can be purchased in hard wood ashes at the prevailing 

 price where the\' are for sale in this State, the potash can be secured 

 at a less rate than the price named ; but that is the usual rate placed 

 upon it at the experiment stations. 



The following are the prices of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 



potash in their various forms used by the Massachusetts State 



inspector of fertilizers. Prof. C. A. Goessraan, in his calculation of 



the value of the various brands of fertilizers examined by him 



during the year 1882 : 



Price per lb. in cte. 



Nitrogen, in form of nitric acid 25 



in form of ammonia 26 



in form of dried ground meat and blood, finely pulverized and steamed 

 bones, finely ground fish guano, Peruvian guano, urates, poudrettea 



and artificial guano 24 



in form of finely ground bone and bat guano 22 



in form ol fine ground horn, wool-dust, etc 15 



in form of horn shavings, and woolen rags, human excretions and barn- 

 yard manure, fish scraps, animal refuse matter from glue factories and 



tanneries, etc 12 



Phosphoric acid, soluble in water, as contained in alkaline phosphates and super- 

 phosphates 12.5 



in Peruvian guano and urates 9 



in form of so-called reduced or reverted acid 9 



in precipitated bone phosphate, steamed fine bones, fish guano, accord- 

 ing to size and disintegration, from 6 to 8 



in form of bone black waste, wood ash, Caribbean guano, ground bone 



ash, coarsely ground bones, poudrette, barn-yard manure, etc 4 



in form of finely ground South Carolina and Navassa phosphates 3 



Potassium oxide, in form of muriate of potash or chloride of potassium 5 



in form of sulphate of potassa in natural and artificial kainits 5 



in form of higher grades of sulphates of potassa 7 to 7.5 



So, when you go out and bu}- a superphosphate, you pay at least 

 twenty-five cents a pound for the available nitrogen, twelve and a 



