No 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 711 



There is nothing to indicate that, after acidulation, the available 

 phosphoric acid from bone is at all better for the crop than that from 

 a good rock lime-phosphate. But bo long as the consumer is per- 

 suaded that bone phosphoric acid is worth more for his crop than 

 an equal weight of rock phosphoric acid, just so long will the manu- 

 facturer of fertilizers be able to command a higher price for those 

 reputed to derive their phosphoric acid from bone, and just so 

 long will he, in turn, be obliged to pay more for it on the whole- 

 sale market. Now, in some States, the volume of rock phosphoric 

 acid used is relatively small and the need for its separate valuation 

 not apparent; in other States it predominates to the almost entire 

 exclusion of bone phosphoric acid, to that no distinct valuation for 

 the latter is required; but in Pennsylvania both occupy important 

 positions upon the market and eacti requires its own set of values. 

 Despite the slightly upward tendency of the acid phosphate market, 

 it is thought needless to change the valuations of these constituents 

 at this time, because the average valuations have, under the exist- 

 ing schedule, considerably exceeded the actual selling prices. 



For similar reasons, nitrogen and phosphoric acid in ground bone 

 are valued at lower rates in Pennsylvania than in New England. 

 Owing to the fact that the bone valuations of the past j ear fell dis- 

 tinctly below the selling prices, a slight increase in the valuations 

 of these goods has been made. Tankage is scheduled with bone, 

 though costing less, because it is little sold at retail. 



The schedule for 1901 as a whole is as follows: 



