74 THE CONNECTICUT AGRICULTtRAL 



Kainit has not fallen in price. In December, 1882, it cost at 

 wholesale in New York |8.62 per ton ; it has been as low as $7.47,. 

 but in November last was quoted at $8,75, the highest price of 

 the year. 



Since kainit contains on the average 12^ per cent, of actual 

 potash, the wholesale cost of potash in kainit at $8.75 per ton is 

 $3.50 per 100 pounds. • Its retail price in ton lots in New York 

 and Philadelphia* was, last Spring, $4,52 per 100 pounds, but in 

 this State it has retailed as high as $7.38. 



To recapitulate : Charleston rock has remained steady, bones 

 and bone black have fallen slightly, and oil of vitriol is a shade 

 lower perhaps, but in general we may say that phosphoric acid is 

 not much cheaper this year than last. 



Tankage, red and black blood, azotin, nitrate of soda and sul- 

 phate of ammonia have all fallen very considerably in price. It 

 should be, and will be possible by using care in buying, to get 

 them at a less cost than a year ago. 



Potash as muriate is a little lower this year than last; as kainit 

 it is at present a shade higher. 



Tlie market quotations given above ai-e taken from the " Oil, 

 Paint and Drug Reporter," published in New York, The weekly 

 quotations for each month are averaged, and this average is taken 

 as the quotation for the month. The following explanations will 

 be helpful in the examination of the market quotations, and will 

 also serve to show the basis on which they have been interpreted 

 in this review : 



Phosphate rock, kainit, bone, fish scrap, tankage, and some 

 other articles are quoted and sold by the ton. The seller usually 

 has an analysis of his stock, and purchasers often control this by 

 an analysis at the time of purchase. 



Sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda and muriate of p)otash 

 are quoted and sold by the poiind, and generally their wholesale 

 and retail rates do not differ very widely. 



Blood, azotin and ammonite are quoted at so much "per unit 

 of ammonia." A "unit of ammonia" is one per cent., or 20 

 pounds per ton. To illustrate: if a lot of dried blood has 7.0 

 per cent,, of nitrogen, equivalent to 8.5 per cent, of ammonia, it is 

 said to contain 8| units of ammonia, and if it is quoted at $3.75 

 per unit, a ton of it will cost 8| X 3.75 = $31.88, 



The term "ammonia" is properly used only in those cases 

 where the nitrogen actually exists in the form of ammonia, but it 



* Bulletin XXVII, N. J. Bxp't Station. 



