VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 45 



ture in this particular can scarcely be measured in dollars and 

 cents. Not only is the present supply of this important plant 

 food, represented by phosphate deposits, secured, but our sup- 

 ply for the future for an indefinite period is assured. 



In the same line immense progress has been made in the 

 conversion of waste materials for fertilization purposes. 

 Thirty years ago the value of cottonseed was almost unknown, 

 and quite so for fertilizing uses. To-day by reason of chemi- 

 cal research, every ton of cottonseed cake after the expression 

 of the oil, is worth from fifteen to twenty dollars for fertiliz- 

 ing purposes alone. 



In like manner the utilization of the waste products of 

 the slaughter house have resulted in the greatest benefit to 

 agriculture. The bones, blood and refuse material of all 

 kinds, with the exception of the oil, (which has no fertilizing 

 value) are now carefully preserved and prepared for utiliza- 

 tion on the fields. 



In this way not only is phosphatic plant food secured, but 

 also that much more important one, nitrogenous plant food. 

 The development and utilization of the potash mines of 

 Germany have been practically all accomplished during the 

 period mentioned. Unfortunately the only source of potash 

 now known for commercial purpose as a fertilizer is the Ger- 

 man deposits. While geological conditions would lead us to 

 expect similar deposits in this country, they have not yet 

 been discovered. Fortunately the German deposits are of 

 such magnitude as to give ample assurance even in the far 

 distant future, that the supply of potash will be sufficient to 

 restore the unavoidable losses which takes place, even with 

 the most careful cultivation. 



Another line in which great progress has been made in 

 the last thirty years has been the discovery and study of the 

 ferments which exist in the soil, through which organic nitro- 

 genous materials are converted into forms suitable for plant 

 food and whereby the free nitrogen of the air is assimilated 

 and prepared for further economical uses. We now know 

 with dehniteness the various steps which are accomplished in 

 the destruction of organic nitrogenous matter in the soil, and 

 and the conversion of the nitrogen therein contained into nitric 

 acid, the assimilation of the nitric acid by the plant and its 

 evolution into new organic forms, composing some of the 

 most important organs of the plant, suitable in turn for the 

 nutrition of animals. The progress which has been made in 

 this direction alone, if chemistry had done nothing else for 

 agriculture, would be a crowning glory for chemical science. 



In the manner of scientific and economical feeding of ani- 

 mals, chemistry has done much to 'promote the science of 



