230 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



548 samples of fertilizing materials, classified as follows : (1) Raw mate- 

 rials containing- nitrogen as the principal ingredient— nitrate of soda, 

 sulphate of ammonia, dried blood, cotton-seed meal, linseed meal, castor 

 pomace, horn, and hoof; (2) raw materials containing phosphoric acid 

 as the principal ingredient — dissolved boneblack and acid phosphate; 

 (3) raw materials containing potash as the principal ingredient — high- 

 grade sulphate of potash, double sulphate of potassium and magnesium, 

 muriate of potash, kainit, and soap boilers' "potash"; (4) raw materials 

 containing nitrogen and phosphoric acid — bone manures, tankage, and 

 dried fish ; (5) mixed fertilizers— bone and potash, nitrogenous super- 

 phosphates, guanos, special manures, bone and wood ash fertilizer, and 

 home mixtures; (6) miscellaneous fertilizers and manures — cotton-hull 

 ashes, wood ashes, limekiln ashes, lime, tobacco stems, garbage ferti- 

 lizer, and earth impregnated with sewage. 



In the 13 samples of nitrate of soda examined, the percentage of 

 nitrogen varied from 15.02 to 16.27, the cost per pound of nitrogen from 

 13.7 to 15.G cts. with an average of 14.6 cts. The cost per pound of 

 nitrogen in 'A samples of sulphate of ammonia was 14.4 cts. " Sulphate 

 of ammonia, which of late years has been too costly to warrant its use 

 as a fertilizer, is not now more expensive than nitrate of soda as a 

 source of nitrogen." 



In 65 samples of decorticated cotton-seed meal examined during the 

 year the percentage of nitrogen varied from 6.92 to 8.02, averaging 7.4. 

 The average cost per j>ound of nitrogen in these samples was 11.6 cts. 

 In one sample of undecorticated cotton-seed meal examined the per- 

 centage of nitrogen was 4.48 and its cost per pound 1*6.4 cts. "Decor- 

 ticated cotton-seed meal continues to be the cheapest source of quickly 

 available organic nitrogen. Its use is becoming more general in the 

 tobacco growing sections of this State, but it deserves the attention of 

 farmers generally." 



The percentages of nitrogen in 2 samples of castor pomace were 4.51 

 and 4.02, and the cost per pound of nitrogen 18.5 and 21.1 cts., thus 

 showing this fertilizer to be "the most expensive form of organic nitro- 

 gen in our market." 



Analyses of 7 samples of dissolved boneblack showed a variation in 

 cost per pound of available phosphoric acid of from 5.0 to 6.8 cts., and 

 in 6 samples of dissolved rock phosphate of from 4.4 to 8 cts. "Avail- 

 able phosphoric acid almost invariably costs more in the form of dis- 

 solved boneblack than in the form of dissolved rock phosphate," the 

 average price per pound in the former case being about 6£ cts., in 

 the latter 5 cts. 



The average cost per ton of the bone manures examined during the 

 year was $20.61; the average station valuation, $28.03, "showing that 

 the station schedule of values for bone has been scarcely lower than is 

 justified by the average selling price of bone." 



