FERTILIZERS. 



231 



"The retail cash cost of potash in cents per pound in the various potash salts 

 whose analyses are giveu . . . [was] as follows: 



Retail cash cost per pound of potash in different forms. 



!n high-grade sulphate 



In doable sulphate 



In muriate 



Iu kainit 



Highest. 



Cents. 

 5.5 

 6.0 

 4.5 

 5.4 



Lowest. 



('ruts. 

 4.7 

 4.7 

 3.9 

 4.8 



Average. 



I'i'lltS. 



5. J 

 5.7 

 4.2 

 5.1 



"Of the 101 analyses of nitrogenous superphosphates [reported], 20 are below the 

 manufacturers' minimum guarantee in respect of one ingredient and 2 in respect of 

 two ingredients. The number which failed to come up to the guarantee is considera- 

 bly smaller than in the previous year. The average cost of the nitrogenous superphos- 

 phates is $30.44. The average valuation is $20.71, and the percentage difference 46.9." 



Of the 100 samples of special manures examined 25 failed to con- 

 form to the manufacturers' guarantee as regards one ingredient and 4 

 were delicient in two ingredients. The discrepancies were' specially- 

 marked in cases of mixtures of ground bone and chemicals. 



"These inequalities are due to the nature of the materials used. It is extremely 

 difficult to uniformly mix dry bone — or some kinds of blood tankage — with fertilizer 

 chemicals, and when once mixed the slight jarring incident to storage and transpor- 

 tation is sufficient to cause considerable mechanical separation of the particles of 

 bone or tankage from the chemicals. Even when a small sample has been very finely 

 pulverized for aualysis great care is necessary to avoid this separation of the differ- 

 ent ingredients." 



The average cost per ton of the special manures examined was $34.34, 

 the station valuation $24.28, and the percentage difference 41.4. 



Of 10 samples of home-mixed fertilizers examined, -the average cost 

 per ton was $29.16 (including $2 per ton for mixing), and their average 

 valuation on the basis of the station's schedule was $29.07. 



[In 55 samples of cotton-hull ashes] the highest percentage of potash was 36.45, 

 the lowest 10.26. while the average percentage was 22.4, slightly lower than the aver- 

 age in the previous year (23.1). Allowing 5J, 5, and 2 cts. per pound, respectively, 

 for water soluble, citrate-soluble, and insoluble phosphoric acid, the water-soluble 

 potash has cost from 5.1 to 17.6 cts. per pound, or 7.9 per pound on the average. 



The percentage of potash [in 20 samples of wood ashes] ranged from 3.44 to 8.60, 

 and that of phosphoric acid from 0.97 to 2.69. Lime has ranged from 27.29 to 50.96, 

 and sand and soil from 5.85 to 20.39. . . . As respects the cost of lime in these ashes, 

 we find that on the average a ton of unleached wood ashes this year has contained 

 108 lbs. of water-soluble potash, 24 lbs. of phosphoric acid, and 650 of lime. Allow- 

 ing 5 cts. per pound each for potash and phosphoric acid, the pure lime (calcium 

 oxid) in the 20 samples would cost 57 cts. per 100 lbs., or 10 cts. more per hundred 

 than in limekiln ashes. 



The number of fertilizer firms doing business in Connecticut in 1897 

 was 56; the number of brands offered for sale, 281. There has been 

 no great increase in the number of firms daring 15 years (1883-1897), 

 but a decided increase in the number of brands, mainly of special 

 manures. 



