FERTILIZERS. 833 



The author concludes from his study that oue of the most marked 

 and important properties of this material is its power of inducing- bene- 

 ficial fermentations in manure and in the soil. 



Sea-weed as manure, J. Hendrick {Ayr. Students' Gaz., n. ser., 9 

 (1898), -ZVo. 2, pp. 41-49). — The author reports analyses and discusses 

 the fertilizing value of 3 samples of cut weed, or shore weed, including 

 2 of Fueus nodosus and 1 of F. vesiculosus ; 1 sample of F. ceranoides, 

 which grows in brackish or almost fresh water, and 3 samples of drift 

 weed, including 1 of mixed seaweed, 2 of Laminaria digitata (stalk and 

 blade), 1 of L. saccharina, and 1 of Alaria esculenta. The author con- 

 cludes that, weight for weight, seaweed is about equal in value to barn- 

 yard manure, but differs from the latter in its higher content of potash 

 and lower content of phosphoric acid. It is also claimed that seaweed 

 must undergo decay before its nitrogen (rarely less than 0.5 per cent) 

 is available for plants or even ready for nitrification. The potash in 

 seaweed is in a very available form. If fresh living seaweed is placed 

 in fresh water "a large part of its potash will diffuse out into the water 

 as soluble potash salts, chiefly chlorid, in a few hours." 



The black phosphates of the Pyrenees, D. Levat (Compt. Bend. 

 Acad. Sci. Paris, 127 (1898), No. 21, pp. 834-836; abs. in Rev. Sci. [Paris], 

 4. ser., 10 (1898), No. 23, p. 726). — Extensive deposits of a phosphate 

 having the appearance of anthracite have recently been discovered in 

 the Pyrenees. This deposit lies between strata of marble or limestone 

 and schist. The richer portion of the deposit contains numerous hard 

 brilliant black nodules which contain from G5 to 75 per cent of tricalcium 

 phosphate. The gangue surrounding the nodules is also phosphatic. 

 The phosphate contains a considerable amount of organic matter yield- 

 ing from 3 to 5 kg. of organic nitrogen per ton. The bed is from 8 to 

 10 meters thick. 



Report of analyses of commercial fertilizers for the spring of 

 1898, L. L. Van Slyke (New York State Sta. Bui. 145, pp. 49-149). — 

 This bulletin contains notes on the valuation of fertilizers, suggestions 

 regarding purchase of fertilizing materials, a list of manufacturers com- 

 plying with the requirements of the State fertilizer law, an explanation 

 of terms used in stating results of analyses, and tabulated analyses of 

 1,183 samples of commercial fertilizers, representing 73!) different brands 

 collected by the station during the spring of 1898. Of the 739 brands 

 examined 578 were complete fertilizers. "Of the others 55 contained 

 phosphoric acid and potash without nitrogen, 47 contained nitrogen 

 and phosphoric acid without potash, 8 contained nitrogen only, 44 con- 

 tained phosphoric acid alone, and 7 contained potash salts only." In 

 the complete fertilizers the nitrogen varied from 0.12 to 8.21 per cent, 

 averaging 2.2 per cent. The available phosphoric acid varied from 

 3.69 to 14.28 per cent, averaging 8.65 per cent. The potash varied 

 from 0.22 to 15.22 per cent, averaging 4.91 per cent. The average 

 amounts of nitrogen, available phosphoric acid, and potash exceeded 

 the guaranteed average by 0.14, 1. and 0.24 per cent, respectively. 



