FERTILIZERS. 129 



and tubulated analyses and valuations of 459 samples of fertilizing 

 materials, including- nitrate of soda, dried blood, cotton-seed meal, cas- 

 tor pomace, dry ground fish, tankage, bone, dissolyed boneblack, dis- 

 solved rock phosphate, sulphate of potash, sulphate of potash and 

 magnesia, muriate of potash, kainit, cotton-hull ashes, wood ashes, and 

 home-mixed and factory-mixed compound fertilizers. 



In 8 samples of nitrate of soda examined the nitrogen ranged from 

 15.52 to 16 per cent. The cost of the nitrogen per pound varied from 

 12.6 to 14.5 cts., averaging 13.9 cts., "a fraction of a cent higher than 

 in the previous year." The 1 sample of dried blood examined con- 

 tained 13.68 per cent of nitrogen, the nitrogen costing 13.1 cts, per 

 pound. In 32 samples of cotton-seed meal the percentage of nitrogen 

 ranged from 6.72 to 7.63, averaging 7.14, and the price per pound of 

 nitrogen from 11.9 to 14.6 cts., averaging 12.9 cts., "nearly a cent 

 and a half per pound more than last year, but still the cheapest form 

 of quickly available organic nitrogen in our market." Seven samples 

 of castor pomace were examined. In these the percentage of nitrogen 

 ranged from 5 to 6.19, and the price per pound of nitrogen from 13.5 

 to 16.3 cts. This "is the most expensive form of organic nitrogen in 

 the market." 



The cost of available phosphoric acid in the 5 samples of dissolyed 

 boneblack analyzed ranged from 5.9 to 7 cts. per pound, averaging 

 6.58 cts. In 8 samples of dissolved rock phosphate the cost of avail- 

 able phosphoric acid ranged from 3.7 to 6.1 cts. per pound, the average 

 being 4.6 cts. 



The cost of potash in 2 samples of high-grade sulphate was about 5 

 cts. per pound. In 3 samples of low-grade or double sulphate of pot- 

 ash and magnesia the cost ranged from 5.2 to 5.9 cts. per pound. "In 

 7 samples of muriate of potash the cost per pound of potash ranged 

 from 3.8 to 4.9 cts., and averaged 4.2 cts., this being the cheapest 

 source of water-soluble potash in the market. The cost of potash in 

 the 1 sample of kainit examined was 5.1 cts. per pound." 



"Of the 117 analyses of nitrogenous superphosphates, 18 were below the manu- 

 facturer's minimum guarantee in respect of 1 ingredient and 10 in respect of 2 ingre- 

 dients. Nearly one-fourth of the whole number therefore failed in some respect to 

 come up to the claims of the manufacturer. It should be said, however, that a defi- 

 ciency of 1 ingredient was sometimes attended with a marked excess of another. . . . 

 The average cost of the nitrogenous superphosphates was 129.54; the average valu- 

 ation was $19.55, and the percentage difference 51.1. . . . 



"Of the 108 samples [of special manures] analyzed, 21 did not fulfill the manufac- 

 turer's minimum guarantee in respect of 1 ingredient, and 9 were each deficient in 

 respect of 2 ingredients. Six were deficient in nitrogen, 24 in potash, and 9 in phos- 

 phoric acid. The average cost per ton of the 108 samples examined was 5'32.64, the 

 valuation $21.76, and the percentage difference 50. . . . 



" The average cost of the bone manures [31 samples] was $29.84 per ton; the aver- 

 age valuation, $22.36; showing that the station valuation was lower than was justified 

 by the average selling price of ground raw bone in Connecticut. It must, however, 



