RECENT FACTS. 435 



per bushel, $15,000 ; 500 tons of bones, at $35 per ton, $17,500 ; 120 tons 

 of superpbosDhate, at 850 per ton, 86,C0O ; 1,000 tons of salt bay, at 810 

 per ton, 810,000 ; 5,000 loads of sea-weed, at 81 per load, 85,000. Total, 

 853,500, all used by small farmers, and to a considerable extent for the 

 onion-crop. As mucb manure is made on the farm as is possible, and fisb- 

 guano is bttle used. Onions are tbe principal crop, the yearly amount 

 raised in tbe town ranging from 300,000 to 400,000 bushels, with an av- 

 erage of 500 bushels per acre. Price in 1871, 60 cents per bushel ; be- 

 fore that, 82 per bushel on an average. 



Commercial fertilizers in Germany. — An agricultural student at Ber- 

 lin, writing at the close of 1871, says that in Germany fertilizers are 

 sold at prices based on the proportions of their chemical constituents, 

 and are warranted by the dealers to contain certain 'amounts of nitro- 

 gen, soluble phosphoric acid, &c. Buyers are able to test these repre- 

 sentations by recourse to some one of the chemical laboratories which are 

 established by government, or by private enterprise. Taking the aver- 

 age of eight standard German fertilizers and comparing them with av- 

 erages of seven popular American fertilizers, chiefly superphosphates, it 

 is found that the former contain 50 per cent, more nitrogen than the 

 American fertilizers, and nearly three times as much soluble phosphoric 

 acid, while in the Ameiican articles a given amount of fertilizing mate- 

 rial costs 60 to 65 per cent, more than in the German, not taking into 

 account the generally superior mechanical preparation of the latter. As 

 regarding two elements of cost, capital can be had about as easily at 4 

 to 5 per cent, in Germany as at 6 or 7 per cent, in Connecticut and iSTew 

 York ; but the difference in wages of labor is greater. 



Imperfect 2)ulverization. — The editor of the Southern Cultivator com- 

 plains of the quality of the acid phosphates placed on the southern mar- 

 ket. He states that the numerous samples which he had examined 

 were made from Charleston phosphate so coarselj' ground that the sul- 

 phuric acid applied had not been able to permeate the material. The 

 consequence was that only ii very small proportion of the ''fertilizer" 

 had been brought into a soluble condition. 



Eegulating sales of fertilizers. — The legislature of New Hampshire has 

 l^assed a law regulating the sales of fertilizers, requiring that all pack- 

 ages be accompanied by certificates giving date of manufacture and per- 

 centages of ammonia and other constituents. In case of false certifica- 

 tion a fine of 8500 is imposed, and for sale without license, a fine of 8200. 



Chemical analysis of fertilizers. — At a recent meeting of the Queen's 

 County (Ireland) Agricultural Society, Dr. Cameron stated that he had 

 been consulting chemist to the society for the last nine years, during 

 which time there had been a great change for the better in the charac- 

 ter of fertilizers sold, and this change was justly attributable to the ef- 

 forts of the society. The mischief which might result from a want of 

 such organized watchfulness over the trade in fertilizers was exampled 

 in the west of Ireland in 1871, where whole districts were laid waste, ow- 

 ing to the farmers having been misled into buying spurious guano at 

 £15 to £17 per ton, which was not worth more than £4 per ton. In 

 hundreds of cases the potatoes grown on this stuff did not reach the 

 size of gooseberries, and the turnips sown with it grew no larger than 

 apples. 



Chemical mamires in Great Britain. — It is estimated that about 500,000 

 tons of chemical manures are annually produced in the United King- 

 dom of Great Britain. 



Bone-mills established hy co-operation. — In England many of the large 

 farmers take part in the establishment of bone-mills, whither they send 



