HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 237 



Tbo following rates of valnatiou were adopted by Professor Goess- 

 maun iu ISTi-'To aud 1875-'7G : 



lfe74-'-5. lS7r)-'7fi. 



Porpouud. Per pound. 



Soluble phosphoric acid IG. 25 cents. 12.5 ceuis. 



Reduced , 13 cents. 10 ceurs. 



Insolnble phosphoric acid iu miueral phosphates 5 cents. 4 ceuts. 



Insoluble i)hosi)horic acid in boues, fish, aud auimal dust 6 cents. 6 cents. 



Nitrogen 30 cents. 25 ceuts. 



Potassium oxide in muriate 8 cents. 6 cents. 



Potassium oxide iu sulphate 8 cents. 8 cents. 



Professor Johnson, in tbe report of the Connecticut station for 1877, 

 says as follows : 



'•The following are the trade-values or cost in market, per pound, of 

 the ordinarily occurring forms of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, 

 as recently found in the New York aud iS^ew England markets : 



Cents per pound. 



Nitrogen in ammonia aud nitrates 24 



Nitrogen in Peruvian guano, line steamed bone, dried and fine-ground blood, 



meat, and fish 20 



Nitrogen in fine-ground bone, horn, and wool dust ■- - 13 



Nitrogen in coarse bone, horn shavings, and fish scrap 15 



Phosphoric acid soluble in water l^i 



Phosphoric acid ' reverted' and in Peruvian guano 9 



PhOiSphoric acid, insoluble, in fine bone and fish guano 7 



Phosphoric acid, insoluble, in coarse bone, bone ash, and bone-black 5 



Phosphoric acid, insoluble, in fine ground rock phosjihate — 3+ 



Potash in high-grade sulphate ---. 9 



Potash in kainit as sulphate 7^ 



Potash in muriate or potassium chloride 9 



" These ' estimated values' are not fixed, but vary with the state of 

 the market, and are from time to time subject to revision. They are not 

 exact to the cent or its fractions, because the same article sells cheaper 

 at commercial or manufacturing centers than in country towns, cheaper 

 in large lots than in small, cheaper for cash than on time. These values 

 are high enough to do no injustice to the dealer, and accurate enough to 

 serve the object of the consumer. * * * The 'estimated values per 

 pound' in the above schedule are similar to those employed by Ur. 

 Goessmanu and Professor At water in their recent reports." 



This method of estimating the commercial values of fertilizers has 

 been long practiced and has its uses, particularly as a forcible means of 

 illustrating frauds, and as the first step iu the process of educating farm- 

 ers and manufacturers. People w^ho are not familiar with chemical 

 terms understand dollars and cents, aud are much more impressed by a 

 fertilizers " analyzing" $30 per ton when the price is 845, than by its 

 containing only six per cent, of soluble phosphoric acid when it ought to 

 have twelve. 



These calculations are, however, open to serious objections, with the 

 rest, because they not only differ very widely from the agricultural 



