AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 359 



nculturists; * and lie Las thought it his duty to caution these last, by 

 pointing out to them the means of detecting the mineral phosphates mixed, 

 whether it be with organic matters or with the phosphate of bones, or with 

 the bone black of the refineries. For this purpose he recommends partic- 

 ularly the employment of acetic acid in a boiling state, which attacks and 

 dissolves these last, whilst it leaves the others intact, and the incineration 

 of which yields, with the phosphate of bones or the black of the refineries, 

 white ashes ; whilst the mineral phosphates produce red or brown ashes. 



We shall render to agriculture a still greater service if we discover the 

 means of economically dividing the mineral phosphates to the state in which 

 they readily become assimilable by plants. 



M. Morin thinks that we shall attain it by dissolving these natural phos- 

 phates by powerful mineral acids, in order to separate them from the sand j 

 then by precipitating the solution with ammoniacal and magnesian liquids, 

 afterwards adding to it animal or fermentable matters. 



This process, probably efficacious, would undoubtedly be too expensive ; 

 at least it could not be executed ^n localities where they have not the oppor- 

 tunity of applying to it the dissipated vapors of chlorhydrate acid, and add 

 to it afterwards either magnesian sea-water or ammoniacal water condensed 

 in the refrigerators of oil gas or hydrate of lime ; and everytliing leads us 

 to hope that we may succeed in reuniting economic conditions of this kind 

 which admit of utilizing the natural phosphates. 



Whatever may happen, M. Moride will have effected a useful object at 

 this moment, on which Ave perhaps found, upon the incomplete preparation 

 of mineral phosphates, great expectations, by calling the attention of agri- 

 culturists to facts which were little known to them. 



We have, in consequence, the honor of proposing to you to address to 

 this young scholar the thanks of the Academy, recommending him to fol- 

 low up his useful investigation.! 



PAYEN, 

 Member of the Academy of Sciences, arid Permanent. 

 Secretary of the Central Society of Ag. 



* In order to demonstrate the solubility of certain pulverized phosphates, M. Moride has 



taken of each of them 0.05 gr., and treated them with 10 cubic centimetres of acetic acid 



during ten minutes at 65 degrees. The filtered liquid was precipitated by ammoniac, and the 



phosphoric acic sought for in the calcined precipitates, by adding some drops <jf azotic acid, 



and taking up again by distilled water^ in which they add azotate of silver. The following 



are the results obtained thus : 



r. • Phosphate of Phosphate dissolved 



bpecimens. ,^ i i- • i 



"^ lime. by acetic acid. 



Phosphate (pure or calcined) powder (bones) , 99 . 20 . 254 



Bone dust, calcined white, 92 . 00 . 28() 



Bone charcoal fit for refining, 73.10 0.300 



Black residue of refinery , 63.40 . 340 



Apatite of logrozau (Estramadura), 94.25 0.000 



Nodules from the Ardennes, 66.00 0.000 



Do. in black dust of commerce, 70.00 0.000 



Do. of the Ardennes calcined, 62.00 0.000 



The apatite had left dissolved by the acid 26 milliemes of oxyde of iron. The three following 



specimens had yielded 34, 26, and 28 milliemes of oxyde of iron and alumina. 



M. Moride has further stated that the phosphates of bones are soluble in seltzwater, sucrate 

 of lime, and in peat animalized by means of fermentation; whilst the natural phosphat<!8 

 which he has examined are insoluble in them. 



t The recommendations of this re*^"'*' are adopted. 



