19 



B. C Stell, No. ()7. Nitrogen found G.on,"(,, guaranteed 6.o()%. 

 No. 243, nitrogen found 5.88%, guaranteed ().56%. 



Thirty-eight samples, necessitating 1 1 analyses, 

 Nitrate of Soda. have been examined. All have been found well 



up to the minimuin guarantee. Nitrate of soda 

 has cost on the average $50.27 and the average calculated commercial 

 valuation has been $46. ()8 per ton.. The average nitrogen content 

 of this product has been 15.50 per cent. A pound of nitrogen from 

 nitrate of soda has cost on the average 16.15 cents. 



Three samples have been analyzed and all were 

 Sulfate of found well up to the guarantee. The average 



Ammonia. retail cash price has been $64.()7 and the average 



commercial valuation $63.95 per ton. Sulfate 

 of ammonia has tested on the average 20.63 per cent nitrogen. 

 The average cost of a pound of nitrogen in this form has been 15.7 

 cents. 



Only 1 sample of this material was collected and 

 Calcium analyzed. The nitrogen guarantee was well 



Cyanamid. maintained. Calcium cyanamid cost on the 



average $54.84 and the average calculated com- 

 mercial valuation was $48.83 per ton. It showed 15.75 per cent 

 nitrogen, making the average cost of a pound of nitrogen from this 

 source 17.44 cents. Calcium cyanamid carries about 50 per cent of 

 calcitmi oxide which was not taken into account in the valuation of 

 this product. 



POTASH COMPOUNDS. 



There was very little potash salt offered to the consumer except 

 in the mixed goods during the season of 1915. This was on account 

 of the embargo placed upon the export of potash by the German 

 Government during the European war. The few samples collected 

 were from stock bought early in the season or from stray lots which 

 were carried over from the preceding year. The retail cash price 

 and valuations placed upon these, of course, would not hold through- 

 out the season, as very much higher prices prevailed in late summer. 

 Very few substitute sources of potash have ihade their appearance 

 in the general trade. It is understood that steps have been taken to 

 recover potash from deposits of alunite in Utah, but at the present 

 writing very little of this has made its appearance in the general 

 market. The same thing may be said in regard to the potash from 

 the kelp fields of the Pacific Coast. 



The consumer of fertilizers has endeavored to get along without 

 the use of very much potash. Wherever a good grade of wood ashes 

 has been offered it has met with a ready market. This class of ma- 

 terial varies so widely in composition that it should always be bought 



