14 



phosphoric acid. The average retail cash price has been $88.83 per ton. The 

 average total nitrogen found was 7.86 per cent. The average phosphoric acid 

 was 8.53 per cent. Allowing 6 cents as the value of a pound of phosphoric 

 acid, the nitrogen in dry ground fish would have cost, on the average, 50 cents 

 per pound. Two brands showed a commercial shortage. 



Berkshire Fertilizer Co. — Berkshire Dry Ground Fish, No. 113: nitrogen 

 found, 8.04 per cent., guaranteed, 8.23 per cent.; phosphoric acid found, 6.15 

 per cent., guaranteed, 6 per cent. 



One other sample, No. 156, showed a small commercial shortage: nitro- 

 gen found, 8.13 per cent., guaranteed, 8.23 per cent.; phosphoric acid found, 

 6.17 per cent., guaranteed 6 per cent. 



Two other samples of the same brand showed no commercial shortage. 



George E. Marsh Co. — Ground Fish and Animal Tankage, No. 566 : nitro- 

 gen found, 4.65 per cent., guaranteed, 6.58 per cent; phosphoric acid found, 

 14.57 per cent., guaranteed, 9.15 per cent. 



Another sample forwarded by the manufacturer, and said to be a repre- 

 sentative sample, showed no commercial shortage, although over 1 per cent, 

 deficient in phosphoric acid. This would indicate that insufficient care in 

 making the mixture might have been responsible for the deficiencies, or pos- 

 sibly the trouble was due to a lack of data as to the exact chemical composi- 

 tion of the products which went into the mixture. 



Dried Blood. — Only one sample has been inspected. This was listed as 

 costing $105 per ton. It tested 12.07 per cent, nitrogen, making the pound 

 cost of nitrogen from blood 43.5 cents. 



Castor Pomace. — Only one sample was analyzed, the cash price being 

 $50 per ton. The product contained 4.68 per cent, of nitrogen, making the 

 pound cost of nitrogen in this substance 53.4 cents. 



Cottonseed Meal. — Fifty-two samples of cottonseed meal have been 

 analyzed. The average cost has been $56.56 per ton. They have shown an 

 average of 6.02 per cent, nitrogen, making the pound cost of this element 47 

 cents. In making this calculation the value of the phosphoric acid and potash 

 was not taken into consideration. It is safe to say that the value of the potash 

 and phosphoric acid in average cottonseed meal is somewhere around $10 to 

 $12 per ton, at present prices. An unusually large number of commercial 

 shortages have been apparent during the year's inspection. They are as 

 follows: — 



F. W. Erode & Co. — Cottonseed Meal, Nos. 117, 207, 208, 209, 304, 715, 

 717, 718, 811 and 812: average nitrogen found, 6.52 per cent., guaranteed, 

 6.87 per cent. 



