VALUATION OF FERTILIZERS, ETC. 465 



Sumac. Waste Material from Tanneries in Peahody^ Mass, 



[Sent on for the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture.] 



Moisture at 100° C, 63.06 



Organic matter, 36.94 



Nitrogen in organic matter 1.19 



Crude ash in organic matter, 6.80 



Calcium oxide in ash, 1.14 



Magnesium oxide in ash, 3.25 



Potassium oxide in ash, .17 



Phosphoric acid, .17 



Insoluble matter in ash, .... ... 2.25 



The nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid contained in the 

 above article, represent a commercial value of $4.64 pei 

 ton of 2,000 pounds. 



The tanning principle was so completely abstracted, that 

 a composting with some air-slacked lime promises to render 

 the material quite valuable as a manurial substance for light 

 soils, deficient in organic matter. 



Fresh Water Mud, 



[Little Pond at South Braintree. Sent on by A. Drew, Esq., Boston, Mass.] 



Analysis of a fairly dried sample : — 



Moisture at 100° C, 40.37 



Calcium oxide, 1.27 



Magnesium oxide, .29 



Potassium oxide, .22 



Ferric oxide, 1.80 



Phosphoric acid, .26 



Nitrogen, 1.37 



Insoluble matter, 18.26 



The material in its natural state contains 72 per cent, 

 water; in its composition it resembles a fibrous peat, yet it 

 is less humified, and will yield its nitrogen, etc., more 

 readily. One ton of the analyzed material represents a 

 commercial value of from $5 to $6. 



