590 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Phosphate Slag. 



[Jan. 



[I. German " Phosphate Slag," New York. II. " Phosphate Slag " sent on fron: 

 England.] 



This material has been of late introduced into our markets 

 in a fine-ground state as " phosphate meal," manufactured of 

 the " Peine-Thomas Scoria." P. Weidinger, No. 76 Pine 

 Street, New York City, who has advertised the sale of the 

 above material for trial, makes the following statement : — 



' ' We ofier to the American fertilizer trade the article 

 above stated, whose rapid and successful introduction into 

 various countries, with constantly increasing demand, gives 

 us a guarantee that its importance for agriculture will not be 

 underrated. This is a very finely ground phosphate meal, 

 obtained from the so-called ' Peine-Thomas Scoria,' through 

 the dephosphorization of pig iron, after the patented method 

 of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas. The dephosphorization of the 

 iron takes place by melting the iron with lime in a current 

 of air, a proceeding by which pig iron, rich in phosphorus, 

 is converted into steel, free from phosphorus (ingot iron). 

 In this manner the phosphorus of the pig iron is converted 

 into phosphoric acid, which, uniting with the lime added, 

 forms phosphate of lime. The melted mixture of phosphate 

 of lime with excess of lime and combinations of the iron and 

 manganese, obtained by this proceeding, is called ' Thomas 

 Scoria.' It is brought into the market for the purposes of 

 agriculture in a finely ground state." 



