23 



.35% of potash soluble in dilute hNdrochloric acid. The plant 

 food in a ton of this material values at 24 cents although $17.00 

 is the advertised price in ton lots. Aside from the guarantee of 

 potash and phosphoric acid the firm makes a claim for a given 

 percentage of soda, lime, magnesia, iron, sulfur, silica, chlorine 

 and alumina. Although some of these elements ar6 essential to 

 the growth of plants, yet they are found in most soils in sufficient 

 quantities to meet the needs of growing vegetation so that they 

 have no particular significance in this connection. The extrav- 

 agant claims made by the company for this "New England 

 Mineral Fertilizer'' are overdrawn and bordering somewhat upon 

 the ridiculous. 



Unmixed Fertilizers. 



Thirty-nine samples of ground bone have been inspected 



Ground and analyzed. Nine were found deficient in phosphoric 



acid and five in nitrogen. None of the brands, however, 



Bone, showed a commercial shortage of 50 cents per ton. The 



average retail cash price for ground bone has been $31.13 



per ton, the average valuation $29.75, and the percentage difl;er- 



ence 4.64. 



Twelve samples of tankage have been analyzed. Four 

 Ground were found deficient in nitrogen and four in phosphoric 

 Tankage, acid. The average retail cash price per ton was $31.82, 

 the average valuation per ton $31.28, and the percent- 

 age of difference 1.73. Nitrogen in fine tankage has cost on the 

 average 20.34 cents, while nitrogen in coarse tankage has cost 

 15.25 cents per pound. Two samples have shown a commercial 

 shortage of over 50 cents per ton. They are as follows: 



Geo. E. Marsh &° Co., Lynn, Mass. — Ground Tankage, No. 

 392. Nitrogen found 5.22%, guaranteed 6.99%; phosphoric 

 acid found 12.86%,, guaranteed 11.44%. 



Ground Tankage, No. 517. Nitrogen found 5.55%, guaran- 

 teed 6.58%; phosphoric acid found 13.67%, guaranteed 14.00%. 

 Two samples of dissolved bone have been analyzed 

 Dissolved and both were up to the guarantee placed upon them. 

 Bone. The average retail cash price per ton has been $29.67, 

 the average valuation $26.17, and the percentage 

 difference 13.37. 



