^' 



206 THE GENESEE FAEMEE. 





)j^'- 



ernment, and now threatens to establish an independent nation in the heart of the 

 Republic. We never hear Mr. Mapes lecture that he does not remind us of the peculiar 

 shrewdness of Joseph Smith; nor read in his journal the glowing accounts of " twelve 

 thousand late Bergen cabbages raised on an acre manured with five hundred weight of 

 the improved superphosphate of lime," that the golden bible *of the Mormon prophet 

 does not seem to be the authority which we are consulting. In the leading article in 

 the June number of the Working Farmer the public is told that " The improved super- 

 phosphate of lime, which was introduced by oursclf but little more than twelve months 

 ago, is now in such demand that the manufacturers can not supply one-tenth of the 

 quantity asked for, notwithstanding their factory is capable of delivering ten tons or 

 more per day. And even the imitations which have been made within the last four 

 months, are eagerly bought up by those who can not be supplied with the genuine 

 article." These counterfeit quacks are, however, soon to be knocked into pi; for "the 

 manufacturers of the improved superphosphate are rapidiy increasing their facilities, and 

 will shortly be able to deliver twenty tons or more per day." This, however, Mr. 

 Mapes says, "will be very far from an adequate supply;" so that "imitators" may 

 stand some chance to aid in picking the professor's goose, after all! 



This artilicial manure, which is said to be twice as powerful as the best Peruvian 

 guano, is sold at the low price ot fifty dollars a ton ; and by selling twenty a day, a 

 thousand dollars a day will be the income of the establishment, forty per cent, of which 

 at least will be profit. A profit of $400 a day for 300 days in a year gives a nett gain 

 of $120,000 per annum — a business that beats Barnum's best menagerie, and the 

 Misses Fox cm^t of sight. 



The Genesee Farmer has been accused of dealing unfairly by the inventor of this 

 manural panacea, because it published an analysis of it made first by Dr. Antisell, and 

 then by Mr. Johnson, of Yale College, by which the agricultural value of the article 

 was revealed to the public. Other and more favorable analyses have been published 

 by Mr. Mapes, and this demands at our hands the plain-est possible statement of the 

 abuses to which analytical chemistry is liable in its application to artificial manures, and 

 rural affairs generally , without reference to Mr. M, 



Ammonia, or organized nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, are the three most 

 costly constituents of crops, and therefore the most valuable elements of manures. 

 These facts being known, it is easy in a^city where all the elements of the best manures 

 abound, to get up a few tons exceedingly rich in phosphoric acid, potash, and ammonia, 

 which, when properly applied to the. land, will give very extraordinary results ; and 

 when analyzed, they will indicate a compound worth two or three times its weight of 

 the best guano. But such a manure will cost as much per 100 lbs. as the best potash 

 in the market, an-d afford no profit to the manufacturer. None is expected from this 

 superior article directly, for it is given to distinguished farmers to try, and report the 

 results of its influence on various crops. The operation of the manure being highly 

 beneficial, the most trustworthy certificates of the value of the improved superphosphate 

 of lime are obtained by the score. Now the manufacturer is ready to sell phosphorus, 

 which is worth some 1-3 a pound and more than $200 per 100 lbs.; ammonia, which 

 is worth at least $10 per 100 lbs; and ])otash, which is worth $5 per 100 lbs., at $50 

 a ton! But what evidence does any bag of IGO lbs. of "improved superphospliate of 

 lime" give the purchaser, that it is better than so much ground bones? Ten bags may 

 contain a better manure than the seller promises, while nine hundred and ninety may 

 be nearly worthless, and yield a profit of 200 per cent, to the inventor and manufac- 

 turers. Of course, they will have the manure contained in the ten best bags carefully 

 analyzed and published in an hundred papers ; and on the credibility of these analyses 

 thousands will purchase any thing that the manufacturers may say is a manure similar 

 to the one carefully examined by the chemist. In this way, chemistry is most success- 



