324 TALKS ON MANURES. 



of the cabbage. If I set out cabbage on an acre of land, which^ 

 without manure, would produce 16 tons of cabbage, does any one 

 mean to tell me that if I put the amount of nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid and potash which 10 tons of cabbage contain, on an adjoining 

 acre, that it would produce an extra growth of 10 tons of cabbage. 

 I can not believe it. The facts are all the other way. Plant 

 growth is not such a simple matter as the advocates of this theory, 

 if there be any at this late day, would have us believe." 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

 VALUE OF FERTILIZERS. 



In 1857, Prof. S. W. Johnson, in his Report to the Connecticut 

 Agricultural Society, adopted the following valuation : 



Potash 4 cents per Ib. 



Phosphoric acid, insoluble in water 4i " *' " 



" " soluble " " ....12i " " " 

 Nitrogen 17 " " " 



Analyses of many of the leading commercial fertilizers at that 

 time showed that, when judged by this standard, the price charged 

 was far above their actual value. In some cases, manures selling 

 for $00 per ton, contained nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, 

 worth only from $30 to $25 per ton. And one well-known manure, 

 which sold for $28 per ton, was found to be worth only $2.33 per 

 ton. A Bone Fertilizer selling at $50 per ton, was worth less than 

 $14 per ton. 



" In 1853," said the Doctor, " superphosphate of lime was manu- 

 factured by the New Jersey Zinc Co., and sold in New York at 

 $50 per ton of 2,000 IDS. At the same time, superphosphate of 

 lime made from Coprolites, was selling in England for $24 per ton 

 of 2,240 Ibs. The late Prof. Mapes commenced making ''Im- 

 proved Superphosphate of Lime," at Newark, N. J., in 1852, and 

 Mr. De Burg, the same year, made a plain superphosphate of lime 

 in Brooklyn, N. Y. The price, in proportion to value, was high, 

 and, in fact, the same may be said of many of our superphos- 

 phate manures, until within the last few years. 



Notwithstanding the comparatively high price, and the uncer- 

 tain quality of these commercial manures, the demand lias been 

 steadily on the increase. We have now m-iny honorable and in- 



