AVAILABLE SOURCES OF MANURE. 105 



the burning of the mills where it was chiefly made. Still, there 

 are manures of the same name, " flour of bone," not equalling 

 that in quality, by any means, which are sold at about the same 

 price. Fish manures, the product of the oil-fisheries on our 

 coast, and a very valuable product, coming more and more into 

 use by farmers as it is better known, sell at about forty-five 

 dollars per ton ; that which is ground (a little higher this year) 

 and that which is not ground at prices varying from thirty dol- 

 lars to forty dollars. It varies considerably in composition ; but 

 it is all valuable, and most of it sells at a price making it very 

 nearly as cheap as Peruvian guano. For many purposes it is 

 a better manure for the farmer tlian guano, especially when 

 composted with muck, or something of that kind. Beef scraps 

 may be employed as manure with advantage. They contain 

 about thirteen per cent, of ammonia, and are worth about fifty 

 dollars a ton. Tliey sell at two and a half cents a pound. 

 Castor pummice, the residuum after pressing out the castor-oil 

 from the bean, is another valuable manure, obtainable, however, 

 only in small quantities. Still, it is very useful, especially as it 

 drives away mould. Tlien a manure or salts yielding nitrogen, 

 nitrate of soda, or Chili saltpetre, sells at six cents a pound; 

 sulphate of ammonia, eight and a half cents ; sal ammonia, 

 about fourteen cents a pound. These may be liad. Tliey are 

 all available sources of manure ; but they are seldom sold so 

 low that they pay, in comparison with Peruvian guano. 



Tlie number of manures which are offered in the market, 

 which the farmer has his choice among, is exceedingly great. 

 I have a package with me, which I collected in a very short 

 time, perhaps an hour, in running about in the city, and a few 

 memoranda, made by looking over a few papers, collected very 

 easily, and representing but a very small portion of the manures 

 in the market, which would be very interesting if I had time to 

 spread them before you. Tlieir claims, in many cases, are ex- 

 ceedingly modest, when you examine simply their analyses ; but 

 when the certificates of the farmers who have used them, and 

 the actual claims of the vendors, are taken, they are ajiy thing 

 but modest. One firm advertise, for instance, that they are 

 " the owners of the Guano Islands, whence their supply is 

 derived " It may be that they do own some guano islands, 

 from which they draw something ; and it may be true that they 

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