Miscellaneous Fertilizing Materials 105 



amounts are used in this crude form in our coast states, 

 particularly New England and the middle states. This 

 material, while chiefly valuable for its nitrogen, is not uni- 

 form in its content of fertilizing contituents, owing to 

 the wide variation in the content of moisture, or water, 

 which may range from as low as 25 to as high as 75 per 

 cent. The nitrogen, of course, varies with the dry matter, 

 and ranges from 2.5 to 8 per cent. The scrap also contains 

 considerable amounts of phosphoric acid, ranging from 2 

 to 6 per cent. The fish scrap in this form, too, is less valu- 

 able as a source of nitrogen than the dried ground material, 

 because of its coarser condition, requiring a longer time 

 for decay. 



The whole fishes (menhaden) are also used either directly 

 or in a composted form in many instances, and the ex- 

 cellent results obtained are mainly due to the rapidity of 

 decay of the nitrogenous substances. The economical 

 purchase of these products depends largely upon the judg- 

 ment of the farmer. He should be guided in determining 

 their value by the amount of water contained in them. 

 As they approach dryness, they become richer in the con- 

 stituents of fertility. In any case, products of this sort 

 should be obtained at so low a price per ton as to guarantee 

 to the purchaser a maximum quantity of the fertilizing 

 constituents for his money, when measured by the market 

 value of the materials of known composition. 



For example, if crude fish scrap, which contains as a mini- 

 mum 2.5 per cent of nitrogen, can be purchased for $5 

 a ton, it will furnish nitrogen at 10 cents a pound, or at 

 two-thirds the cost of this element in nitrate of soda at 

 $48 a ton. Besides, the scrap contains phosphoric acid 

 in good forms. At this price, the purchaser could afford 

 to take the risk incident to the variability of the product. 



