106 . Fertilizers 



Wool and hair waste. 



Wool and hair waste have already been described in 

 part, though more largely from the manufacturers ' stand- 

 point, as representing materials that may be utilized in 

 the manufacture of commercial fertilizers. These prod- 

 ucts may frequently be obtained in large quantities and 

 at a low price per ton in towns in which the original prod- 

 ucts are used in manufacturing, and thus occur as wastes. 

 Both are extremely variable in their composition, the wool, 

 particularly, being very liable to change in this respect, 

 owing both to the admixture of non-nitrogenous sub- 

 stances, such as cotton, and to the source of the waste 

 itself, whether it consists of the clippings and tags from the 

 original fleece, or whether it is in part the manufactured 

 product. Different samples show a wide range in the 

 content of nitrogen and potash, from 2 to 10 per cent in 

 the former, and from 1 to 3 per cent in the latter. The 

 nitrogen in the waste is extremely slow in its action in the 

 soil, though it may be made directly useful, both as an 

 absorbent of other wastes, as in liquid manure, and as an 

 ingredient of composts. Excessive quantities must be 

 applied in order to obtain a marked immediate result. 



The hair waste is also variable, both on account of the 

 content of moisture, as well as the admixture with it of 

 other substances. 



Lime often occurs as a waste product in some industries, 

 and as such it is frequently wet and pasty, and not easily 

 handled. 



These wastes, when they can be purchased at a low 

 price a ton, and frequently they may be obtained as 

 low as two or three dollars, serve an excellent purpose 

 as absorbents, and for use in orchards and pastures, or 

 in gradually building up the fertility of poor soils. 



