speedy action, exert, as a rule, a decided influence on their selling- 

 price. 



The marlvet price of manurial substances is liable to serious fluctu- 

 ations ; for supply and demand exert here as well as in other branches 

 of commercial industry a controlling influence on their temporary 

 money value. As farmers in many instances have but little chance 

 to obtain the desired information, Agricultural chemists charged 

 with the inspection of commercial fertilizer assist in the work, by 

 ascertaining as far as practicable the actual market-price of the 

 leading manurial substances in our principal markets for a given 

 period of time. The results of the inquiries in the condition 

 of the trade during the past six months are embodied in the subse- 

 quent tabular statement of cost of fertilizing ingredients for the 

 opening of the season for 1888. 



The market reports of centres of trade in New England, New 

 York and New Jersey, aside from consultations with leading manu- 

 facturers of fertilizers and notes on actual sales of individual farmers 

 and farmers' associations, etc., furnish the necessary information 

 regarding the current trade value of fertilizing ingredients. The sub- 

 sequent statement of cash-values in the retail trade is obtained by 

 taking the average of the wholesale quotations in New York and Bos- 

 ton, during the six months preceding March 1, 1888, and increasing 

 them by 20 per cent., to cover expenses for sales, credits, etc. 



These trade values, except those for phosphoric acid, soluble in 

 ammonium-citrate, were agreed upon by the Experiment Stations of 

 Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Vermont for use in 

 their several states for the present season. 



TRADE VALUES OF FERTILIZMG INGREDIENTS IN RAW 

 MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS. 



1888. 



Cents per pound. 



Nitrogen in ammoniates, 17|^ 



" " nitrates, 16 

 Organic nitrogen in dry and fine ground fish, meat, blood, 



cotton-seed meal and castor pomace, 16^ 



" " " fine ground bone and tankage, 16| 



" " "■ fine ground medium bone and tankage, 13 



" " " medium bone and tankage, 10^ 



2 



'J 



