356 [Assembly 



As it may be an object with this society to know the price it 

 will be afforded in this market, I will state tliat the directors 

 consider that the price sold at here should he the same as it will 

 bring in Europe, less the cost of transportation. They have 

 orders at present at |25 per ton, delivered in Liverpool. It has 

 been found a valuable substitute for bone dust for other purpo- 

 ses than fertilizing soils, and will be used extensively for cupel- 

 ling purposes. The article at $25 per ton is about equivalent to 

 bone dust at 36 cents per bushel, and is less bulky, besides con- 

 taining from 4 to 7 per cent, of fluate of lime, an active agent in 

 fertilizing silicious soils, not found in bones. 



The chemical composition of this substance has so often been 

 given by chemists, that any repetition of my own experiments 

 are unnecessary, and professional agriculturists have so often 

 explained its fertilizing properties that theorizing at this time 

 might be considered out of place. But, with your permission, I 

 will state a few facts in relation to its application that I have ob- 

 served this season, and that liave come to my knowledge from 

 reliable sources of information. 



First. — Upon a light sandy soil planted with maize or Indian 

 corn about the first of May, the seed having been soaked in a so- 

 lution of nitrate of potassa twenty-four hours previous to plant- 

 ing, alternate rows received in each hill about a table spoonful 

 of prepared phosphate, two weeks ago the appearances indicated 

 a double or treble crop. Where the phosphate was used, the 

 stalks were larger, the ears more numerous and better filled. 



Second. — Another field of corn, soil considered a lean one, was 

 crossed by four rows each way through the centre, with a dress- 

 ing. In July, these rows were easily distinguished from tlie rest 

 of the field, by their deep green color, and standing higher than 

 the rest. 



Third. — A field of oats had a dressing of about a hundred 

 pounds per acre on a part of it. Wlien harvested, the weight of 

 straw and grain was apparently doubled by such application. 

 The grain has not been threshed, but the difference was too great 

 to doubt the efficiency of the application. I have also witness- 



