











Sept. 8, 1855.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



containing a large quantity of soluble 



high quality, -- w _ - - . 



Phosphates, and a fair proportion of ammonia ; and the 

 importance of the latter becomes obvious, wheu we bear 

 ! m \ n d that it adds It. 2s. per ton to the value of the 

 first and \l. 5s. 6d. to that of the second sample. 



The following are illustrations of superphosphates 

 also from bones, but of lower quality than the preceding : 



60 



D 



"Water 



Organic matter 



Soluble phosphates 

 Insoluble phosphates 

 Sulphate of lime 

 Sulphuric acid 

 Alkaline salts 

 Sand ... 



• • « 



• • • 



• • • 



• • • 



9 • • 

 tt • 



• I • 



• • • 



• t • 



• •• 



• • • 



• •• 



**• 



• •• 



• • • 



• •• 

 ■ • • 



• • • 



Ammonia 



• • • 



• • • 



t • • 



• ft a 



III. 



13.60 



24.90 



8.71 



29.14 



10.76 



7.49 



1.82 



3.6S 



100.00 

 3.13 



IV. 



v. 



18.26 ; 



17.22 



11.95 



14.83 



7.06 



4.50 



31.27 



31.35 



11.93 



18.74 



4.93 



4.43 



11.18 



1.20 



3.42 



7.73 



100.00 



100.00 



3.24 



3.25 



In these superphosphates the quantity of sulphuric 

 acid employed has been deficient, and hence, though the 

 total quantity of phosphates is as large as in the pre- 

 vious ones, a much smaller proportion is soluble ; and 

 as we shall afterwards more particularly point out, the 

 value of the superphosphate is diminished. The quantity 

 of ammonia, however, is large, and forms an item of 

 some importance in estimating their value. 



From these we turn to another variety, apparently 

 made from a mixture of bones and coprolites, in which 

 the ammonia little exceeds 1 per cent. ; the quantity of 

 phosphates is rather lower, and of sulphate of lime 

 higher than in those from bones alone. 





VI. 



VII. 



VIII. 



» Y <% L v L in « • • in • • • 



17.98 



24.33 



13.84 



Organic matter 



17.29 



10.60 



7.95 



Soluble phosphates 



21.22 



14.38 



14.18 



Insoluble phosphates 



3.41 



14.36 



7.44 



Sulphate of lime 



20.82 



16.00 



21.71 



Sulphuric acid 



5.19 



6 48 



19.62 



Alkaline salts 



6.13 



3.98 



3.92 



fcanu in ... ,, t ... ,,. 



7.96 



9.87 



11.34 





100.00 



100.00 



100.00 



Ammonia 



1.66 



1.03 



0.93 



• • ■ 



• ft ft 



• • • 



Water 



Organic matter 

 Soluble phosphates 

 Insoluble phosphates 

 Sulphate of lime 

 Sulphuric acid 

 Alkaline salts 

 Sand ... 



• • • 



• ■ > 



• • • 



Ammonia 



• * ■ 



« « • 



1 



I IX. 



X. 



XI. 



••• ••• 



32.39 



16.10 



21.04 



• •■ * • ft 



8.63 



10.53 



12.42 



»•• ••• 



12.97 



10.62 



10.16 



ft ft • f •• 



16.12 



10.48 



9.58 



•ft ■ ••• 



18.54 



3.92 



33.90 



• •• ft •• 



6.10 



2389 



3.94 



••• ••• 



332 



19.55 



2.46 



••• ••• 



1.93 



4.81 



6.50 





100.00 



100.00 



100.00 



• • • ••• 



0.79 



0.80 



1.10 



And, finally, we have examples of superphosphates 

 made entirely from coprolites or other mineral phos- 

 phates, distinguished by a small proportion of organic 

 matter, and abundance of sulphate of lime. In one 

 only, however, is ammonia entirely absent ; the others 

 contain small quantities, though none of them, except 

 the last, in sufficient quantity to be of value. 



■ • • 



■ • • 



Water 



Organic matter 

 Soluble phosphates 

 Insoluble phosphates 

 Sulphate of lime 

 Sulphuric acid... 



Alkaline salts . . . 



Sand 



• • » 



- • • 



• t • 



• • • 



• « • 



• •• 



♦ * t 



• ■* 



• • • 



• • • 



• ■ > 

 ■ ■ • 

 t • * 

 t • • 



■ • • 



* • • 



* • • 



XII. 



8.43 

 0.00 

 15.37 

 15.07 

 36.03 

 11.24 

 1.60 

 12.26 



100.00 

 0.00 



XITI. 



18.20 

 2.83 



14.04 



6.15 



36.88 

 11.51 



3.17 

 7.22 



100.00 

 0.56 



XIV. 



23.77 

 3.00 



12.19 

 7.77 



36.23 

 8.44 

 0.01 

 8.59 



100.00 

 0.49 



100.00 

 0.60 



It would be easy to multiply analyses of the different 

 sorts of superphosphate, but those given are sufficient 

 to show how greatly different samples, all made with 

 the desire of supplying a reasonably good article, vary 

 "i composition and value. Yet it is probable that no 

 great difference in price will exist among the greater 

 number of them. Those made entirely from bones, and 

 coming from manufacturers of high standing, are gene- 

 j*ly dearer; but no commercial distinction is drawn 

 Between the others, a fixed market price generally being 

 cuarged, altogether independently of composition. Yet 

 a moments inspection suffices to show that the differ- 

 ences m value are exceedingly great 



mat p ? lfficult y exists to forming a satisfactory esti- 

 ate of the value of a superphosphate from its compo- 



th* i J? ng t0 there bein S no fixed value t0 attach t0 

 e soluble phosphates, except that calculated from the 



aaml ltSe!f ' But ' taking as a startin g-P°int the 

 dpfin* P ro< *uced from bones, we may arrive at some 



ennite idea in tho fall/in,;.™, «-.o««o« . t <,o«„»v.<* «*«» 



assume 



iiUftM?* ?^' P e r lb., or 1 Is. for every per cent, and 

 lTe? f pho8 P hates at ? d - per;ib.,or,in round numbers, 



as N T eael1 per cent " ^ ow > BUC ' 1 superphosphates 

 calcuff l ^d 2 are sold at about 8Z. per ton ; and if we 



PhatJa Value of the am monia and insoluble phos- 



the T\ t? deduct th5s from Sl > we have the value of 

 soluble phosphates. Thus we have for Nos. 1 & 2— 



Val 



tlue of «aoluble phosphate 



• « • 



• *• 



No.l. 

 £12 

 17 



No. 2. 

 £t 17 

 16 



£3 3 



£4 17 



Deduction. «, * r £2 9 



for tt?VV B from ^leaves) 



^osphatei 116 ° f the SOluble r £5 U ° 



And V *j* * 



P^r-cenl g these 8ums bv 15 and 13 > the respective 



na,„_ UCa geS Of Soluble nhnRnliftfoa «.-» find It in both 



cas»» *- g . ea of soluble phosphates, we find it in both 



value of almost exactly 7s. 6d. for each 



P** cent ? f Vame ot almo ' 



ot her sun° l substances. The better class of the 



"Perpnosphates give a similar, though somewhat 



higher value for the soluble phosphates, except No. 6, | 1 peck to the acre, 

 which, if sold at 71. 9 would give a lower value ; but as I ~ ~ 

 do not know its price, we must not allow it to influence 

 the calculation. 



It is probable that we shall not err 



greatly by assuming 7s. per cent, as the value of soluble 



phosphates. Now, if we apply this mode of calculation, 



we see that the values differ excessively. Thus, No. 3 

 gives — 



29 per cent, insoluble phosphates, at Is. fid. percent. £2 8 6 

 8.71 per cent, soluble phosphates, at 7s. per cent. ... 3 1 

 3.13 per cent, ammonia, at lis. percent 1 14 6 



Value per ton £6 19 



And in the same manner, No. 5 is worth 51. 13s. ; No. 

 7 ought to cost 6/. 10s. ; No. 15, M. 8s., and 60 on. 



No. 6, calculated upon this principle, shows a higher 

 value than any of the other samples, by virtue of its 



large proportion of soluble phosphates ; its calculation 



giving— 



21 per cent, soluble phosphates at 7s. ... £7 7 

 3 per cent, insoluble phosphates at Is. 6d. 4 6 

 1.6 per cent, ammonia, at Us 17 





Value per ton 



• • • 



£8 8 6 



Now, if we take into consideration the preceding cal- 

 culations, and the composition of the commercial samples 

 of superphosphate, it appears to me that we may assume a 

 standard to which all well manufactured samples should 

 attain. It would appear that a good superphosphate 

 should contain 15 per cent of soluble phosphates, and 

 15 insoluble ; and if made from bones, in addition to 

 these, not less than 2 per cent, of ammonia. A super- 

 phosphate made from coprolites, and containing these 

 proportions of phosphates, should be sold for 7 J., and 

 frcm bones at SI. According to my experience, the 

 samples coming from the best manufacturers have 

 about this composition ; but the farmer would do well 

 to remember that a large proportion of soluble phos- 

 phates adds most materially to the value, as is seen in 

 the* analysis No. 6. It is very desirable that this fact 

 should be distinctly brought before the manufacturers, 

 who would find it decidedly to their advantage to aim 

 at producing a manure containing a large proportion of 

 soluble phosphates, which, they would find, repays them 

 better than productng the inferior qualities, particularly 

 if got from coprolites, because a considerable proportion 

 of the acid is consumed in neutralising the carbonate of 

 lime. Thus, suppose a sample of coprolite to contain 

 20 per cent, of carbonate of lime, and the manufacturer 

 to add to it 30 





per cent, of sulphuric acid, 25 of the 

 acid would be consumed in converting the carbonate 

 into sulphate of lime, and only 5 per cent, would remain 

 over to convert the insoluble into soluble phosphates ; 

 but if he added 35 per cent, of acid, 10 per cent, would 

 remain, and he would then produce a superphosphate 

 with twice the quantity of soluble phosphates contained 

 in the former. 



These, observations I have thought it well to bring 

 before the farmer, as I know that large quantities of 

 very inferior superphosphates go into the market. It 

 is not my intention to refer particularly to these articles | 

 here ; it will suffice to say that many tons, containing 

 2 or 3 per cent, of soluble phosphates, are yearly dis- 

 posed of in different parts of Scotland. Dr. Anderson, 

 in the Transactions of the Highland Society. 



Home Correspondence. 



Clod- crusher. — I beg to hand a design for a new clod- 

 crusher for insertion in the Gardeners* Chronicle and 

 Agricultural Gazette; the discs are all of the same 

 diameter, work on three centres, and self-cleansing. 

 Henry Cobby, 10, Walker Street, Hidl. [The drawings 

 exhibit an axle with a number of eccentrics upon it 

 placed so that each alternately and in succession Bhali 

 attain its greatest elevation or depression during the 

 revolution of the axle. On these eccentrics the discs, as 

 in Crosskill's clod-crusher, revolve. The same self- 

 cleansing and irregular motion of the discs is attained by 

 Crosskill by an ordinary axle passing through a larger 

 slot in the disc, so that this irregular motion is per- 

 mitted, not enforced, as in Mr. Cobby 's proposal ; but the 

 motion in question, though only permitted, is ensured 

 by the irregular surface of the soil as perfectly as if it 

 were enforced.] 



Hardy 9 9 Wheat Crop. — Many friends from far and 

 near have seen our experimental Wheat crop, which 

 was sown on the thin principle, in about 10 different 

 plans and distances, on nearly 3 acres of common 

 ploughed land. One and all pronounced it a very good 

 crop. But some will not believe us, that there was so 

 little seed sown on the whole breadth as 1 bushel and 

 5 pints. This, however, is a fact. Why should they 

 doubt this statement, since, at 20,000 grains in 1 quart, 

 it amounts in round numbers to 670,000 kernels, and 

 supposing the breadth to be exactly 3 acres, viz., 

 18,817,920 square inches, and all the ground were 

 covered or planted, without any 4 feet furrows and 

 4 feet spaces between the double rows on the greatest 

 part of the breadth as we have them, then it would allow 

 28 square inches and a fraction for each grain or plant, 

 equal to about five plants on each square foot (and is 

 this not enough plants or enough space) ? Why tlien 

 should any one doubt our words, our land being not 

 above half planted ! The fact is, a very great deal of 

 seed was actually wasted, even on this, and ought not 

 to have been planted on it. One-half acre, however, 

 planted with only 4 pints, and reduced to 3 pints by 

 thinning the plants, which stood in pairs, with 4 feet 

 furrows, far exceeded any of the rest, in the estimation 

 of all who saw it, except the 4-rowed planted entire at 

 2 feet apart on J-rod ridges, with 4 feet furrows, at 



Also about 4 rods transplanted at 

 1 foot apart, which will certainly come up equal to 

 8 quarters per acre, notwithstanding it has partaken of 

 the prevailing blight, and been pecked by birds, even as 

 other. The broad-casted, at 2 pecks the acre, is de- 

 cidedly the worst crop, as it could not be kept clean. 

 We promise to give full particulars in a future number. 

 Hardy <£ Son, Maldon. 



Crops in Inland. — Wheat, which is now generally 

 cutting, from very many inquiries I can only report 

 middling. The plant was generally thin in the.ground, 

 owing to the severe winter ; in many places it waa 

 broken down before ripe by wind and rain ; in some 

 places I find it " malted." Barley Will be much under 

 an average in produce, the sample being uneven, owing 

 to a second growth, and being nearly all laid long before 

 fit for the sickle. Oats very variable in different 

 localities, but below an average on the whole ; straw 

 plentiful, grain not well filled. Green crops promise 

 near an average, I think, where properly attended to. 

 Potatoes — tops all gone, tubers under size ; a large 

 breadth of land sown, in general quality deficient, in 

 many places bad for table, disease in roots increasing. 

 Weather for the last few days very propitious, glass up 

 to nearly set fair. George Gordon. 



Farm Memoranda. 



Near Stalyhridgk. — I must commence by stating- 

 that my farm is 20 miles from my works on the Yorkshire 

 side of the moors, and at an elevation of 850 feet above 

 the sea ; that I have abandoned milking and feeding as 

 unprofitable, considering the price of labour and farm 

 produce ; and with the exception of a few sheep have 

 entirely devoted my land to crops, Turnips, Potatoes, 

 hay, and corn. The whole of my produce is consumed 

 at my works (charged market prices) which will realise 

 on an average for Turnips per ton from 15*. and ll 9 

 hay, 4/. and 51. per ton, straw, 50s. and 3i. per ton, 

 Oats and Wheat market prices. With this management 

 I can realise a satisfactory profit, but not so when feed- 

 ing, although I took the butcher's profit by selling my 

 meat to my workpeople. Now, with respect to manure 

 I have an abundance (being very favourably situated at 

 both ends with stations on the rails, the one at farm is 

 fair in the centre), whether it is human manure, horse 

 manure, or bones. My human manure can be laid 

 down per rail at 5s. per ton on my farm. It is con- 

 veyed in old large oil casks, which contain 1 ton each, 

 neat out of the privies (disinfected with a little sulphate 

 of iron) ; my horse manure, including carriage and all 

 expenses, at 85. per ton ; and with respect to bones, I 

 have erected a small bone and size works upon my farm, 

 and boil about 6 tons per week, just enough to keep one 

 man going ; my size and tallow is sent to Manchester to> 

 stiffen fustians with, and make soap of, the boiled bones 

 are then crushed in an old gin mortar mill and passed 

 through a riddle having three squares to the inch. 

 Whatever bones I do not need are readily sold to the 

 farmers about, I dissolve with acid as many as I use,, 

 and sell the rest to my neighbours, so that I am in 

 capital condition for manuring land. Now Professor 

 Johnson in his " Lectures on Agricultural Chemistry, 

 p. 8, states that 1 ton of bones is equivalent to 40 tons 

 of ordinary farm manure ; if such is a fact, 40 tons at 

 8s. would be 16Z., whilst bones would not exceed 61., the 

 carriage from my place to the farm being the same in 

 each case, viz., 2*. Id. per ton, so that bones are by far 

 the cheapest manure. The question that now puzzles 

 me is, shall I be justified in totally abandoning farm 

 yard or vegetable manure, and will my land be deterio- 

 rated by relying on bones alone, or is it absolutely 

 necessary that vegetable manure should be used in order 

 keep up the fertility of the soil ? 



if 



Notices of SooKsf. 



The Village Lesson Boole for the Use of Schools. 

 By Martin Doyle. Groombridge & Son. 



This is a little book of 116 pages, containing 10 square 

 inches each, in which are given lessons on the duties of 

 the bird-keeper, cow-boy, shepherd-boy, and plough- 

 boy, and on land measurement, digging, and field 

 labour. It is very desirable that country children 

 should receive instruction in the occupations in which as 

 men they are to be engaged ; and by the use] of books 

 in country schools, such as this of Martin Doyle's, they 

 can be thus instructed in the very act of learning to? 

 read. 



Miscellaneous. 



A rtificial Formation of A mmonia. — The vapours which 

 escape* from iron blast furnaces may be regarded simply 

 as the atmosphere highly charged with carbon, or as a, 

 mixture of carbonic oxide, cyanogen, and nitrogen* 

 When steam at a sufficiently high temperature, and air 

 excluded, is mingled with these gases, the oxygen of the 

 steam decomposes the cyanogen, and converts the 

 carbonic oxide into carbonic acid, while the hydrogen 

 and nitrogen combine to form ammonia ; thus carbonate 

 of ammonia will result ; but as it may prove difficult to 

 condense this effectually, if the vapour of ammonia were 

 conveyed into a chamber charged with an insoluble 

 lumpy material, so arranged that the ammonia in 

 ascending would come in contact with the cold solution 

 of salt trickling down, carbonate of soda and muriate of 

 ammonia might be at once obtained. If, however, f n 

 ample supply of sulphate of iron could be procured, it 



