r74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



packer. The hopper works automatically, and, as soon as suffi- 

 cient weight is received, it deposits its load in the press, which 

 is a machine of peculiar design. In the finished state the litter 

 contains 30$ to 33$ of moisture, and in this condition it goes into 

 use. It is said to take up liquids more readily in this condition 

 than when the cells of the plant are perfectly dry. The material 

 is shipped to New York, Boston, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Philadel- 

 phia, Chicago and other large cities in the United States. It 

 retails in New York for $15 per ton. 



Much of the moss litter sold in the United States is also im- 

 ported from Holland. 



Mr McFarland states that the manufacture of moss litter was 

 attempted at Musquash N. B., and is now being produced in 

 Ontario. D'r Laberge of Montreal, who experimented with the 

 latter product, reports that 100 pounds of litter were sufficient 

 for drying 800 pounds of ordinary excreta from privy pits in 

 Montreal, and rendering it entirely inoffensive. A sample of 

 the product remained for days in his office without attracting 

 notice, and indeed it was quite devoid of odor. Its analysis 

 gave the following results. 



Per cent Pounds per ton Value per ton 



Nitrogen 1.31 26.2 at 13c $3.41 



Phosphoric acid .9 18 at 5c .9 



Potash 14 2.8 at 5ic .15 



Water 65.47 



$4.46 



The valuation of ordinary, fresh barnyard manure with 75$ 

 of water is about $2 per ton; with 67$, nearly $2.25. Therefore 

 much better results might be expected agriculturally from a 

 moss manure of the composition just described. 



Moss litter might also be applied with great advantage in 

 public urinals. When a sample of it was supersaturated with 

 urine and dried and this process repeated several times, no 

 offensive odors were developed. The product on analysis was 

 found to contain 12.41$ of nitrogen, which is equal in valuation 

 to $32.26 per ton. 



The results obtained in several localities point well towards 

 the successful use of litter as a disinfectant. 



At Copenhagen, Denmark, the material has been used by the 

 Copenhagen Milk Supply Co. At this works " each stall is con- 



