THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



281 



get only twenty cents per ton, it is clear either 

 that they analyze only one specimen out of one 

 million pounds, which is not to be supposed as 

 that would not be fair, or that they analyze im- 

 perfectly, which is an imputation on their " sci- 

 ence," or that they lose $9 20 on each analysis, 

 which is a sacrifice they cannot submit to, or 

 that they have a secret mode of analysis un- 

 known to the rest of the scientific world. If it 

 be this latter we will gladly make the Planter 

 the medium of publishing so valuable a discov- 

 ery, and of introducing our friends as public 

 benefactors. 



At the same time we tender Dr. Powell our 

 columns to explain how the noted Chilian 

 Guano came to be endorsed to Messrs. Shields 

 & Somerville as No. 1 ; and how the Mexican 

 Guano which he analyzed for Crenshaw & Bro., 

 which was erroneously marked Jirst rate by the 

 Baltimore Inspector, came to have the same 

 mark put upon it here. We suppose by this he 

 has had time to " look at his papers.'' 



1st. What substances are to be regarded as 

 important in costly manures ? All the kinds 

 of matter found in the plant are of course es- 

 sential to its growth, and are all usefully ap- 

 plied to the soil in some cases, and generally 

 speaking valuable for the soil in proportion as 

 they are deficient in it. Scientifically speaking 

 we cannot say that ammonia or phosphoric acid 

 is more valuable to any plant than potash or 

 lime is. All are indispensable, and as plant's 

 food are equally valuable, Commercially 

 viewed, however, their worth is very various, 

 depending on their worth and demand for them, 

 for other than agricultural purposes. In my 

 humble opinion there are at most but three in- 

 gredients that deserve to be taken into account 

 in estimating the value of any manufactured or 

 imported fertilizer now in market which is sold 

 as high or higher than one cent per pound. 

 These are phosphoric acid, ammonia and potash. 

 Everything else that has a fertilizing value can 

 be cheaply obtained under proper name. If I 

 want soda or chlorine, I buy common salt, an 

 article whose purity I can judge by mere inspec- 

 tion; if I want sulphuric acid, gypsum supplies 

 me, and so on. I incline to believe that potash 

 too may well be left out of the account, because 

 it is not generally deficient in soils, and there- 

 fore farmers generally cannot be expected to 

 pay for it, and again it is usually present in 

 very small quantities in concentrated fertilizers. 

 The best guanos contains but one to 3 per cent 

 of potash, and the inferior washed sorts usually 

 less. Super-phosphates, i. e. bones or mineral 

 phosphate treated with sulphuric acid, cannot if 

 genuine be supposed to contain any potash of 

 consequence. In other fertilizers it is not to be 

 looked for, because potash in a nearly pure state 



or even as raw material, wood-ashes, has a high- 

 er commercial value for technical than for agri- 

 cultural purposes. 



With ammonia and phosphoric acid the case 

 is different. For them there is comparatively 

 little demand except for agricultural use; be- 

 sides they produce in the aggregate vastly 

 greater good results as fertilizers than any 

 other bodies, showing they are more generally 

 deficient in the soil, and finally they are scarce 

 and costly. 



Commercially regarded, ammonia is the most- 

 ly costly fertilizer, next comes potash and then 

 phosphoric acid. Agriculturally considered, 

 ammonia is generally the most valuable, phos- 

 phoric acid next, and potash last. 



Ammonia is worth about sixteen cents per 

 pound. Its cheapest source at present is No. 1 

 Peruvian guano. A specimen I have lately ex- 

 amined contains six per cent of ready formed 

 ammonia, and animal substances which, by de- 

 cay readily yield nine per cent more, making a 

 total of fifteen per cent. Taking guano at its 

 present price of fifty-four dollars per ton, of two 

 thousand pounds, one hundred pounds costs two 

 dollars and seventy cents. If we admit that 

 ammonia concentrates its whole value, then 

 $2.70 divided by 15 gives us 18 cents as the 

 value of one pound of ammonia. If we allow 

 the 15 per cent of phosphoric acid existing in 

 this guano to come in to the estimate at two 

 cents per pound, then we reduce the value of the 

 ammonia to sixteen cents, (15 pounds phospho- 

 ric acid at 2 cents equals 30 cents, which sub- 

 stracted from $2.70 leave $2.40, this divided by 

 15 gives the quotient.) In Sulphate of ammo- 

 nia at 5^ cents per pound, or Chili Saltpetre at 

 5 cents, the ammonia costs about 27 cents a 

 pound. Oil-cake is the only other commercial 

 fertilizer readily yielding ammonia and in it the 

 cost is I believe also about 25 cents per pound. 

 In Germany it is very cheap and largely used 

 as manure, especially the colza, or rape-cake 

 which on account of its unpleasant taste is not 

 suited for feeding. In unburnt or unboiled 

 bones we have nitrogen sufiicient to yield from 

 four to six per cent of ammonia, but it decays 

 very slowly unless they are steamed or com- 

 posted, and this fact should reduce its value 

 somewhat. The estimate given by Stockhardt 

 reduced to the standard adopted here for actual 

 or ready formed ammonia is 13 cents per pound. 

 It is most convenient to speak of the nitrogen 

 which exists in undecayed animal substances 

 as ammonia because it passes into that body on 

 decay. It is customary to designate it as poten- 

 tial in distinction from ready-formed or actual 

 ammonia. 



The value of potash is dif&cult to estimate 

 because it may vary exceedingly according to 

 circumstances. Wood ashes are its chief sources ; 

 these are poor or rich in potash according to the 

 kind of tree that yields them, and the soil on 

 which it has grown. It may vary from 5 to 20 

 per cent, Stockhardt, who estimates the value 



