i9ia] Low-quality Manures at Excessive Prices. 629 



SALE OF LOW-QUALITY MANURES AT 

 EXCESSIVE PRICES. 



The attention of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 

 has been drawn to the sale as manures in different parts of 

 the country of substances which are practically worthless as 

 fertilisers, and to the sale of manures of low quality, which 

 are offered at prices far above their real value. 



The vendors of these substances generally give in their 

 advertisements and invoices a correct analysis of the con- 

 stituents, and appear to expect that lack of knowledge on 

 the part of the purchasers will prevent them from appreciating 

 the true value of the substance as indicated by the analysis. 



For instance, a manure (1) offered at £3 10s. per ton, and 

 described as "a complete fertiliser in the cheapest form," 

 is stated to contain the following constituents: — Nitrogen, 

 1*23 per cent.; soluble phosphates, 5*0 per cent.; insoluble 

 phosphates, 1*50 per cent. Three other manures offered at 

 the same price contained respectively, according to the 

 invoices, the following constituents: — (2) Nitrogen, 1*15 

 (equal to ammonia, 1*40), and phosphates, 7*0; (3) nitrogen 

 equal to ammonia, 1*40, and phosphates, 8'o; (4) nitrogen, 

 i'o to 1 '25, and phosphates, 6*o to 7*0. 



It may be pointed out that the quantities of nitrogen and 

 phosphates in the four manures referred to could have been 

 purchased in nitrate of soda, superphosphate of lime, and 

 basic slag, on the basis of the unit values * given this year in 

 the revised edition of the Board's Leaflet No. 72 (The Purchase 

 of Artificial Manures, at the following cost respectively : — 



s. d. s. d. 



(1) Nitrogen 123 == 14 2 



Sol. phosphates 5*0 ... = 10 o $ =26 



Insol. phosphates 1*5 ... — 19 



(2) Nitrogen ri5 = 13 4 



Phosphates 7*0 = 82 



(3) Nitrogen = Ammonia 1 4 = ij 4 j 

 Phosphates 8 0 = 9 4 ( 



^4) Nitrogen 1 to 1*25 = us. 7d. to 14 6 / = 18 7 to 

 Phosphates 6 to 7 = 7 s. ,,82$ 22 8 



21 6 



22 8 



The manures would only be worth these prices if manu- 

 factured of first-rate materials like nitrate of soda, superphos- 



* Nitrogen in nitrate of soda, us. 7.3d. per unit; soluble phosphates in super- 

 phosphate, 2s. per unit, and insoluble phosphates in basic slag, is. 2d. per unit. 



