264 
' Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist. 
Frequently, however, portable fish manures are sold at too high 
a price in comparison with the price at which other artificial 
manures can be bought. In illustration of this fact I may quote 
the following analysis of a sample of fish manure, which was 
sold at 31. 5s. per ton to a member of the Society. 
Composition of a sample of Fish Manure. 
Water 60-17 
*Organic matter 14-70 
Phosphate of lime 3-99 
Carbonate of lime 15"31 
Alkaline salts (common salt) 2'29 
InsoluLle siliceous matter (sand) 3-5i 
100-00 
* Contaiuing nitrogen -84 
Equal to ammonia 1-02 
This manure, it will be seen, contained a large proportion of 
water, much carbonate of lime, and scarcely 4 per cent, of phos- 
phate of lime, and its organic matter yielded only 1 per cent, of 
ammonia. The fertilising value of this manure, I need hardly say, 
depends mainly upon the amount of phosphates and nitrogenous 
matters which it contains ; and, as the foregoing quantities can 
be bought in a more portable and concentrated form in Peruvian 
guano, at about 1/. 5s. a ton, this fish manure was sold at about 
three times as much as it was worth. A similar fish manure, 
but of a better quality than the preceding sample, was sold to 
another member of the Royal Agricultural Society at 5/. a ton, 
with the understanding that if on analysis I did not find it worth 
5/., the purchaser would have to pay only the price which was 
put upon the manure by me. The policy of buying fish, and 
other refuse manures, subject to analysis, will be recognised from 
the fact that this fish manure was found to be worth only 31. 10s. 
a ton. 
In further illustration of these remarks, I would direct atten- 
tion to the subjoined analysis of a sample of night-soil manure, 
produced by Goux's patent system. 
Composition of a sample of Niglit-soil Manure obtained hy Goux's Plan. 
Water 31-16 
*Orj;anic matter 23-20 
Oxide of iron and alumina 12-31 
Phosphate of lime 1-31 
Sulphate of lime and a little cartonate of lime .. 5-04 
Alkaline salts and magnesia .. .. : .. .. 3-19 
Insoluble siliceous matter 23-79 
100-00 
Containing nitrogen - 94 
Equal to ammonia 1-14 
