Anmuil Report for 1891 of the Consulting Chemist. 839 
*' undecorticated " cake. The price of the latter (7/. 5s. a ton) does 
not, however, hold out particular inducements to buyers so long as 
decorticated cotton-cake can be obtained. The analyses at the foot 
of the preceding page are of a sample of the decorticated cake re- 
ceived by me from India direct ; and of one of the undecorticated 
cake sent from the Argentine State. 
Feeding Meals. — As an instance of what so-called "feedingmeals" 
may sometimes be, I give the following case of one which was sent 
to me by a member who stated that it was called " special feeding- 
meal," but that neither sheep nor cows would eat it. It cost Ql. 10s. 
a ton, and was guaranteed to be " absolutely pure." On analysis of 
it I found it to contain no less than 6-10 per cent, of fine sandy 
matter. 
Manures. 
Passing from feeding materials to manures, it is well to remark 
that the past season has been a very unprofitable one for manu- 
facturers, and that while they have experienced keen competition 
and less demand, farmers have, on the other hand, had the advant- 
age of purchasing artificial manui-es at almost unaltered prices 
throughout, and such as can hardly be remunerative to the mer- 
chants. If farmers prefer to buy compound manures sold under 
various descriptions, they must of course take their chance, or rely 
on the I'eputation of the firms they deal with ; but for those who 
purchase such staple commodities as mineral superphosphate, bone- 
meal, dissolved bones, sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, kainit, 
etc., there can be no complaint either as to any difficulty in procuring 
these, or as to having to pay dearly for them. 
Superphosphate (Mineral). — The price for this, of the ordinary 
26-28 per cent. " soluble " quality, has been steady throughout — viz. 
from 'il. to 3/. 5s. a ton. A few cases have occurred throughout the 
year where low-quality samples, containing only 15 or 17 per cent, 
of soluble phosphates, were met with ; but this has been quite the 
exception. 
Basic Slag or "Basic Cinder." — The quality of the samples sent to 
me has been good in almost all cases. The results have been well 
up to the guarantees given, and the samples have, as a rule, been in 
a finely-powdered condition. 
Dissolved Bones. — These, when sold under a guarantee of being 
" pure," have generally been found to prove so ; although somewhat 
higher prices may have been asked, I am sure it will pay farmers 
better to get such a material, and, if they so please, mix mineral 
superphosphate with it, than to pui'chase the various mixtures sold 
under the names of " Dissolved Bone Compound," " Dissolved Bone 
Manure," (fee, which contain a more or less uncertain amount of bone 
in their composition. Manufacturers also are, I think, turning more 
attention to the making of genuine dissolved bones in a form in 
which it can be readily sown. 
Bone-meal. — As is known, large supplies of bone-meal are 
