36G Annual Report of tlie Consulting Chemist for 1883. 
sometimes exceeds 30.";. per ton, are misleading, and ought 
to be abandoned by manufacturers and dealers in artificial 
manures. 
When manures such as superphosphate have been bought 
of a definite guaranteed strength, there is no difficulty in 
adjusting the price, if on delivery of the bulk the manure does 
not come up to the guarantee. 
Mineral superphosphate at present may be bought at 3.«. 
per cwt. of soluble phosphate ; consequently superphosphate 
guaranteed to contain 26 per cent, of soluble is worth 3*. X 26 = 
2>l. IS*, per ton. 
In two cases in which mineral superphosphate of that 
guaranteed strength was bought at 3^. 18s. per ton. the bulk on 
delivery in one case was found to contain 18*45 per cent., and 
in the second only 12 59 per cent, of soluble phosphate, instead 
of 26. In the first case the buyer claimed and obtained compen- 
sation for the deficiency of 7J per cent, of soluble phosphate, 
namely, 3*. X 7^, i.e. 22s. Qd. per ton ; and in the second case, 
instead of having to pay 3/. 18s. per ton, the purchaser paid only 
3s. X 12J= II. lis. 6(1. per ton. 
Peat-Moss Litter Manure. — In my last Annual Report I 
directed attention to the use of peat-moss as a substitute for 
straw in stables and cow-sheds. 
The following analyses show the composition of farmyard- 
manure, which was made entirely with the employment of peat- 
moss as litter ; — 
Moisture GO -01 .. 62-70 
* Organic matter and salts of ammonia 27 "16 .. 30 "38 
Phosphate of lime 1-07 .. l-Ol 
Alkaline salts, &c 2-14 .. 2-07 
Insoluble siliceous matter 3*62 .. 3"84; 
100-00 100-00 
* Containing nitrogen • 59 -66 
Equal to ammonia -73 -SO 
Both samples were rather superior in quality to good rotten 
ordinary dung. 
Soils Deficient in Potash. — As a rule, kainit and potash salts 
do not produce any very marked effect when applied to clay soils, 
and generally are more beneficially applied to poor sandy soils 
or light land than to heavy land. There are, however, excep- 
tions to this general rule ; and only a few weeks ago, I made 
an analysis of a strong soil from East Kent, in which there 
were mere traces of available potash, as the following analysis 
shows : — 
