1502 Annual Report for 1908 of the Consulting Chemist. 
Tlie price of this Avas only 53s. per ton delivered, in Bucking- 
hamshire. 
2. Soot. 
I have on pre\ T ious occasions referred to the variability 
found in the quality of soot, and have pointed out the need of 
exercising care in the purchase of this material. That* good 
samples are obtainable is shown by the following analyses : — 
Percentage of — A B 
Nitrogen ...... 442 4‘77 
Equal to ammonia .... 5'37 5‘79 
, 3. Castor Meal (as manure.) 
This material is not unfrequently obtainable for manurial 
purposes. As a rule its quality ranges between 5 and 6 per 
cent, of ammonia. Sometimes, however, a meal is obtainable 
from which the husk has been largely removed, and which 
gives even higher results, as shown by the following analysis 
of a sample sent me by a member of the Society. 
This contained — 
per cent. 
Nitrogen ........ 7 - 73 
Equal to ammonia ....... 9’39 
It is well, however, to mention that castor meal is often 
adulterated with mineral matter such as carbonate of lime, 
sand, &c. 
4. Artificial Kainit. 
A matter of great importance to farmers was brought out 
in the course of an inquiry which I made in consequence of 
receiving from a member of the Society a sample of what he 
' had purchased as “ Kainit.” The article was invoiced as 
kainit, was sold with the usual guarantee for that material (to 
contain 11 per cent, of potash) and at the usual price of kainit. 
I found, however, on making an analysis of it, that it Avas not 
the natural salt kainit, such as comes from the mines at 
Stassfurt (Germany), and which is a neutral salt, the potash 
being present as sulphate of potash ; but that it was a salt of 
decidedly alkaline character, and that the potash, instead of 
being present as sulphate of potash, existed largely as carbonate 
of potash. In consequence of this, when the salt Avas mixed 
with sulphate of ammonia, ammonia Avas freely driven off and 
lost. As the purchaser intended to mix the “kainit” with 
sulphate of ammonia, he Avould have experienced considerable 
loss if he had used the two salts together, whereas the natural 
salt kainit could quite well be, and is frequently, so used. 
Enquiries which I made elicited the fact that the so-called 
“ kainit ” was an artificially prepared salt, obtained from 
