Qtiarierhj Beport of the Chemical Committee, June, 1892. 319 
Nearly one-half of this is carbonate of lime (chalk) ; it has little intrinsio 
■worth, and bl. a ton is an extravagant price for it. It is not at all a 
suitable potato manure. 
No further particulars could be obtained. 
5. The following case is an illustration of the need of precaution 
in purchasing very finely ground bone-meal. 
The finer portions of the meal obtained after grinding and sifting 
frequently contain very much higher percentages of fine sand and 
dirt than the coarser kinds. The sand is not actually added by way 
of adulteration to bone-meals, but is separated out from the coarser, 
and retained to a greater extent in the finer portions during the 
process of sifting ; hence the finer meals are often of inferior quality. 
Although rightly sold at a lower price in consequence, the very fine 
meals ought not to be described as “ pure.” 
Mr. E. W. Tumor, of The Green, Stafford, sent, on April 18, a 
sample of bone-meal, 15 tons of which, lie stated, had been sold to 
him as “ pure, raw, ground bone-meal,” at bl. per ton on truck at 
Liverpool, less 2^ per cent, discount. 
The following analysis was returned : — 
April 23, 1892. 
Aloisture . . . . 
* Organic matter 
Phosphate of lime . 
Carbonate of lime, &c. 
Insoluble siliceous matter 
7-bb\ 
24-3.5 
45-49 1 100-00 
7-79 1 
14-82) 
‘ containing nitrogen . 
equal to ammonia . 
3-03 
S"a7 
This is not pure, as it has a great deal of sand w-ith it. But you would 
never get raw bone-meal (pure) at bl. per ton now. Still, this ought not to 
be sold as “ pure bone-meal.” 
The vendors guaranteed the bone-meal to be “pure, and to con- 
tain at least 4^ per cent, of ammonia and 50 per cent, of phosphate 
of lime.” They offered to take the meal back if a fresh sample 
drawn showed results below the guarantee. Ultimately an allow- 
ance of 2s. 6tf. per ton was offered and accepted. 
During the quarter the Departmental Committee on Fertilisers 
and Feeding-stuffs appointed by the Board of Agriculture applied 
to the Council for information respecting the action w'hich has been 
taken by the Society for the repression of adulteration of manures 
and feeding-stuffs. The Chemical Committee, to which this request 
was referred, accordingly di’ew up the following memorandum, which 
with the approval of the Council, has been forwarded to the Depart- 
pacntal Committee, and is now included in the usual Quarterly 
VOL. III. T. S. — 10 ^ A 
I . 
