172 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
Of matters valuable as manure the specimen contained : — 
Soluble phosphoric acid ; : : é . 0.38% 
Insoluble ‘“ afte ee : . ; [ 18.28 
otal ek" ¥ - : ; : ; 18.66% 
; sy _. § ammonia, 1.427%, 1. e, nitrogen 1.17% 
Total ‘nitrogen; 8.1175 == pee not in form of ammonia _ 1.94 
| | | tes) SAAY 
There was sand, etc., insoluble in acid, to the amount of . f 2.51% 
In October, 1872, $55 per ton was asked in Boston for the Cum- 
berland superphosphate, and $50 per ton for the Cumberland am- 
moniated bone ; and a considerable discount upon these sums was 
granted in the spring of 1873 to the purchaser of a car-load of the 
materials who dealt directly with the manufacturer, and was allowed 
the commission that would ordinarily have been paid to the selling 
agent. 
One of the samples (No. II.) obtained from Dr. Marquart had 
evidently deteriorated by keeping ; that is to say, a portion of the 
soluble phosphoric acid originally contained in it had undoubtedly 
been ‘‘ reduced” since the time of manufacture. The analysis goes 
to show that the low-grade European superphosphates, like most 
of those made in this country, should be brought to the land fresh 
from the manufactory, in order that the crops to which they are 
applied may derive the full benefit of the labor and chemical treat- 
ment which have been expended to that end by the manufacturer of 
the fertilizer. The other samples from Dr. Marquart (Nos. III. and 
IV.) were doubtless what they purported to be, though the analyses 
do not show it. Through the carelessness of the European shipper, 
these high-grade samples were put into the hold of a sailing-vessel 
for the Atlantic voyage in coarse bags. Naturally enough, the bags 
were found to be thoroughly rotten when the ship was discharged ; 
and it is evident from the analyses that a good deal of moisture had 
been absorbed by the hygroscopic materials. But the presence of 
this extraneous moisture of course lowers the percentage proportion 
of phosphoric acid, as shown by analysis. On subtracting the ex- 
cess of moisture, the proportion of soluble phosphoric acid rises at 
once to the amount that was guaranteed. There is consequently 
