BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 179 
In the light of this information, Mr. Saltonstall has prepared the 
following estimate of the cost of importing superphosphate from 
England : — 
Estimated Cost of importing Ten Tons of Lawes’s Superphosphate direct 
From London, by Sailing - Vessel to Boston. 
10 tons superphosphate @ £4 per ton delivered . wee ets 40 0 0 
Say 30 casks @ 5s. each : : 7100 
Customs dues, entry permit, and bills of lading . : : : 10 0 
Freight and primage to Boston say 25s. per ton : ° : 12 10 0 
60 10 0 
@ say $4.90 per pound sterling, and 13% on gold $ 335.00 
Boston wharfage and custom-house fees, say . ; 25.00 
Total . : ; : ; : $ 360.00 currency, 
or $36 per ton on wharf in Boston. 
The estimated cost on above basis of a higher grade superphosphate, all charges 
other than first cost being the same, may be found by adding to $36 per ton say 
28 cents for every shilling per ton cost in England over £4 delivered. For ex- 
ample, a superphosphate costing £4 10s. delivered to ship in London or Liverpool, 
should cost say $38.80 per ton on wharf in Boston. 
It appears from the table that in England, contrary to what the 
price-list of Giissefeld and the invoice of Marquart show to be true 
for Germany, the price of any given quantity of soluble phosphoric 
acid is somewhat higher in the high-grade articles than in those of 
low grade. Thus the 291 pounds of soluble phosphoric acid con- 
tained in a ton of the 13% article, sold by the Lawes Chemical 
Manure Company at £3 15s., would cost in England* about $ 20.63, 
or a single pound about 7 cents; while the 358 pounds contained in 
a ton of the 16% article, at £5 15s., would cost about $31.63, or 
nearly 9 cents per pound ; and the 400 pounds contained in a ton 
of the 18% article, at, say £7 10s., would cost about $ 41.25, or rather 
‘more than 10 cents per pound. It appears, in fact, that the difference 
between the first cost of the 137% article and those of higher grade 
is more than sufficient to make up for the expense of transporting 
the inert materials which are contained in the 13% superphosphate. 
On referring to Mr. Saltonstall’s estimate, it will be seen that the 
cost per ton on wharf at Boston of each of the three grades of super- 
phosphate now under discussion would be $36 for the 13%, $45.80 
for the 16%, and $55 60 for the 18%; that is to say, the cost per 
* Taking 273 cents of our money as the equivalent of an English shilling. 
