i 1 /" o * o, V^ AMERICAN MANURES; AND PAEMBRS' AND PLASTERS' G- U I D E. COMPRISING A DESCRIPTION OF THE ELEMENTS AND COMPOSITION OF PLANTS AND SOILS— THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COMPOSTING— THE VALUE OF STABLE MANURE AND WASTE PRODUCTS, ETC., ETC., ETC. ALSO, CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF THE PRINCIPAL MANUFACTURED FERTILIZERS— THEIR ASSUMED AND REAL VALUE— AND A FULL EXPOSE OF THE FRAUDS PRACTISED UPON PURCHASERS. '<;"■■ COP YRiaHT'c-N'' WILLIAM H. BEIJOKNEB^f J^rfe^^'' ANALYTICAL AND CONSULTING CHEMIST, ^ ."^^ AND J. B. CHYNOWETH. PHILADELPHIA: WILLIAM H. BKUCKNER, 1872. sintered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by WILLIAM H. BRUCKNER, Id the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. c^o^m^mwim^^rt^ms. NO. I. From Philadelphia'' s distinguished Lawyer^ Theo. Guyler : I have examined tlie several pages of the book entitled " American Manures and Farmers' and Planters' Guide," pub- lished at Philadelphia, by Chynoweth and Company, 1871, to "which you asked my attention. These pages are numbered 214, 216, 227, 238, 240 and 244. I have also examined the book at large sufficiently to enable me to form an idea of its general scope and tenor. Assuming the statements of the book to be true at the pages indicated, they do not in my opinion transcend the bounds of legitimate criticism and are not libellous. The language, though severe and strong, is not more strong and severe than such facts justify in a book devoted to the useful instruction of the people in a preeminently important depart- ment of practical knowledge. I could much more easily under- stand, that silence and the suppression of such information on the part of those possessing it, would be an offence against society, than I could that its utterance would be a legal offence against the rights of an individual engaged in the perpetration of such deceptions. No man has a legal right to mislead and deceive the pul)lic. If he does so and injury to any individual results therefrom, he is liable in damages. If he does so and is exposed, he who exposes him has performed a duty, and not committed a wrong. (Signed,) THEO. GUYLER. NO. II. Fro7n the Author of '•'• American Or ape Growers'' Quide^'''' etc. : Your book "American Manures and Farmers' and Planters' Guide," supplies, most effectually, a want that has long existed, and, no doubt, will save millions of dollars to the agricultural community, not only from the fearless manner in which you have exposed the frauds of the manufacturers of special fertilizers, but, also, by the lucid and scientific, yet practical and readily ill IV COMMENDATIONS. understood explanations given. Yon have brought the chemis- try and general science of agriculture down to so fine a point that the most illiterate cultivator, if he can only read the English language, cannot help but know what is wanted to improve his land, and su])ply that want at a fair money value. Forty years ago, I was just arriving at manhood, and since that time, have been actively employed in practical farming and horticulture, and can truly state, from actual experience, that many of your deduc- tions are perfectly correct. In fact, you have brought before the public a greater amount of reliable information, in condensed form, than is to be found in Liebig and Johnson combined, or any other work of the same kind which I have yet seen. (Signed,) WM. CHORLTOK NO. III. From the North American and United States Gazette^ the leading Commercial Paper of Philadelphia : The authors premise that strictly scientific writers on the use and composition of fertilizers are usually too technical for the comprehension of practical men, and the merely practical writers record results without elucidating causes or opening the philoso- phy involved. They essay to unfold the frauds of manufactured manures, of which, it is said, 500,000 tons are sold annually in this country, at a cost of $25,000,000, to the farmers. One chap- ter is surrendered to an exposition of the elements of manures and plants, and the action of one on the other ; another to the kind and amount of fertilizer different plants need ; one to the composition of soils, and others to the values of fertilizers in money. The last chapter is filled -with analyses. There is enough in almost any ten pages treating of the patent manures and fertilizers to ground as many libel suits. One fertilizer after another is shown to be deficient in value, or over-priced, or otherwise undesirable, and the authors state how they secured the material from which their analyses were made. So far as the chemistry of agriculture is involved, the work is admirable. We hesitate only over the exposition made of special articles so long and highly commended. But conceding the truth of the statements, every farmer should use fertilizers, and telescopes endless in selecting them. We fail to notice any apparent com- mendation of one at the cost of the others, but do see that the German fertilizers have a double per cent, of phosphates over the best of our own. The book proposes to enable every farmer to compost for himself, and so secure a reliable fertilizer. The importance of the subject cannot be over-estimated, and tin capital at. issue will certainly advertize this work in one way oi another strongly. It seems to be thoroughly fair and reliable. 1 COMMENDATIONS. V NO. IV. OUR HOME PHOSPHATES. From the Charleston^ 8. C, Courier: The manufacture and sale of Superphosphates under theii many dit^erent names and varied experimental value have become of such importance in this country as to warrant steps being taken, not only to protect the planter from injustice, but also in the interest of the honest dealer "vvho does give value received for money paid. Tlie different Governments of Europe whom we are in the habit of calling slow, have long ago said that parties selling these articles shall affirm the constituents of their compounds and guarantee their proportions, in order that parties, whose general knowledge of chemistry may be sufficient for ordinary purposes shall, when they wish to use an organic or mineral constituent as the food of their crop, get what the}'" pay for, or have the means of redress. Our attention has been forcibly called to the subject by a care- ful perusal of a book laid ui)on our table purporting to be Amer- ican 3Ianures, their money value, by James Bennett Chynoweth, late Superintendent of Fertilizer Works, and William H. Bruck- ner, Ph. D., Analytical and Consulting Chemist, Philadelphia. A careful perusal will repay the planter and farmer, also those interested in tlie sale of Superphosphates. It is written in plain language and devoid of the symbols and technical character of the terms of Science. It is especially due from our Charleston manufacturers of Superphosphates that they give as wide a cir- culation as possible to the public of the valuable information conveyed in this publication. If one-half of what is told of the many subterfuges and false proportions put upon our planting community by our Northern manufacturing friends is true, the market of the United States is in our hands, and we only need to use the resources which Provi- dence has committed to us and their proper development, which ordinary intelligence should give, in order to obtain that con- trolling influence in our markets, which the possession of in- exhaustible beds of Natim Bone Pliosphate entitle us. In any event, the natural course of trade ought in time to give us this control ; but with the impetus which this description of facts, properly ventilated, should produce, Charleston ought at one bound to step to the front rank, in the United States at least, as a manufacturer of fertilizers. We have taken the money value to the consumer of fourteen of the fertilizers mentioned in this publication, the names of which were most familiar to us, and some of whom are as house- hold words over the Cotton States, and to find it to vary from four 96-100 dollars for the lowest value up, with variations to thirty-six 93-100 dollars. These fertilizers are sold at the place of manufacture at from forty-five to fifty-six dollars per ton of VI COMMENDATIONS. 2000 pounds. Now if our planting friends experienced so much benefit as their many flattering encomiums sliow, from so small a value received in proportion to the outlay made, how much more favorable would have been the reports, and how much more satisfactory the state of their money resources, had they received a fair value for the amount paid ? These writers state that there is consumed in the United States to-day five hundred thousand tons of fertilizers at a cost to the consumers of twenty- five millions of dollars. How bright a vista of future prosperity looms up in future for us if we only use our best efforts to cen- tralize this trade, so immense in its young proportion, and direct its regenerating influences over our much divided low country of South Carolina. The larger proportion of our community do not realize how large an influence the possession of these phosphate beds, properly developed, will have on our commercial position, and it will well become us in the future to use some efforts for home prosperity, and devote some time and capital for the proper management of oiir home institutions. NO. Y. From the Journal of Applied Chemistry, publisJied simultane- ously in New York, Philadelphia and Boston : They carry a steady lance and strike pretty hard blows, and we should advise every farmer who proposes to buy fertilizers to read this book before he makes too large an investment. An accurate knowledge of the scientific part of this book would save every farmer the time and expense of many useless experiments. There is a large amount of information condensed into a small space, and so far as we have been able to detect from a hasty perusal, this information is carefully selected and correctly given according to the latest and best authorities. Some controversial portions of the work might, perhaps, have found a better place in the columns of influential newspapers, but we do not object to them as they add piquancy and spice to the feast the authors have afforded lis. It is a pity that a few dishonest manufacturers of fertilizers have brought the business into such ill-repute, and the only remedy would appear to be just such an exposure of the tricks of the trade as is here given. We commend the book to the notice of our agricultural readers. The work will be sent by mail, postage paid, to any address, by remitting the price, $1.50. Address, WILLIAM H. BRUCKNER, Monroe, Michigan. Agents loanted in every ToionsMp in the United States. Liberal inducements offered, v PREFACE TO THE SECOiXD EDITION. Mr. Chynoweth's connection with ^^ American Ma- nures '^ having ceased, it affords the author pleasure in announcing that the first edition of the work has been exhausted, and thanking the public for their kind patronage of the same. While he is conscious that certain parties put forth all their energies to suppress the work in its infancy, he is glad to say that success has not crowned their efforts, as is evinced by this revised edition. And it is hoped, not only by him, but he trusts by all who have the welfare of their fellow- beings at heart, that subsequent editions may follow in quick succession. It is the writer's intention to embrace in future editions of the work analyses, not only of manures re- presenting those which have been examined, but of others ; and judging from the following quotation of a letter from a manufacturer of fertilizers, dated Nov. 29th, he will not be surprised to find a marked improve- ment in the quality of the former. " The book has exercised a great influence on the fertilizing business, and has j^ut thousands of dollars vii Vlll PREFACE. into the pockets of the fanners. Every manufacturer has increased the quality of his article. The State of Delaware employs a State Chemist, and all manufac- turers must have their fertilizers analyzed by that chemist before they are allowed to sell in that State, so that there was a fair chance to observe the rise of the Phosphate Business.'' Immediately after the publication of " Anieriean Manures/' Messrs. Wattson & Clark, manufacturers of Superphosphate of Lime, No. 135 North Water street, Philadelphia, while candidly admitting the correctness of analyses and fairness of criticism of their product^ informed the writer that they manufacture a superphos- phate of lime (never found in the market in bags), which they warr^ant to contain 10 per cent, of soluble phosphoric acid (anhydrous), and which in quantity they are willing to sell at the price laid down in this book, namely, 12 J cents per pound, for soluble phos- phoric acid; or, in other words, they charge for the above superphosphate, $25 per short ton. This statement is made, because justice demands it ; and farmers desirous of getting the worth of their money ^ would do well to club together to purchase such an article in quantity. Subsequent division to meet the wants of each purchaser could easily be effected. WILLIAM H. BRUCKNER. March, 1812. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. Knowledge is indispensably necessary to better the condition of mankind. The posses- sion of the information that will enable us to procure what we need, is oftentimes more valu- able than the possession of the same without such knowledge ; the advantages of the latter are temporary, those of the former are perma- nent. To be warned of danger is better than to be armed to resist it. When the wrongs and im- positions practised on communities are fully exposed, they have no one to blame but them- selves for their continuance. It has ever been considered the duty of each member of a com- munity to do all in his power to expose and redress existing wrongs, especially when those wrongs affect the vital interests of all. From these considerations we feel it a duty, and we claim the right of giving freely the knowledge 4 PREFACE. we possess on the subjects treated in this book. We shall unmask practices that have been backed up by favorable reports, and artfully designed statements, falsely claiming to be bene- fits conferred on the community, and which, from a want of knowledge to distinguish real from imaginary good, have passed currently as such. We shall not attempt to disprove the statements of dishonest manufacturers of fertilizers by mere reasoning; we only desire the reader closely to scrutinize and compare the facts as given, and make his own deductions. We challenge the parties assailed to disprove them. We expect to offend some: when wrongs are exposed, this is inevitable; and those parties may endeavor to refute the statements made. Our justification is written down in the following pages. In the language of Cicero, w-e shall '' Neither dare to say anything that is false, nor fear to say anything that is true." Philadelphia, May 1st, 1871. CONTENTS. < < • • ► CHAPTER I. IMPOHTANT PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. (Page 11-31.) 11, Importance of our work. — 12, Two kinds of works on farming. — 13, 1st kind, and remarks — 14, 2d kind, and re- marks. — 15, Operations of the farm may be intelligently per- formed. — 16, Farming may be made scientific — Book knowledge necessary. — 17, Progress of other arts. — 18, Terse sayings — Negligence and indifference of farmers. — 19, Effect of knowledge — What we intend to show. — 20, Effect of this upon farmers — Object of concentrated manures — Remark. — 21, Analyses of Dr. Bruckner — How samples wer-e obtained — Other fertilizers to be examined — Made manures a special study. — 23, Secrecy and frauds of manufacturers. — 24, Lying circulars. — 25, Detection difficult — Immense profits. — 26, Object of book. — 27, Necessity of inspection. — 28, Agricultural Department at Washington re- miss. — 29, All interested in agriculture. — 30, Practical experi- ments to be made. CHAPTER II. ELEMENTS OF MANURES AND PLANTS. (Page 31-77.) 31, Definition of manure — Two objects to be effected — A per- fect manure. — 32, Loss of manures — -Materials abundant. — 33, Gasc'ous elements — Elements with oxygen forming acids — Bases —Alkalies — Elements unite in definite proportions. — 34, Defini- 5 6 CONTENTS. tion of element — A compound — An oxide — A salt — Chemical aflanity. — 35, Cohesion. — Gaseous Elements. — 35, Oxygen — Its properties, etc. — One-fifth of the atmosphere — Half of animals and plants — Source of, in plants — Exhaled by plants, — 37, Hy- drogen — Its properties — How existing in nature — In plants and animals — Its weight — What it forms — How assimilated by plants. — 38, Garhuretted Hydrogen — Where found — Marsh gas — Fire damp — Present in soils. — 39, Sulphuretted Hydrogen — How formed — Its properties — In marshy places — Hurtful to vegetation — Effects in soils. — 41, Nitrogen — Its properties — Forms nitric acid with oxygen — Forms ammonia with hydrogen. — 42, Plants do not absorb it irom atmosphere. — 43, Experiments of Lawes and others on rain water — Conclusion therefrom. — 44, Chlorine — Its properties — Sources, etc. — 45, Elements fouming Acids — Silicon — Its appearance — Forms silicic acid — Silicates of pot- ash, lime, and magnesia — Their use. — 45, Silica — Crystallized and amorphous — Its properties. — 46, Soluble silica-^How formed, 9,nd uses of. — 47, Value of soluble silica — Sources of it. — 48, Car- bon — Its joroperties. — 48, Carbonic Acid — How formed. — 49, Its uses to plants — Uses of humus or mould. — 50, Pliosphorus — Its properties, etc. — Phosphoric Acid — Its composition and proper- ties — 50, Bone Phosphate of Lime — Its composition, etc. — 51, Neutral Phosphate of Lime — Its composition, etc. — 51, Super- phosphate of Lime — Its composition — How formed. — 52, Its ac- tion in soils, and Ronna's report on its action. — 57, Sulphur — Its properties, etc. — 58, Sulphuric Acid — Its composition and uses — Cheapest source to farmer.^ELEMENTS fouming bases. — 58, Calcium — Its properties, etc. — 59, Oxide of Qfilcimn, or quick lime— Its composition. — 59, Carbonate of Lime — Its composition, etc. — How made quick lime, etc. — 59, Hydrate of Lime — Its com- position. — 60, How lime should be slacked. — Marls rich in carbo- nate of lime — Quick lime more valuable than carbonate. — 61, Neu- tralizes acids in soils — Liberates ammonia. — 62, Effect on iron pyrites — On silicates of soda and potash — On salt — Its physical effects. — 63, What soils need lime. — 64, How and what quantity should be applied.— 65, Sulphate of Lime — Its composition — At- tracts little moisture. — 66, Its benefits due to sulphuric acid — Why but little required. — 66, Magnesium — Its properties. — 67, Magnesia — Its composition — Its action — Cheap sources of — Too much hurtful. — 68, Iron — Forms two oxides—Protoxide injuri- CONTENTS. 7 ons to vegetation. — G9, Peroxide of Iroii — Its composition — Uses in soils — Effect of too much — How to correct it, and effects. — 70, Sulphate of Iron — How formed — Too much hurtful — How corrected — Iron pyrites useful. — 70, Potassium — Its properties — Oxidizes readily — Forms caustic potasli. — 71, Potash — Its proper- ties — Importance to plants — How and where found in nature — 72, Potasli from plant and wood ashes — Wood ashes as manure. — 7H, Sodium — Its properties — Forms caustic soda — Soda now made from common salt. — 74, Nitrate of Soda — Where found — Its uses in soils — Soda in plants — Cheapest source of it — Gommon Salt — Its composition. — 75, Action of salt in soils— Injurious to some plants and trees — Exterminates insects and worms — How much wheat requires. CHAPTER III. COMPOSITION OF PLANTS, AND KINDS AND AMOUNT OP MANURES BEQuiKED. (Page 77-104.) 77, Elements vary but little in plants of same kind — Effects, if not so — First lesson of farmers — Popular idea of action of ma- nure. — 79, Potash^ Silicon^ and Lime Plants. — 80, Remarks on. — 81, Importance of studying the tables. — 82, Tal)le of composition of plants. — 83, Albumen and Gluten — Their uses ^Starch and Gum — Their uses and mode of action. — 84, Woody fibre — Of no use as food — Theory of fattening. — 85, Table of inorganic ele- ments of plants— A key to application of fertilizers — Remarks on table. — 86, Composition of wheat and straw — Remarks — Ash of plants unilbrm. — 88, Crops on ordinary land. — 89, English far- mers. — 89, Wheat — Analysis of grain and straw — Remarks.— 90, Indian (7cni— Analysis of — Remarks. — 91, Bye — Analysis of— Remarks.— 92, Oats — Analysis of — Remarks. — 93, Parley — • Analysis of — Remarks, — 94, Buckwheat — Analysis of — Remarks. • — 94, Potatoes — Analysis of — Remarks. — 95, Glover Hay — An- alysis of — Remarks. — 96, Tobacco and Gotton — Analysis of — Re- marks. — 98, What should be applied to each crop — Average crop "In thirty States — In Pennsylvania — In South Carolina. — 99, Re- marks. — 100, What reader should have learned. — 101, What has been raised in four years — What was taken from the soil — What will restore it. — 102, Bad effects of overcropping in United States and West Indies. 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. OEIGIN AND COMPOSITION OF SOILS, ETC. (Page 104-123.) 104, Knowledge of soils necessary — Usual considerations in purchasing a farm — The true test of value. — 106, Analysis of soil near the Zuyder Zee. — 107, Amount of elements in this soil — ■ Last how long — How long cropped. — 109, Analysis of a sterile soil — Remarks — 109, Analysis of supposed barren soil — Plow benefitted. — 110, What plants must have — What farmer shoul(J, do. — 111, Sand and clay the bulk of soils — Alluvial soils — Dilu- vial soils — Rocks that form fertile soils. — 112, Granite, quartz, felspar, mica, how these become soils. — 113, Potash in felspar. — 114, Oarhonate of Lime — Its composition and origin. — 114, 8ul- phate of Lime — Its ofRce and where found — 115, Pliosjjhorite — Its importance — Its source in soils — Found in rocks, etc. — 115, Sandstones — What is found in them — Easily disintegrated. — 116, Soils — How named and why — Deep red soils. — 117, Mould — How formed — Remarks. — 118, A complete manure — Waste must be supplied. — 119, Humus — Its office — Water and carbon the bulk of vegetation — Carbon not furnished b}^ the soil. — 120, Car- bon furnished by atmosphere. — 121, Importance of heat and moisture. — 121, How to benefit sandy soils. CHAPTER V. THE MONEY VALUE OF FERTILIZERS, ETC. (Page 123-163.) 124, How prices should be rated. — 125, Exorbitant prices — How to lower them. — 126, Effect of high prices. — 127, No return for the money. — 128, Farmers think manures must be bulky— Not so. — 128-9, Poorness of some fertilizers — Insincerity of manufacturers — Money made from sale of water. — 130, Dishon- esty and ignorance of manufacturers — Their lamentations. — 131, Tlie good old times — Effects of their frauds — 132, Our duty. — 133, Poor state of agriculture — Fertilizers in England — In United States. — 134, Report of an English manufacturer. — 135, State of manufacturers in United States. — 135-6, Mode of estimating value in England and Germany — Not applicable to United States. — 137, Basis of value. — 138, Analysis of cattle bones, and amount of phosphoric acid. — 139, Two sources of phosphoric acid — 1st source — 2d source — Its extent. — 140, Report of Dr. Pratt on CONTENTS. 9 mineral phosphates of South Carolina. — 143-3, Anal^'sis of — Prices — Profits when merely ground — Of no value m this state. — 144-5, Soluble phosphoric acid — IIow produced — Too little sul- phuric acid used. — 146, Amount required — Amount for 100 lbs. ox bones — The compounds produced. — 148, Cost of materials for a ton, and the value. — 149, Profits to manufacturers — Kind sold. — 150-1, Cost and value if made of mineral phosphate — Profits when sold at $50 per ton — Kind sold. — 152-3, A bogus super- phosphate — Insoluble phosphoric acid no value to farmer. — 154, Soluble bone phosphate fraud. — 154, Ammonia and Nitrogen — Actual and potential ammonia — x\.ctual of most value — Manufac- turers make no distinction in giving analyses. — 15G, Value of each. — 157, Crude sulphate of ammonia — Nitrogen as pot. amm. and how changed to actual. — 158, Cost of nitrogen in bones. — 159-CO, Value of potash with tables — Deceptions of manufactu- rers. — IGl, Catechism for manufacturers. CHAPTER VI. NATURE AND VALUE OF NATURAL MANURES, COMPOSTING, ETC. (Page 103-192.) 163, Natural manures. — 164, These not sufficient. — 155, Stable Manures — Their composition and value. — 107, Analysis of excre- ment and value — City Stable Manure — Its value — Frauds and profits of dealers. — 169, Rotted and dried stable manure — Use of rotting. — 170, Analysis of liquid excrement and value. — 171, Total value and remarks. — 172, Swamp Muck — Its composition, etc. — 173, Effects of application. — 174, Composting of muck — mud — dried earth. — 175, Leaves of Trees — Their value — Analysis of, etc.' — 175, Wood and Goal Ashes. — 176, Analysis of — Phos. acid and potash in ashes — Effect of coal a'ld peat ashes. — 177. Soot — Its value — Analysis of — 177, Marl — Its composition, kinds and value. — 179, Oreen Manuring — Its value, and better than wdiat — Long root plants. — 180, How and when to green manure — Benefits limited — Rest does not restore land. — 181, Liquid Ma- nures — Their value, etc — 181, Composting — What is necessary — Incorrect method. — 183-4-5, Proper method described. — 186. Substances in heap — Chemical changes effected.— 189, Ground Ijoncs — Time required. — 190, Mistakes made. 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. GENERAL REMARKS — ANALYSES OP COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS, WITH COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS — METHODS OF ANALYSIS. (Page 192-260.) 192, What this chapter will show — Cure for frauds. — 193, What manufacturers may object to — Our reply. — 194, Farm pro- duce inspected — The golden rule. — 195, Analyses of Watson & Clark's Superphosphate — Its money value. — 196, Remarks on. — 197, Analyses of Rhodes' Superphosphate — Its money value. — 198, Remarks on. — 199, Analyses of Berger & Butz's Excelsior Superphosphate of Lime — Its money value. — 200, Remarks on. — 201, Analyses op "Magnum Bonum Soluble Phosphate," Dugdale & Girvin, sole proprietors, Baltimore, Md. — Its money value. — 202-3, Remarks on — Their garbled an- alysis. — 204, Their bombast. — 205, Evasion of law of Maryland, — 206, Analyses of AVhann's Raw Bone Superphosphate — Its money value. — 207, Remarks — Extracts from circular. — 208-9, False statements. — 210, Cheated in our purchase. — 211, Analyses op Soluble Pacific Guano — Its money value. — 212,, Remarks — Light in weight — Heavy in Avater, etc. — 213-14, Ex- tracts from circular. — 215, Bogus chemists and garbled analysis. — 216, Brag — Great cry and little wool. — 217, Analyses op Baugh & Sons' Raw Bone Superphosphate — Its money value. — 218-19, Remarks on — Extracts from circular. — 220, Garbled analysis. — 221, Analyses of Frank Coe's Superphosphate OF Lime — Its money value — Remarks— Analysis of in 1854 and 1865 — Deterioration since then. — 223, Analyses of Moro Phil- lips' "Phuine" — Its money value. — 224, Analyses of Moro Phillips' Genuine Improved Superphosphate of Lime — Its money value. — 225, R,emarks on the Superphosphate and Phuine — Extracts from circular. — 227, A great blow and little show — Phuine the greatest swindle. — 228, Excellenza Ammoniated Soluble Phosphate — Analysis of — Its money value. — 229-30, Remarks. — 231, Analyses of Bower's Complete Manure — Its money value. — 232, Short weight.^ — 233-34, Extracts from circular. — 235, The mountain in labor. — 236, C'ommendatory let- ters. — 238, The manure a fraud. — 239, Analyses op Patapsco Guano Company's Ammoniated Soluble Phosphate — Its money value. — 240, Remarks on — Garbled analysis. — 241, Ex- tracts from circular. — 242, Analyses of Needles' Improved Superphosphate of Lime — Its money value. — 243, A fraud in weight and quality. — 244, Manufacturer should be prosecuted. — 245, Analyses of the Bromophyte Fertilizer — lis money value. — 246, Remarks and extracts. — 248, etc.. Humorous certi- ficates. — 252, Stealing thunder. — 252, Methods op Analysis— For total nitrogen — For actual ammonia and potash — For phos. acid. — 254, Concluding Remarks. — 255, EflFect of certifi- cates. — 256, No complaints published. — 257, Mistakes of farmers in giving certificates. — 258, As soon give certificate to a thief — Necessity for inspection. — 259, Inspection in Germany and its effects iu securing the manufacture of good manures. CHAPTER I. IMPORTANT INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. Within tlie past few years, several valuable additions have been made to the agricultural literature of our country, by some of the most practical, scientific men of the times, and we suppose that the publication of another book on the subject of farming, and its interests, may at this time, be considered unnecessary. But when we have stated the reasons that lead us to issue this publication, and the im- portant interests we intend to discuss, we think the public at large, and especially our progressive farmers, who desire to elevate their profession and raise the largest crops with the least possible outlay, without impairing the value of their lands, will agree with us, that the imforma- tion contained in this book has long been needed, and that its publication is only the natural working of the law of demand and supply. 2 11 12 AMERICAN MxVNURES. The bulk of tlie agricultural literature of the clay has two vital defects, calculated to defeat the end for which it is intended. The direct cause of this failure may be traced to the Avriters themselves, who may be classified as follows : First. The purely professional, scientific man, who, unfortunately, cannot divest his writini2:s of the symbols and technical characters and terms of science ; as he has a reputation to sustain or acquire among the savans of the w^orld, and the scientific men of the country. Their w^orks may be ever so progressive, and show great originality and merit, with an amount of labor and patient research deserving of the highest commendation. Still they signally fail in the object intended — that of giving plain, practical information to our farmers — as the most of them, on account of their technical character, present as much difficulty to the un instructed mind of the general farmer as if tliey were written in Greek characters. It is not our purpose to condemn works of this class ; they are needed as text books in oui educational institutions, and as books of reference for the scient^ific portion of the community. And as standard works in science, they could not be well given in any other form ; and the farmer, had he the leisure, and the inclination, to give INTRODUCTION. 13 them a thorough study, would be amply repaid. But we must accept the fact, that the majority of our farmers are not educated chemists, and that in connection with the labors of tlie farm, they have not the time ; and it cannot be ex- pected that they would have the inclination to prosecute a study that requires so much patient research as the science of chemistry. To be- come acquainted with those intricate processes which are at all times taking place in the plant, — the germination of the seed, the causes that lead to the formation of the complex and changing compounds in the different stages of the growth of the plant, the formation of the varied colors and perfume of the blossoms, the changes that take place in the ripening of the fruit, — is a life- long study for men who have leisure, toith a natural aptitude for the subject. We do not question the utility of these studies. A more intimate knowledge of vegetable physiology will undoubtedly be of incalculable benefit, in indicating the causes and cure of disease and blight in plants, which often disappoints the hopes of our farmers. But the majority of those who have to take hold of the handles of the plow themselves, require more practical information ; and in order to render it acceptable, it should be given in practical terms, so that when they seek informa- 14 AMERICAN MANURES. tion Oil any subject connected with their busi- ness, they shall not be discouraged by a long array of (to them) meaningless symbols, or have to be continually referring to a chemical dic- tionary to know what the writer means. We do not intend any one to infer, that we ignore, or attempt to bring science into discredit. The farmer needs all tbe science he can get, and he would find himself greatly benefited by a general application of all its discoveries. But he needs an interpreter of the truths and facts that have been demonstrated by the patient research of those who have been favored with opportunities, time and means to devote to the subject. And in this book we shall endeavor to give all the practical knowledge, so far developed and established as truths and fixed facts {not speculations) y having a particular connection with agriculture, and this will be rendered in such plain language that a child may read and understand. The second class of writers, whose productions are commonly found in the Agricultural Journals of the day, fall into the opposite extreme. These writers are practical farmers, and write with the commendable intention of giving the results of their experience to benefit their brethren. INTRODUCTION. 15 They generally give a brief description of their experiments, and the benefits derived from them, as shown in the improved condition and fertility of their lands. The information thus given is very good as far as it goes, but as these experiments are generally made without a clear knowledge of the defects intended to be remedied, or of the nature of the materials employed, they must naturally be risky : they may succeed or fail. As experiments so made must naturally cause a great waste of time and money, the value of practical knowledge is apparent. The farmer to work intelligently should know what is the best and cheapest means to effect a desired end, and this cannot be done until he is fully acquainted with the chemical and physical defects of his soil, and the nature and properties of those materials that he can procure to correct them. Ther'e is no operation of the farm that cannot be performed so intelligently as the burning of limestone to produce quick lime, and the subsequent application of this lime to hasten the decomposition of dead vegetable substances in the soil, and give food to plants. It is not our intention to insult the good sense of our practical farmers by any labored defence of what is termed book farming. The prejudices supposed to exist against valuable information that can be given on this subject in books are IQ AMERICAN MANUKES. only myths, the bugbear of those parties who make a business of giving information, and writing books on subjects of which they are entirely ignorant; and the thin veil of whose pretensions is so transparent that the farmer soon discovers the emptiness that is within, and those writers get the contempt and derision they so deservedly merit. Farming should and can be elevated to a science ; but in order to effect this, the farmer should realize that he has more to learn than the ])uilding of fences, ploughing and cultivating the soil, sowing the seed and gathering the harvest, w^ith the general care of his live stock. That the necessary knowledge for the per- formance of these things can be transmitted orally, from father to son, without the aid of books, we will admit. But if this was all that was necessary to be known, farming would be degraded to mere labor and manual dexterity, not requiring as much skill and intelligence as is exhibited by some of the low^er animals in providing for their wants. Traditional know- ledge is not progressive. It is onl}' when one generation preserves the knowledge they have acquired in the form of written books, that the next generation are enabled to extend that knowledge, and improve the arts or sciences to which tliev are devoted. If we do not know INTRODUCTION. 17 what has been ah^eady done, how arc we to know where to begin to improve ? We might spend a lifetime in perfecting some invention that had been proved to be a faihire a century before. We should all have to commence at the beginning, and life is too short to be wasted in that manner. The suc- cessive steps by which many of the arts and manufactures have advanced to their present perfection are fully recorded. We can profit by the mistakes, as well as the discoveries, of our ancestors, and these mistakes need not be again repeated. We are enabled to sift what is valuable from the worthless, appropriate it to our use and improve on it. These are a few of the advantages of books on industrial pursuits. As far as agriculture is concerned, we think the intelligent farmer will admit that his business has less advantages in this respect than many others, and consequently is far behind the other industries of civilization. There are many terse sayings and proverbs connected with farming, that have probably been handed down from father to son for hundreds of years. These generally contain a good deal of strong, sound common sense. One at this mo- ment presents itself to our own mind. " The man who makes two blades of grass grow where one grew before is a benefactor to his country." 18 AMERICAN MANURES. This saying is very good as far as it goes, but it seems to be incomplete, and we will make a little addition to it, as follows : " But the man who continually gathers from the soil, and returns nothing to it until he can gather no more, changing a fertile smiling land into a sterile wilderness, impoverishes himself, wrongs his country, and beggars his children." This may seem severe, but it is none the less true. How much individual poverty has been caused by excessive cropping, and a total neglect or an inadequate application of manures? That this state of things has in a great measure been caused by ignorance w^e will charitably admit, but whatever be the cause of the evil, the effect is the same. In this vital principle of true and successful farming, sustaining fertility by sufficient manur- ing, we are as a nation shamefully ignorant and criminally negligent. In this matter many of our farmers seem totally indifferent, either to precept or example ; and the work of deteriora- tion is still going on, unchecked and unheeded in all parts of the country, while the very sub- stances that would prevent and avert this great national evil are allowed to go to waste everywhere. Farmers often permit their stable manure to lie for months exposed to the in- fluence of the weather, thus losing the most INTRODUCTION". 19 valuable part of it, namely the ammonia, and the soluble salts that -are dissolved and washed away by the rain. Whereas all such substances should be carefully stored under cover, so that a certain amount of fermentation may be produced, thus preparing them as an active manure when needed. All the waste materials of the farm should thus be prepared. The day will come when this raw material of future crops will be considered as worthy of a store-house as the crop itself An accurate knowledge of the value of these waste products, as representing grass and butter, corn, beef and bread, and the other necessaries of life, will naturally lead to economy in saving those materials. It is the paramount object of this book, to give the farmer clear, comprehensive views of the theory and practice of manuring, so that he can, at the least possible expense, raise large crops, preserve the standard fertility of his lands, and leave an unimpaired inheritance to his children. In order to do this we shall show the nature, properties, and source of the different elements that are exhausted by cultivation, and required to be renewed as manures. The general composition of different crops and plants that are cultivated on the farm, also tlip nature source, and properties of the various 20 AMERICAN MANURES. soils from which these plants must be pro- duced. When the farmer is fully informed on these subjects, he can realize the commercial value of those elements of fertility, that are yearly re- moved from his land, in the various forms of the produce that is sent to market ; and also, if he does not add anything to his soil in the shape of manure, and only realizes a bare living for his labor, he can see how much poorer he is becoming every year. A thorough knoAvledge and ap- preciation of these things will at once convince the farmer, that it is impossible for him to preserve the fertility of his soil unimpaired, even by the most economical and judicious saving and application of all the waste substances produced on his farm ; that the portion of this produce which is removed from the farm, in the shape of cattle, and grain, and other produce, is a constant drain on the valuable elements of fertility, that should finally give his land a value; and that if he wishes to preserve its average productiveness, or improve it, he must return an equivalent in some cheaper form. To meet this want, concentrated manures and superphosphate of lime are prepared, and the farmer finds in them the most convenient means at his command to supply the wants of his land. As the names and prices of these fertilizers are INTRODUCTION. 21 no criterion of their merits or value, this book will come directly to his assistance, and of the many evils of fraud and deception, he will be enabled to choose the least. The manufacture of superphosphate of limo will be fully reviewed, showing what it now is, and what it should be. Full analyses, with critical examinations, will be given, with a money value, based on the amount of the valuable constituents, solubility, and mechanical condition of the different man- ures. These analyses of the different manufactured manures were made by Dr. William H. Bruckner. Samples were obtained, as follows : Packages already put up for sale to the farmer were pur- chased from the manufacturers or their agents. Each package was opened as soon as it arrived at our office, in the presence of witnesses, its contents thoroughly mixed, and a sample of about five pounds taken from at least fifty places of the thoroughly mixed heap, thus guarding against varying quality in the mass. Two analyses in all cases were made of different portions of this five-pound sample ; hence there cannot possibly be any error in the result. Having guarded ourselves against all possible contingencies, there will be no retraction on our part of anything stated about manufactured 22 AMERICAN MANURES. manures, however much manufacturers may he offended or feel aggrieved. We have made no invidious distinctions be- tween the different manures, but have endeavored to the best of our ability to deal out even-handed justice to all alike. We regret very much, however, that the limited time at our command would not permit us to examine all the manures offered in the market. We have selected the most prominent ones; and hope the neglected manufacturers will accept our want of time as an apology, when we inform them that their manures will receive our attention at the earliest possible moment — sooner, 'perliaps, than they de- sire it. It is not our intention or desire to do an act of injustice to any one, but we are not to he deterred from exposing fraud and imposition. We know that there are, or should be, some conscientious capable men in this business, who desire to make a good article, and give the farmer a fair return for his money. Their manures, as shown by Dr. Bruckner's analyses, are the best tests of their comparative honesty and capacity : " By their fruits ye shall know them." One of the writers of this book has been thoroughly acquainted with the manufacture of fertilizers and superphosphate of lime for more than ten years, and during that time has super- INTRODUCTION. 23 intended two of the largest establishments for the manufacture of fertilizers in this country. He has also made the important subject of manuring an especial study, and he is thoroughly acquainted with the whole business as now con- ducted, the sources and nature of the materials used, the cost to the manufacturers and the methods of manufacturing, with its entire cost of production ; all of which information so far has been preserved as secrets from the general public. The work of deception and dissimula- tion has been carried on so extensively by some of these manufacturers, that w^e need not wonder when w^e see them attempting to deceive even themselves. There has also been a secrecy preserved in nearly all their operations, with an affectation of science that would rival the pretensions of the alchemists of the middle ages. The similarity does not stop there ; all the other characteristics are preserved — unmitigated ignorance of the elements with which they work, or the ends they should produce. With unblushing effron- tery they make a parade of science, placing themselves before the country as public bene- factors, while they eat up the substance of the land without giving an adequate return, and are stumbling-blocks in the path of progress. That they have been able to do this with 24 AMERICAN MANURES. impunity, is due to the fact of the secrecy with which all their operations are conducted. There is a sort of free-masonry preserved amonsf them. In securins; a customer, one of the standard phrases of the trade is, " We do not commend our article by giving another manufacturer a bad name." No, dear reader. They do not speak ill of each other. What other business can boast the possession of this virtue in such an eminent degree? But withhold your admiration a mo- ment, dear reader. " When rogues fall out, honest men get their due." These manufacturers live in glass houses, and throwing stones might endanger their own property. This unity, and secrecy, in connection with the pressing wants of our farmers, have given them facilities for accumulating princely fortunes by practices that may be styled anything but honest, while at the same time making loud- mouthed pretensions of all the liberal virtues. This may seem unnecessarily severe ; but were it less so, it might fail in awakening a proper sense of the impositions that are practised ujjon the most deserving part of the community, those lolio furnish us hread. One of the proofs of the dishonesty of some of the manufacturers may be found in their lying circulars and pamplilets, which are full of INTRODUCTION". 25 misrepresentations, and some even contain false and garbled analyses intended, or at least calculated to deceive, by giving combinations of elements that are not foinid in their manures, or, if found, in much less quantity than re- presented. The arts of the charlatan are ex- tensively practised to deceive and impose on their customers. Many farmers are fully aware of the fact that they need something to enable them to raise good crops and renew their im- poverished lands, and that in purchasing, they are entirely at the merc}^ of these compounders of manures. And if they pay a dollar for what is worth only fifty cents, it is simply because they cannot help themselves in getting the full value of their uioney. The men who water milk, sand sugar, or sell shoddy for broad cloth, are termed swindlers, but the amount of their sales is comparatively small ; and as we have ready means of detecting such frauds, the sales of these unprincipled dealers become beautifully less. Not so, however, with manufacturers of fertil- izers ; from the appearance of the article detection is difficult. Hence some of the manuflicturers of fertilizers count their profits by the hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly ; and we shall prove that their practices are equally, or more culpable than those of the other party. When a manu- 26 AMERICAN MANURES. facturer of fertilizers can realize as profits two hundred thousand dollars in a year, from the investment of an amount of capital that would barely purchase a farm of two hundred acres in some parts of the country, all honest men must admit that a great wrong is perpetrated, and that it cannot be too soon righted. One of the objects of this book is to place this business fairly before the public ; and, as it furnishes the raw material to the farmer, this raw material should have no advantage over the products of the farm. It should be as closely scrutinized as to quality, and its profits reduced to a legitimate standard. The fiirmer will be enabled, by the information here given, to select the manure that will yield him the largest return for the mone\^ expended. This of course will place the dishonest manu- facturer of fertilizers in the same category as the dishonest grocer, and he will soon discover from his reduced sales, that he must improve his article or quit the business. The farmer can see at a glance the great value of the information here given. The im- portation and manufacture of fertilizers have become a business of great magnitude. Not less than ^ve hundred thousand tons of prepared manures, guanos, bone-dust, and superphosphates of lime, are annually sold in this country, at a INTRODUCTION. 27 cost of about twenty five millions of dollars to the farmer and planter. This fact shows that there must be a great demand based on a great want of these fertilizers. It also speaks well for the enterprise and pro- gressive spirit of our farmers, that they are willing to invest this enormous amount of money. We shall show that this money expended does not give a commensurate return, in a propor- tional increase of the crops, and that nearly one half of it goes into the pockets of the manu- facturers as profits. But under present circumstances, how is the farmer to know, at the time of making his purchase of these manures, that he is getting a good article, and the large amount he pays is a good investment of his money ? As these man- ures undergo no official inspection, he must necessarily buy them on the strength of their general reputation of being good, and the high sounding recommendations of the manufacturers and agents, with an array of glowing certificates from farmers, who probably did not receive a tithe of the benefit they should have received for the amount of money expended. How is the farmer to know that the manure manufactured this year, is not greatly inferior to Avhat was made the year before ? The writers know that the value of manures of the same 3 28 AMERICAN MANURES. manufacturers varies considerably in different seasons. If a good manure is made one year, it establishes a reputation that enables the manu- facturer to palm off an inferior article the next season. The farmer has no means of judging the quality of the article by its appearance, and has to rely on the honesty of the manufacturer ; and this confidence, on his part, is too often abused. He finds, too late, that instead of being benefited as he expected, that the amount paid for the manure has been a direct tax on his scanty produce, involving a serious loss of time, labor and capital. Our agricultural bureau at Washington has failed to give this momentous national question that attention the subject deserves and requires, as any one who reads the agricultural reports must admit. An ofiice or bureau of inspection for these manures is imperatively demanded. Every concentrated manure, fertilizer, or super- phosphate of lime should be analyzed by com- petent and honest chemists, and their processes made known, and the grade of the article fixed ; and there should be a law requiring a guaranteed analysis to be attached to each bag or barrel of the manure, and the manufacturers to be liable to prosecution if their manures fall short of the guaranteed standard. This is a matter of vital importance, not only INTRODUCTION. 29 to the practical agriculturist, but to tlie people at large. Every one should feel an interest in the productiveness of our soils ; as all are con- sumers of its products, therefore all are pecunia- rily interested. Moreover, when our lands fail in their natural fertility, the loss injures com- merce, manufactures, mechanical arts, and para- lyzes all new enterprises. It is a grave mistake to suppose that farmers alone are interested in the practical results of tillage. They have no more than a common interest in maintaining or improving the natural fruitfulness of the earth. Hence, we should all unite in endeavoring to impart knowledge to our farmers. If an increase of knowledge should save only five cents on the growing of a bushel of wheat, it w^ould amount to nearly thirteen millions of dollars on the average wheat crop of this country. Or, if the same saving could be effected on each bushel of our average corn crop, it would amount to near- ly fifty millions of dollars. The writers have endeavored to impart what knowledge they possess, trusting and believing that their efforts will be appreciated by those for wdiom they have been exerted— Our Far- mers and Planters. Feeling confident that we shall have the pat- ronage of the farmer, and the good wishes of the 30 AMERICAN MANURES. community at large {dishonest manufacturers' excepted), in this new field of labor, we shall leave nothing undone in this, and in future editions, to render our work attractive, useful and instruc- tive. CHAPTER II. ELEMENTS OF MANURES AND PLANTS. Manures are substances added or applied to soils^ to supply the wants of the different plants intended for the use of man and animals. That certain vegetable, animal and mineral substances applied to soils will quicken the growth of vege- tation and increase the amount of production, are facts that have been known from the earliest period. But the nature and properties of these substances, called manures; the manner in which they act; the best modes of applying them ; and their relative value and durability, are subjects still open to inquiry and discussion. Some substances used as manures furnish directly the materials that enter into the com- position of plants ; while others are applied to change the physical character of the soil, and effect chemical changes on the insoluble materi- als that it may contain, rendering them soluble, and in such condition that thev can be assimila- ted by plants. As every part of man and animals is originally 31 32 AMERICAN MANURES. derived- from the plants that have served them and their predecessors as food, and as no ele- ment can produce itself, and nothing is lost or destroyed ; it is evident that the excrements of animals when living, together with their bodies after death, will contain everything that is necessary for the reproduction of plants. But as these bodies are of a complex nature, and in the act of putrefaction and decay resolve themselves into simpler forms, a valuable part passing away in different gases; and as the greater part of the produce of the land is con- sumed in cities and towns, where the excrements are in a great measure allowed to go to waste, it is impossible to return the same elements in their changed form to the soil to produce other crops. Consequently, we have to look to other sources for the materials to make good this loss and preserve the fertility of the land. There is no deficiency of the substances re- quired for the growth of plants. A kind Provi- dence has economically stored them for our use in a variety of forms. Hence the importance of a knowledge of the elements of manures ; also where to procure them, and how to prepare and apply them. THE ELEMENTS. To assist the farmer in obtaininsc a knowled^re of the elements entering into the composition of THE ELEMENTS. 33 cultivated plants, we have arranged them as follows : I. Gaseous Elements. — Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Chlorine. II. Elements combining with Oxygen to form Acids. — Silicon, Carbon, Phosphorus, Sulphur. III. Elements combining with Oxygen to form Bases. — Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Potas- sium, Sodium. The combinations of Potassium and Sodium are termed alkalies. The elements unite in definite proportions, called equivalents, representing the smallest quantity in which they enter into combination, one with the other. The equivalents are, for Oxygen 8 Hydrogen 1 Nitrogen 14 Chlorine 35.5 Silicon 14 Carbon 6 Phosphorus 31 Sulphur 16 Calcium 20 Magnesium 12.2 Iron 28 Potassium 39 Sodium 23 To render the above intelligible, we give a few examples, viz: 8 pounds or parts of oxygen unite with 1 pound or part of hydrogen, to form 9 pounds or parts of water. Three parts of hydrogen unite with 14 parts of nitrogen, to form 17 parts of ammonia; and 16 parts of sul- phur unite with 24 parts of oxygen, to form 40 parts of anhydrous sulphuric acid. 34 AMERICAN MANURES. The laws that govern these combinations are arbitrary ; any excess of an element does not affect the composition of the resulting com- pound. An Element contains but one kind of matter, as Oxygen, Sulphur, Calcium. A Compound is the union of two or more ele- ments ; as Water, Sulphuric Acid, Oxide of Cal- cium. An Oxide is a combination of an element with oxygen ; as calcium united with oxygen is called the oxide of calcium, or quick lime ; or sulphur united with oxygen to produce sulphuric acid, is called an oxide of sulphur. The union of oxygen with different elements produces both acids and bases. A Salt is the union of an acid with a base, the active properties of the acid being neutralized, and the compound having properties different from either; as lime or the oxide of calcium unites with sulphuric acid to form the sulphate of lime, or land plaster. A salt may also be pro- duced by the union of an element w^ith an ele- ment; as chlorine uniting with sodium to form common salt. The force that produces the com- binations of dissimilar bodies is termed Chemical Affinity. Chemical Affinity may be defined as an attraction exerted at insensible distances between GASEOUS ELEMENTS. 35 particles of matter of different kinds, the result of which is the formation of new particles possessed of qualities different from those of their components; as quicklime combines with sul- phuric acid, to form gypsum or land plaster. This definition will show the difference be- tween chemical attraction or affinity, and the forces of gravitation and cohesion. Gravitation is exerted at all distances between masses of matter without regard to their nature, and differs entirely from affinity. Cohesion differs less widely from affinity, since its attraction is exerted only at minute distances. This force, however, is exerted more frequently, and with greater energy between similar particles of matter, than between particles of different kinds ; and the operation of these forces is not attended with any material alteration in the properties of matter. We shall now proceed to the consideration of the different elements found in plants, in the order of their division. GASEOUS ELEMENTS. Oxygen was discovered by Priestly, in 1774. It is permanent, colorless, tasteless, and odorless, and is a supporter of combustion; any combustible substance burns in oxygen with increased bril- 36 AMERICAN MANURES. liancy and rapidity. Some substances unite with oxygen at the common temperature, as is the case of the rusting of iron when moisture is present. Oxygen unites with all the elements entering into the composition of plants, in one or several proportions, as in the following sub- stances, viz : One equivalent of calcium unites with one equivalent of oxygen to form oxide of calcium, commonly called quicklime ; one equivalent of sulphur unites with three equiva- lents of oxygen to form anhydrous sulphuric acid. One equivalent of phosphorus unites with ^yo equivalents of oxygen to form anhydrous plios- phoric acid. Mechanically mixed with nitrogen, oxygen forms about 21 per cent, by volume of the atmosphere, and is heavier than common air in the proportion of 11 to 10. Much more than one half of the weight of plants and animals is oxygen. How wonderful, that a gas should by powerful affinities be bound *up in such vast stores in rocks and the solid mountains of the earth, as well as in the ocean, pervading all created matter, and being itself the essence of life; and that without it, plants and animals would speedily die. Oxygen serves both as material for the production of matter in combining with other substances, as with carbon, forming carbonic HYDROGEN. 37 acid ; and also as a direct agent of the chemical vital processes in the plant. The sources for the supply of oxygen to the plant, are carbonic acid, water, and nitric acid. These compounds offer to plants much more oxygen than they require, in consequence of which the most of the oxygen is again restored to the atmosphere; the plant retaining the carbon, a portion of the hydrogen, and the nitrogen of the nitric acid. The amount of oxygen exhaled from plants is very considerable ; it is, arid must be equivalent to the quantity required for the purpose of respiration, combustion, and decay. If it were not so, the amount of this vital air in the atmosphere would either be increasing or dimin- ishing, either cause unfitting it for the purpose of respiration. If the law which governs the liberation of this substance were but slightly changed, an extinc- tion of all plants and animals would follow. Increase or diminish in any sensible degree the vital air, or oxygen, and all vitality must shortly cease. HYDEOGEN. Hydrogen was discovered by Cavendish, in 1776. It is one of the most diffused bodies, and is transparent, odorless, tasteless, and inflammable. 38 AMEBIC AN MANURES. It does not exist in nature, in the free or un- combined state, nor does it exist so abundantly as oxygen. It forms a part of all animals and plants, and one-ninth of the weight of water. At the same temperature, and under like pressure, it is sixteen times lighter than oxygen, and nearly fourteen and a half times lighter than common air. This gas will not support a flame or combus- tion. But although hydrogen does not exist in nature in the free state, it is being continually formed by the decomposition of water, caused by the putrefaction of organic bodies ; this liberated hydrogen uniting with nitrogen, carbon or sul- phur, forming ammonia, carburetted and sul- phuretted hydrogen. It is generally found in plants, in excess of the amount required to form water, showing that water is decomposed in the plant, and that the oxygen is expelled; the hydrogen being possibly retained as an attractive element, should there be a scarcity of moisture, to again combine with more oxygen and form water. This element is assimilated by j)l^nts in ammonia and water ; these sources are sufficient to furnish hydrogen. CARBUKETTED HYDROGEN. Carburetted Hydrogen is found in large quantities during the decay of vegetable jnatter SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN 39 in moist places or in stagnant pools, and may often be seen rising in bubbles in marshy places. In warm weather, and when vegetation com- mences to decay in the Ml of the year, the amount formed is largely increased. It is called marsh gas, and its presence is the direct cause of the malaria of chills and fevers or the ague. It is largely generated in the distillation of soft or bituminous coal, and when mixed with atmos- pheric air, is the much dreaded fire daini:^, the explosion of which is so fatal to miners. This gas is also given off with carbonic acid during the fermentation of compost heaps, or any large deposits of vegetable matter. It is present in all soils containing much decaying vegetable matter, and is a source of carbon and hydrogen to the growing plant ; but to effect this a decomposition of its elements must be effected. When it is present in large quantities, it is probable that it is just as poisonous to vegetable as it is to animal life, and shows insufficient oxidation of the carbon. SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN. Sulphuretted Hydrogen is a gaseous com- pound of sulphur and hydrogen, and may be readily detected by the similiarity of its odor to rotten eggs. Water absorbs about three times 40 AMEEICAN MANURES. its volume of this gas, and some sulphur springs contain large quantities of it. It is colorless, inflammable, and when breathed, highly poison- ous. Being considerably heavier than common air, it may be poured into cavities and holes, and has been successfully used in killing vermin and rats. The gas is produced in marshy stagnant places, and in fish ponds, where vegetable matter is undergoing decay in the presence of the sulphates of the metals in solution, as the sulphate of iron, gypsum or land plaster ; and in old pasture lands it may be frequently detected, even by the sense of smell, around the roots of the sod. As in the egg, so in other decaying animal matter, especially when the air is in a manlier excluded, this gas is formed. The presence of this gas is detrimental to vegetable life; where it exists in considerable quantity it prevents the free excess of oxygen, without which plants as well as animals cannot live. Plants have not the power of rejecting poisonous substances any more than animals. The presence of these gases in the soil is a proof that it is un- fitted for the proper and luxuriant growth of plants, and that an imperfect oxidation of the soil exists, that cannot too soon be remedied by cultivation and the addition of active manurial substances. NITROGEN. 41 NITROGEN. Nitrogen is a permanent gas. It has neither taste, color nor smell, and is destitute of active properties. It is incombustible, and will not support combustion or respiration. Its most im- portant function is to dilute the oxygen of the atmosphere, which contains 77 per cent, by weight, or 79 per cent, by volume of nitrogen. Nitrogen does not enter into direct combina- tion with any elements, excepting oxygen, with which it may be made to unite hy subjecting the mixture of the gases to a succession of powerful electric shocks. The union of nitrogen with oxygen in proper proportions produces nitric acid, consisting of one equivalent or 14 parts of the former, with 5 equivalents or 40 parts of the latter. Nitric acid in small quantity is produced in the atmosphere during thunderstorms by the same agency, and is absorbed by rains, thus furnishing a limited supply of this element to plants. As before stated, 14 parts of nitrogen uniting with 3 parts of hydrogen, form ammonia ^ this compound, with nitric acid, being the most im- portant source of nitrogen for plants. Nitrogen is so essential to the growth of plants, that no matter if every other element 42 AMERICAN MANURES. was present in excess, without it they could never come to mataritj. Since nitrogen is so plentifully furnished in the atmosphere, a superficial observer would suppose that plants would never suffer from a lack of this substance. The closest investiga- tions have failed to show that they can assimilate nitrogen in its pure state from the atmosphere ; on the contrary, some plants discharge the nitrogen that is absorbed by the roots. On the other hand it has been directly proved, by a large amount of evidence, that it enters into their roots, either as ammonia or nitric acid. There are various opinions as to the relative value of ammonia and nitric acid, in furnishing nitrogen to plants; but as the application of either substance is followed by direct beneficial results, it may be inferred that they are nearly equally valuable in proportion to the amount of nitrogen contained in each, although it is very j)robable that ammonia is more directly available. Many persons suppose that the atmosj^here furnishes a sufficient amount of this substance for the wants of vegetation, and that it is brought down by rains and dews into the soil. That ammonia is continually being formed from decaying animal and vegetable matter, and that it escapes into the atmosphere, we will admit; and we will now examine how fiir this supjoljy NITROGEN. 43 will go to supply the wants of plants, based on the experiments of distinguished chemists. In 1855 and 1856, Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert, at Eothamstead, England, collected on a large rain gauge presenting a surface of tooo of an acre, the entire rain-fall (with dews, etc., included), for those years. Prof. Way, at that time chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society of England, analyzed the waters, and found that the total amount of ammonia contained in them was equal to Tibs in 1855, and QJtbs in 1856, for an acre of surface. These amounts W'cre yielded by 663,000 and 616,000 gallons of rain w^ater respectively. In the waters collected at Inster- burg, during the year ending March, 1865, Pincus and Roellig obtained 6.38 lbs of ammonia per acre. Bretschneider found in the waters collected at Ida Marienhuette, from April, 1865, to April, 1866, 12ft)s for an acre of surface. One hundred pounds of wheat, wdth the straw, require two and a half per cent, of nitrogen, equal to more than three per cent, of ammonia. The reader can see at a glance, how inadequate this amount of ammonia is to supply an ordinary crop with this element; 25 bushels of wheat, with the straw, will require 451bs of ammonia; so that if the plant could assimilate all the ammonia of the rain water, 401bs additional would have to be added or applied to an 44 AMERICAN MANURES. acre. These facts need no further comment, and conclusively prove the necessity of adding ammonia or nitrogen, in some form, to the grow- ing plant, to supply this element. CHLORINE. Chlorine is a yellowish green liquefiahle gas, of a pungent, suffocating odor. It is incom- bustible, but supports the combustion of a few bodies. Chlorine is incapable of supporting respiration, causing instantaneous deatli when inhaled pure; when diluted with atmospheric air, and breathed in small quantities, it excites violent coughing, accompanied by an o^Dpressive choking sensation, sometimes followed by spitting of blood. Chlorine is abundantly found in nature in combination with sodium, as rock salt ; it is also found in sea-water and marine plants. The reader will see, by referring to the tables showing the Composition of Plants, that a very small amount of this element is required ; and as it is always applied to the soil in alkaline chlorides, we shall review this element more fully under the head of Sodium. The fores^oins; brief review of the 2:ases that CO o enter into the composition of plants, and the comjDounds they form with other elements, should be well considered and understood by the SILICON. 45 reader. It is not our intention to write a work on elementary chemistrj; we give only such general chemical facts as are required to be known by the farmer, to render the subsequent part of this book fully intelligible. ELEMENTS COMBINING WITH OXYGEN TO FORM ACIDS. Silicon is never found as such in nature. It was discovered by Humphry Davy, in 1813. It presents the appearance of a brown powder, or of scaly crystals resembling graphite. Silicon when combined with oxygen in the proportion of 53.34 of the latter, to 46.66 of the former, forms an acid kuown as Silicic Acid, or simply Silica. This acid occurs in nature both free and combined : free, as quartz, flint and pure white sand ; combined, as felspar, serpentine, etc. The salts of silica are termed silicates, as silicates of potash, lime and magnesia. These silicates chemically combined with water are termed hydrated silicates, which are present in all or nearly all soils, and render a most valuable service to vegetation, by storing up soluble plant- food, and dealing it out when required. Silica is either crystallized or amorphous. When crystallized, it forms six-sided, trans- parent, colorless prisms, known as rock crystal: 46 AMERICAN MANURES. when amorphous, it is white, tasteless, and gritty, as in flint, sand, etc. It is insoluble in water, and in acids, hydrofluoric excepted. It enters largely into the composition of glass, porcelain, etc.; and we can safely say that the former contains over half its weight of this acid. Silica, when chemically united with water, forms a transparent jelly, known as hydrated or soluble silica. This is soluble- in water to a certain extent, and in acids, even in the feeble carbonic. From it, and from alkaline silicates, plants obtain their silica. This silica is prepared for the use of the plant by natural agencies, somewhat in the following manner. Suppose w^e allow carbonic acid and water to act on a combination of lime, potash, and silica, what takes place ? The lime and potash combine with the carbonic acid to form carbonates of these substances, and the silica combining with water becomes plant-food. A long time, how- ever, is required to effect this change, unless the alkaline silicate is in a very minute state of division. The part taken by silica in natural operations is chiefly a mechanical one, for which its abundance and stability under ordinary circumstances pe- culiarly fits it ; for it is found to constitute the great bulk of the soil, and serves as a support for the plant, and a reservoir for its food. SILICA. 47 Soluble silica is indispensable to the growth of grasses and the straw of cereals, and forms the shining outer sheath of these plants. It is very abundant in the hard external coating of the Dutch rush used for polishing. Silica as existing in plants is united with potash and soda, and may be said to be insoluble in water ; but by the fermentation and decay of these plants carbonic acid is liberated, which uniting Avith the potash and soda forms car- bonates of these substances, and the silica is separated as hydrated or soluble silica, to supply the wants of growing plants. In the production of wheat and other cereals, the presence of this element, in a soluble state, is of the first importance in building up the straw or stalk. If the reader refers to the tables showing the composition of the straw of the different grain crops, he will see what a large amount of this substance is required. As tlie amount of soluble silica in the most of soils is comparatively small, every farmer who wishes to raise wheat or other grain, will see the importance of returning every particle of straw to his land to furnish this substance. Another source of soluble silica at the com- mand of the farmer are the weeds and reeds that grow in swampy places or running water, 48 AMERICAN MANURES. which contain a considerable amount of this substance. It also enters largely into the com- position of the leaves of some trees, as the beech and red pine. The presence of decaying veget- able matter will also separate silica from its insoluble compounds, as before stated. This is one of the ixreat benefits derived from ijfreen manuring. The lack of soluble silica vitally affects the growth of nearly all cultivated plants ; but, as it can be economically manufactured and applied to the soil as silicate of soda, and also added in the waste products of previous crops, the farmer has full supplies at command. CARBON. Carbon was discovered by Lavoisier in 17S0. It enters largely into the composition of plants. It forms the bulk of mineral coal, charcoal, lamp- black, black-lead, and is exhibited in its purest known state in tlie diamond. All these sub- stances have the common property of uniting with oxygen in a state of combustion, and then producing carbonic acid gas. Carbonic Acid is composed of one equivalent of carbon combined w-itli tAVO equivalents of oxygen. Its salts are termed carbonates. That plants a^-similate this gas, and that it is the most important source of carbon necessary to CARBON". 49 their growth, will be shown under the head of Humus in Soils. Carbon forms from forty to tifty per cent, by weight of the different cultivated plants, so that in the economy of their growth, it may be considered one of the most important elements of their composition. This is one of the elements the farmer need not trouble himself in applying to his soil as a manure, because the atmosphere furnishes an abundant supply free of cost. The flict of the assimila- tion of carbon by plants from the atmosphere has been placed beyond doubt, by the investiga- tions of eminent scientific men, from the time of Priestley, who made this discovery in 1771, up to the present time. The fjirmer must not infer from the fact that the atmosphere furnishes to the plant all the carbon which it requires, that the presence of a mould of humus, or partially oxidized organic matter, is not necessary in a soil. Its presence produces beneficial physical effects, that tend directly to their healthy growth. Its capacity for absorbing fertilizing gases and giving them out as they are needed by plants, also its power of attracting heat and retaining moisture, are advantages obtained by the presence of a large amount of mould in the soil, which are not possessed by soils composed simply of sand, no matter how fine the state of division may be, or 50 AMERICAN MANURES. the amount of fertilizing elements they may contain PHOSPHORUS. Phosphorus as commonly met with is yellow and transparent, resembling wax in consistency. Having a powerful affinity for oxygen, it never occurs free in nature. It is spontaneously in- flammable, and for this reason is preserved under water. Phosphorus was originally prepared from urine by a tedious and disagreeable process ; but Gahn, a Swedish chemist, having discovered that it enters largely into the composition of bones, it is now prepared from this class of bodies. When burnt in air or oxygen, it is converted into snow- lilre flocks, which are called anhi/drous phos- phoric acid. Phosphoric Acid contains, in 100 parts, phos- phorus 43.66, oxygen 56.34. This acid has a great affinity for water, and by exposure to a moist atmosphere is converted into liydrated phosphoric acid. There are several hydrates of this acid ; but only one of these enters into the composition of manures, viz : tri-basic phosphoric acid. A tri-basic acid is one that requires three equivalents of the saiiie or of different bases to fonn a salt ; for example : Bone-Phosphate of Lime, known as Basic Phosphate of Lime, is composed of one equivalent PHOSPHORUS. 51 of phosphoric acid and three equivalents of lime, and contains, in 100 parts, phosphoric acid 45.81, lime 51.19. This is the state in which this salt is naturally found in bones, coprolites, phos- phorite, apatite, etc. Neutral Phosphate of Lime contains two equivalents of lime, one of water, and one of phosphoric acid ; in 100 parts, phosphoric acid 52.20, lime 41.18, water 6.62. Superphosphate of Lime, termed also acid and bi-phosphate of lime, contains one equiva- lent of phosphoric acid, one equivalent of lime, and two equivalents of water ; containing, in 100 parts, phosphoric acid 60.69, lime 23.93, water 15.38. If we remove from bone-phosphate of lime the tliree equivalents of its base, and re- place them with water, we obtain tri-basic phos- phoric acid, usually in the form of a colorless, syrupy liquid, very acid to the taste. Again, if we remove from bone-phosphate of lime but two equivalents of lime, and replace them with water, we obtain super pliospliate of lime. This change, in either case, can be effected by sul- phuric acid. This acid, having a greater affinity for the lime than phosphoric acid has, unites with the lime, forming gypsum or land plaster. Superphosphate of lime forms white scales, which are very soluble in water, imjoarling to it an acid taste. 52 AMERICAN MANURES. On the subject of the action of superphosphate of lime in soils, and its relative value compared with insoluble phosphoric acid, as contained in bone-dust, coproUtes or mineral guano, we can- not do better than give an extract from Ronna's exhaustive report on that subject, as follows : " What takes place, in fact, when super- phosphates are presented to the soil ? Coming into contact with the alkaHes, or the earthy alkaline bases, the phosphoric acid in excess combines with them, and phosphate of lime is precipitated in a gelatinous condition, this being the one in which a sparingly soluble substance enters more freely into solution. Gelatinous phosphate of lime dissolves readily even in the feeble carbonic acid. When it presents itself, however, in the form of coprolites, solution is effected with the greatest difficulty. From this it may be seen, how little profitable it is, to use powdered coprolites, otherwise than upon new clearings and first ploughings, or upon soils in which probably free acids can act upon them, so that they may then be able to yield to vegeta- tion by degrees a small quantity of phosphoric acid. Such coprolytic powder does not satisfy the demands of an advanced and progressive agriculture, that is, immediate results, but only effects, for wdiich one is compelled to wait ten, yea, twenty years. ronna's report. 53 " Woeliler and Yoelcker have made some very interesting experiments on the solubility of phos- phates in their dry, moist, and gehitinous state, on the solubility of bone-meal, of boiled bone, of glue refuse, of guano, of coprolites, of plios- phorite, and of apatite, all of which prove the beneficial effect which the mechanical condition of phosphates exercises upon their solubility. Thus precipitated phosphate of lime, slightly moistened and allowed to remain in contact with water for a week, lost 1.10 gramme, while Suffolk coprolites lost but 0.09 gramme, and Cambridge coprolites, 0.08 gramme. The amount of water used in either case was 100 litres. In a solution of ammoniacal salts, in the proportion of 1 to 100, precipitated phosphate of lime lost 4.80 grammes, Suffolk coprolites, 0.24 gramme, and Cambridge coprolites, 0.33 gramme. A solution containing 1 per cent, of carbonate of ammonia, dissolved of precipitated phosphate of lime 2.48 grammes, of coprolites 0.36 gramme. Precipitated phosphate of lime afforded to a solution, containing 1 per cent, of sea-salt, 0.97 gramme; coprolites 0.19 gramme. " But more than all the experiments in the laboratory, those of the practical agriculturist have confirmed the necessity of phosphates rendered soluble, and these are the experiments of twenty years, and of a whole country — which 54 AMERICAN MANURES. country indisputably occupies the front rank in regard to agricultural productions. " As superphosphate of lime may be viewed as phosphate of lime dissolved in phosphoric acid, the former (phosphate of lime), as soon as the free acid is neutralized, is rendered insoluble or difficultly soluble in water, and is precipitated. Therefore, one of the objections made, viz., that, when superphosphate of lime is applied to cer- tain soils, the soluble phosphate is lost by rain, is unfounded. From very careful experiments of Dr. Yoelcker on the transformation of soluble phosphates in contact with five different soils, which were first carefully analyzed, it is evident, that marly or chalky soils absorb the soluble phosphate more readily, that is, render it more quickly insoluble, than clayey or sandy soils. In the former soils, it appears that lime is the only operating force in this transformation. However quick absorption may take place, it is never instantaneous ; for in soils containing an excess of lime, from 24 to 48 hours are required. '^ As no acid combination can enter the plant without damaging it, and as superphosplmtes have never proven themselves injurious to plants, it follows herefrom, that phosphoric acid, which cannot exist in soils in a free state, is there neutralized, and tliat, in consequence, the solu- ble phosphate is converted into insoluble or ACTION OF SUPERPHOSPHATES. 55 sparingly soluble pliospliate, regardless of the nature of the soil. It is an nnfoimded idea, that plants in the first stages of their growth are nourished by the soluble phosphate^ and, during maturity, strengthened by the insoluble. It would therefore be foolish, to say the least, to prepare a superphosphate containing both soluble and insoluble phosphoric acid. Exper- ience has proved to satisfliction, that, of two manures containing the same total amount of phosphoric acid, the one with the largest amount of soluble phosphate, other circumstances being equal, is the most effective. " It is therefore indispensably necessary, espe- cially in manufactories where mineral phos- phates are Avorked, that the insoluble phosphate be rendered as completely soluble as possible. The manufacturer should at all times use every effort to increase the amount of soluble phos- phoric acid in his superphosphate. " If, on coming in contact with the soil, the soluble phosphate become insoluble, lolnj, say the champions of pulverized coprolites, treat at great expense mineral matters with acid, and increase their cost, merely for the sake of again obtaining in the soil insoluble products ? An- swer : It is not the purpose of the acid alone to produce soluble phosphate. The mineral first of all is disintegrated by the acid, and then 56 AMERICAN MANURES. partially converted into soluble phosphate, etc., which, on being neutralized in the soil by lime, or by sesquioxide of iron, alumina, etc., is then brought into a very fine state of division. As the neutralization takes place in the soil itself, the phosphate is incorporated with the same in the simplest and most intimate manner. How- ever fine the bones may be ground by mechan- ical operations, their tissue is not destroyed in them, and the phosphates within them are in a relatively raw condition. As to coprolites, even converted into powder ever so fine, they cannot have any effect on the soil, unless it contains free acids. Precipitated phosphates have not only a larger volume than those merely pulver- ized, but they are also, as we have proved, more freely soluble in water than mineral phosphates. Even if their elementary composition be the same, the finely divided condition of the precipi- tated phosphate presents indisputable advantages. The precipitated phosphate is dissolved by the most dilute acetic acid, while it has little action on the finest bone-meal, and still less on coprolites. '' The secret, therefore, of the efficiency of superphosphates consists in the fact, that the oluble phosphates of the superphosphate are converted in the soil itself into an insoluble but very finely divided product. If this change took place before the dissemination of the fertilizer, the SULPHUR. 57 purpose of the s 11 49-87 •86 4-73 a " 12 50-07 •69 10-14 Navassa Gnano, 49-12 12-00 Swan Island Guano, mean of two analya es . 53-08 12-33 20-60 15-40 Bolivian, 53-20 9-23 18-24 4-08 Patagonian, Chilian, 44-00 31-00 fphos. iron \ and alum'a [combined. 18-30 18-60 35-60 43-17 The average amount of bone phosphate of Hme in the twelve analyses, is 57"58. The writers have been informed that the company who have control of this deposit have adopted the following tariff, viz : Twenty cents for each unit or per centage of bone phosphate contained in 100 lbs. represents the value of a ton. The average per centage by above Table is 57'58, which at 20 cents per unit would make the price COST OF THE RAW MATERIAL. 143 of this quality of tlie article $11.51 per ton. Tiie reader can appreciate the justice and fair- ness of a business conducted on such an equitable basis ; and the farmer should refuse to purchase the manufactured article, until a similar honest arrangement for fixing its price is adopted by the manuflicturers. One ton of mineral phos- phate containing 57.58 per cent, of bone phos- phate of lime, contains 527 lbs. of phosphoric acid, costing 2.16 cents per lb. to the manufacturer, as delivered in its rough state. When ground, assuming it to be worth 4i cents per lb. (the price claimed), the following statement will show the actual cost and profits, if put up in bags and sold in that state : One ton of Mineral Phosphate ^H-^O Oartao-e, grinding and labor 5.00 Bags.': ^-OQ Total cost $18.50 This article in its ground state is sold for $25.00 per ton to farmers, at a profit of $6.50 per ton. But its use, as we will now show, gives no return for the money expended. Manures, no matter what they contain, are valuable only in proportion to the solubility of their fertilizing constituents. There is absolutely no proof that this mineral phosphate, which has been exposed to the action of water for thousands of years, has parted with any of its phosphoric 114 AMERICAN MANURES. acid tlirougli this agency. On the contrary, it is more rich in phosphoric acid than ordinary bones, which fact is accounted for by the removal of the gelatin originally contained in the bones of marine animals of which the mineral phos- phate is made up. Again, we do not find that this mineral phosphate has any noticeable effect upon the vegetation of the soils in which it is found, in such immense quantities as to require removal in order that the land may be cultivated. The above facts are in strict accordance with the results attained by the experiments of celebrated chemists upon mineral phosphates. These ex- periments have demonstrated that pure water has no appreciable effect on them, and that solutions of salts of ammonia and of soda, nuich stronger than can be found in soils, have but a very slight effect upon them. Hence, as organic and mineral acids exist only as traces in soils, we may safely assert that they have no ap- preciable effect upon them, but that crude ground mineral phosphates must remain inert and useless in the soil ; their only possible value in the crude insoluble state consists in the carbonate of lime they contain, which can be purchased at one tenth the price paid for in mineral phosphates. Soluble Phosphoric Acid is produced by the action of sulphuric acid on bone phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and phosphates SOLUBLE PHOSPHORIC ACID. 145 of iron and alumina. As carbonate of lime and fluoride of calcium are always found in bones and mineral phosphates, the sulphuric acid first decomposes these substances and produces sul- phate of lime, before any phosphoric acid is liberated or rendered soluble, because the above named compounds are held together by a feebler affinity than phosphoric acid with its base. Hence, if an insufficient amount of acid is used to effect both, the phosphoric acid is left in its inert insoluble state. Through the cupidity and ignorance of the manufacturers in purchasing mineral phosphates that contain a large amount of these substances, this is often the case, and thus they neglect their own, as well as the interest of the farmer. Again, as all mineral phosphates contain peroxide of iron and alumina, some as much as 15 per cent., a much larger amount of sulphuric acid is required to render the phosphoric acid soluble than otherwise, be- cause the phosphoric acid first liberated combines wdth the peroxide of iron and alumina and be- comes insoluble, and an additional amount of acid is required to again liberate it from this peroxide of iron and alumina. Hence, the im- portance of the buyer knowing the percentage of these substances in the mineral phosphate, and the amount of sulphuric acid used. Here again buyers are defrauded, in consequence of the 146 AMERICAN MANURES. 1 manufacturer using an insufficient quantity of acid. (See page 55.) Sulpliuric acid being the agent used to render phosphoric acid soluble, we shall now show how much is required. Oil of vitriol, or the strongest sulphuric acid of commerce, known as 66° acid, contains 75 per cent, of anhydrous sulphuric acid. Each per cent, of the following compounds will require, to render them soluble, the follow- ing amounts of 66° acid, or oil of vitriol : 1-00 Carbonate of Lime requires 1*066 Sulphuric Acid. TOO Bone Phosphate of lime 0-688 1-00 Basic Phosphate of Magnesia. 0-810 1-00 Fluoride of Calcium 1-367 " 1-00 Alumina 3-110 1-00 Protoxide of Iron 1-480 1-00 Peroxide of Iron 2-000 " The above Table is very valuable both to the manufacturer and the farmer. The manufacturer can readily calculate how much acid is required by bones or any mineral phosphates, of a known composition, to render all the phosphoric acid soluble. And when a superphosphate of lime is represented to contain a certain percentage of soluble phosphoric acid, the farmer can very nearly estimate the amount of sulphuric acid used, and also the expense incurred by the manufacturers. The application of sulphuric acid to carbonate of lime or fluoride of calcium, VALUATION OF FERTILIZERS. 147 dissipates the cjtrbonic acid and fluorine gases, causing a loss of weight, as follows : 1*00 Carbonate of lime loses 0*44 Carbonic Acid. 1-00 Fluoride of Calcium 0*512 Hydrofluoric Acid. To illustrate this matter fully, we will take for example 100 lbs. of ox bones, which have the following composition : G elatin 30-58 lbs. Sulphuric Acid. Loss in gas. Phosphate of Lime 58-30 " require 40165 lbs. Carbonate of Lime 7-07 " " 7-536 " 3-11 lbs. Fluoride of Calcium 1-96 " " 2-689 " LOO " Phosphate of Magnesia. 2-09 " " 1-692 " 100-00 lbs. 52-082 lbs. 4-11 lbs. The resulting compounds, formed hy the addi- tion of the sulphuric acid, are as follows : Hydrated Sulphate of Lime or Plaster 81-17 lbs. Superphosphate of Lime 44-00 Superphosphate of Mag-nesia 1-73 Hydrated Sulphate of Magnesia 3-91 Gelatin 30-58 Carbonic Acid gas liberated and lost 3-11 Hydrofluoric Acid " " " 1-00 The above fully explains the theory of con- verting insoluble phosphates into superphos- phates. The following Table shows the average cost of the miaterials, and the w^eight produced. As the sulphate of lime produced requires two equivalents of water for its formation, if ther bones be perfectly dry, it would be necessary to add water in about the proportion shown below. 148 AMERICAN MANURES. This water should be thoroughly mixed with the bones before the acid is applied. 100 lbs. Bones, at 1| cents per lb $1.25 52 " Sulphui'ic Acid, at 2^ cents 1.30 25 '* Water 177 " $2.55 4-11 " Loss in Gases. 172.89 " From the above Table we find that the mate- rial of one ton of such superphosphate of lime costs the manufacturer $29.50. As the 100 lbs. of bones contain 28.05 lbs. of phosphoric acid, the 172.89 lbs. of the combination would contain the same with 5 lbs. of nitrogen ; and one ton would contain 324 lbs. of soluble phosphoric acid, and 57 lbs. of nitrogen, showing the ton of superphosphate to be worth to' the farmer as fol- lows (cissuming 122 and 15 cents, per lb. as the value of soluble phosphoric acid and nitrogen) : 324 lbs. of Soluble Phosphoric Acid, at 12^ cents $40.5C 57 " of Nitrogen in organic matter, at 15 cents 8.55 Bags 2 00 $51.05 The cost to the manufacturer is, as follows : 1157 lbs. -of Bones, at 1| cents $14.47 Grinding, at $5 per ton 2.89 602 lbs. Sulphuric Acid, at 2i cents 15.05 288 " Water 2047 '' Labor and Bags 5.00 47 " Loss in Gases 2000 " Total cost $37.41 PROFITS OF MANUFACTURERS. 149 This superphosphate of lime would show, by analysis, the following percentage of the substan ces named below : Nitrogen in organic matter 2-85 Soluble Phosporic Acid 16*20 Equal Superphosphate of Lime 26 "70 Equal to Bone-phosphate rendered sol...35*37 The reader will observe that a superphosphate of the above quality can be manufactured at a cost of $37.41 per ton, and is worth $51.05 to the flxrmer ; and if sold at $50, allows a profit of 33-3 per cent, on its cost — quite enough for any honest business. He will also observe that 12 i cents per lb. for soluble phosphoric acid (the value we have assumed in our calculations), is a fair valuation, inasmuch as that assumed value allows a large profit. We shall show hereafter that 15 cents per lb. is a fair valuation for nitrogen in organic matter ; and further, he will observe by turning to the analyses of leading manures given in Chap. YII., and comparing the percentage of valuable ingredients in them, with that of the phosphate above described, that one ton of the latter is really worth two tons of any of them, which are sold at from $50 to $55 per ton. How great then are the profits of manufacturers, and the imposition upon pur- chasers ! 150 AMERICAN MANURES. We sliall now show what soluble phosphoric acid costs the manufacturer, when he uses South Carolina mineral phosphate as a raw material. To illustrate this, w^e will take for example No. 12 on the Table of Analyses, page 142. This an- alysis is very near the general average, and 100 lbs. of such phosphate w^ill require the following amount of sulphuric acid ; the amount of gas liberated is also shown. These analyses are very imperfectly rendered, the carbonates of lime and magnesia, and the phosphates of iron and alumina being given alto- gether, with no statement of the amount of phos- phoric acid combined with them. As these gu- anos contain but a small amount of magnesia, we shall estimate the carbonates as carbonate of lime, and estimate the phosphate of iron and alu- mina given, as phosphate of iron. Sulphuric Acid. Gas liberated, 50-07 lbs. Phosphate of Lime, require 34-448 0-69 " " '^ Iron, '' -730 10-14 " Carbonate of Lime, " 10-819 4-46 39-10 " Organic matter, Sand, etc., 100-00 " 45-997 A ton of superphosphate of lime manufactured from this guano, would cost, as follows; as in the case of dry bones, should this guano be in a very dry state, about the same amount of water should be used : SUPERniOSPHATES. 151 1207 lbs. of Mineral Phosphate, at 20 cents per unit .^^5.02 553 " of Sulphuric Acid, at 2^ cents 13.45 289 '' of Water Cost of Grinding and other labor, at $5 per ton.. . 3.01 Labor of mixing, and Bags 5.00 2049 " $27.08 49 " Loss in Carbonic Acid Gas. 2000 " This ton of superphosphate of lime contains 280 lbs., or 14 per cent, of soluble phosphoric acid; and estimating the value of the ton from the value of this article at 12 J cents per lb., gives 280 lbs. of Soluble Phosphoric Acid, at 12 J- cents... .$35.00 Bags 2.00 Value to farmer $37.00 This value allows a profit of $9.92 per ton to the manufacturer, which is nearly 33 per cent., if it is sold to the farmer at its real value. But if sold at $50 per ton, the usual price, the man- ufacturer makes $22.92, which is a profit of 84 J per cent, on the cost of the article ; and the pur- chaser is cheated out of $13 on every ton he purchases, because the manufacturer exacts for it $13 more than it is really worth. But the real state of the case is much worse than this. The above shows what are the pro- fits to the manufacturer when the best possible article is made^ and the loss to the farmer when he pays $50 per ton for it. The manufacturers 152 AMERICAN MANURES. make an article mucli inferior to the above, by using an insufficient amount of sulphuric acid, and as much water as possible. For the sake of illustration, we will show the value of a superphosphate of the following com- position, which is a better one than is usually fur- nished by manufacturers, as a comparison of the analysis we give of it, with that of the analyses of celebrated manures given in Chap. Yll., will show. 1512 lbs. Mineral Phosphate, at $10 per ton $ 7.31 250 " Sulphuric Acid, at 2^ cents per lb 6.25 300 " Water 2062 " Grinding, Labor, Bags, etc 8.50 62 '' Loss in Gas. Total cost .$22.06 2000 " This attempt at making a superphosphate would, on analysis, show very nearly the follow- ing composition : Soluble Phosphoric Acid 6-32 per cent. Equal to Superphosphate of Lime 10-41 " " Insoluble Phosphoric Acid 10-97 " " Equal to Bone Phosphate 24*00 " " K ton of this contains 346 lbs. of phosphoric acid, 126 J lbs. of which is soluble and 219 ^ lbs. insoluble ; and the value of a ton to the farmer would be as follows : DECEPTIONS OF THE BUSINESS. 153 126^ lbs. Soluble Phosphoric Acid, @ 12^ cents $15.81 219^ " Insoluble, of no value as shown, (see page ) Baa-s 2.00 $17.81 Here we have an article of absolutely less value than the materials and labor used in pre- paring it — the cost being $23.06, and the real value, only $17.81. But the manufacturer in selling it at $50 per ton, more than double the cost, makes $27.94, which is a profit of 1111 per cent. ; and the farmer who pays $50 for it, and to whom it is worth only $17.81, is cheated to the amount of $32.19 in every ton he pur- chases. The farmer must bear in mind that he gets in many cases, as the analyses in Chap. VII. show, even a poorer article than the above, and hence, is cheated to a still greater extent. Most of the superphosphates (so called) that are now in the market contain only from a tenth to one-half of the phosphoric acid in a soluble condition, because an insufficient amount of sulphuric acid is used ; the balance, being insolu- ble, is of no value to the farmer, if it is contained in mineral phosphate, though it may have a value of 42 cents per lb. to the manufacturer, as a raw material to make soluble phosphoric acid from. They would fain make the farmer be- lieve that it is worth 41 cents per lb. to him ; but if we did not attempt to correct this idea, we 154 AMERICAN MANURES. should consider ourselves a party to d irauds of the manufacturers in their attempts to reap enormous profits by statements which both science, experiments and observation prove to be false. Insoluble phosphoric acid, exceeding 3 or 4 per cent, in any manufactured superphos- phate, is. proof positive of ignorance of the re- quirements of his business, cupidity or dis- honesty, or it may be all three, on the part of the manufacturer. Some manufacturers in giving analyses of their fertilizers, use the term " Soluble Bone Phos- phate." There is no such substance as soluble bone phosphate. There is Bone Phosphate, and 14 parts of it equal only 6 '41 parts of phos- phoric acid. B}^ using the term " Soluble Bone Phosphate," they desire to convey the impression that the purchaser gets more than double the amount of soluble phosphoric acid that he really does. If the manufacturer uses the term " Solu- ble Bone Phosphate," 51 cents is the measure of value for it per lb., instead of 12 i cents, as for phosphoric acid, and the farmer should be care- ful in purchasing to note this. No honest manufacturer who understands his business uses the term. Ammonia and Nitrogen, as found in manures, are technically called Actual Ammonia and Poten- tial Ammonia. In most manures, and especially SOURCES OF AMMONIA. 155 those malx tactured from organic substances, the amount of actual ammonia is very small. It requires no reasoning to prove that actual am- monia is far more valuable than nitrogen in the form of so-called potential ammonia, as the first named as found in Peruvian Guano, fermented dung, and urine has a marked effect upon the growth of plants, while other substances that are not quickly and readily decomposed, such as wool, horns, hoofs, etc., may contain an equal amount of nitrogen, and yet have no apparent effect upon the growth of vegetation. Manufacturers in giving analyses of their manures make no distinction between nitro2:en as actual ammonia, and nitrogen in organic matter ; but both are given as actual ammonia. But as we have determined the amount of each in the manures analyzed (Chap. YII.), we shall give them a value as nearly in accordance with the condition in Avhich they are found as possi- ble. We shall be guided by the same rule in the valuation of this article, as we were with phosphoric acid, viz : — the cost of production and preparation, and its value in the different mater- ials from which the manufacturers obtain it. Nitrogen is usually procured from the following sources of supply : — Peruvian Guano, bones, hoofs, horns, blood, and other organic remains, also from the crude sulphate of ammonia. All 11 156 AMERICAN MANURES. the salts of ammonia are soluble in water, and are directly available as plant food. Ammonia is contained in Peruvian Guano, as actual and potential, in about equal proportions. Professor Johnson says, " Peruvian Guano is genuine and good when it contains 15 per cent, of ammonia, and the sam.e amount of phosphoric acid." About one-third of this acid is soluble in water ; it also contains an average of 3 per cent, of potash ; and at the prices quoted below a ton would show a vahie, as follow^s : — 7i per cent. of Potential Ammonia, = 150 lbs @ 15 cents,. ..$22.50 7i " (( Actual Ammonia, =150 " @ 25 " . .. 37.50 5 " (( Soluble Phosphoric Acid = 100 " @ m " • .. 12.50 10 « i( Insoluble, as in bones, = 200 " @ 4i " . .. 9.00 3 " hydrous.) ) 1st Saniiile. ■ 2d Sample. 12-67 12-89 0-17 0-19 0-57 0-62 trace trace 5-61 5-56 7-22 7-18 12-78 0-18 0-60 trace = 0-22 I of Actual Ammonia. 5-59= 9-21 of Super- phosphate of Lime. r of Bone 7-20=15-72 ] Phosphate (^ of Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we de- duce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 255-60 lbs. Water @ $0.00 per lb. $0.00 4-40 " Actual Ammonia @ 0.25 " 1.10 12-00 " Nitrogen in organic mat. @ 0.15 " 1.80 111-80 lbs. Soluble Phos. Acid @ 0.12^ " 13.97 144-00 " Insoluble " " fa) 0.00 '* 0.00 Total value as Superphosphate Value of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $18.87 The above phosphate is sold at $45 per ton, involving a loss of $26.13, or 138 per cent., to the farmer on everj^ ton he purchases. He pays for it very nearly 2i times what it is worth. 196 AMERICAN MANURES. WATSON & CLAEK'S SUPERPHOSPHATE. The above fertilizer, from wliich the samples for analyses were selected, was purchased from the manufacturers at their office in Philadelphia. It is put up in 200 lb. bags ;, the one purchased weighed 201 2^ lbs. Its mechanical condition was good; the mineral phosphate from which it was manufactured had been finely ground, and there were no hard lumps to interfere with its application by drilling. The circular of these manufacturers is a model of its kind. They frankly state the kind of material used, and the source from which it is procured. They give no analyses of their article, which they should do, but say they manufacture a superphosphate of lime — "Under the supervision of Peof. James C. Booth of the U. S. Mint, and every parcel made is analyzed by him or hig partner, Dr. Garrett, in order to ascertain if it comes up to the required standard." They do not inform us what this standard is, but as they profess to manufacture a super- phosphate^ the required standard should be that. The analysis shows by the Insoluble Phosphoric Acid how far they fail. But if we take the price at which it is sold into account, it is one of the cheapest fertilizers in the market; i. e., the farmer gets more of what he needs for his money than in many other fertilizers more strongly recommended. ANALYSES. 197 ANALYSES OF RHODES' SUPERPHOSPHATE. Fercentaqe, oi' amount contained m 100. Water (expelled at '212° Fahrenheit). Nitrogen Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in ] acidulated water, j Phosphoric A c i d ^ (anhydrous), sol- uble in water at 00° to 70° F. Insoluble Phospho- ric Acid ( drous.) 1st Siiniple 3spho- "\ [anhy- [ 7-67 trace trace trace 3-63 15-16 2lHl Sample. 7-79 trace trace trace 3-40 15-34 Mean. 7-73 trace trace trace 3-52= r S u p e r phos- =5-80 1 phate of 15-25=33-29 Lime. Bone Phos- phate of Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we de- dnce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 154-60 lbs. Water @ Trace Nitrogen @ 70-40 lbs. Soluble Phos. Acid (a) ;0.00 per lb. $0.00 0.15 " 0.00 8.80 305-00 " Insoluble " @ 0.121 (cd 0.00 0.00 Total value, as Superphosphate $8.80 . Yalue of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $10.80 The above phosphate is sold at $50 per ton, involving a loss of $39.20, or 363 per cent, to the farmer on every ton he purchases ; or, in other words, he pays for it 4| times as much as it is worth. 198 AMERICAN MANURES. RHODES' SUPERPHOSPHATE. The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased from Messrs. Yarnall & Trimble, Philadelphia. ] t is put up in bags, marked 200 lbs ; the one pur- chased weighed 201 lbs. The mechanical con- dition of the fertilizer was good. The manu- facturer's circular gives the following analyses, said to be furnished by Prof Johnson in 1859. RHODES' SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME. Water (expelled at 212°) 22-25 22-34 Matter volatile at red heat 20-17 20-00 Sand and insoluble matters 1-82 2*57 Lime 14-90 15-85 Phosphoric Acid, soluble in water. . . . 13-78 13-85 " insoluble " -64 -67 The above analyses of Prof. Johnson widely differ from our analyses of Rhodes' Superphos- phate. We do not question the correctness of the analyses given by Prof. Johnson in 1859, but there is evidently a marked falling off in the quality since that time ; and to publish these analyses with his or any other eulogistic state- ment, at the present time, is a great injus- tice to the Professor, and shows an evident disposition on the part of the manufacturer or agents to deceive and defraud their customers. As the fertilizer is now manufactured, in con- nection with the price demanded for it, we cannot characterize it as being anything short of a fraud and a cheat. ANALYSES. 199 ANALYSES OF BERGER & BUTZ'S EXCELSIOR SUPERPHOSPHATE OP LLME. Percentage, or amount contained in 100. 1st Sample. 2iul Sumple. Mean. Water (expelled at ] 2 12° Fahrenheit), j 915 9-08 9-12 Nitrogen. trace trace trace= Actual Ammonia Nitrogen in organic ] matter. j 1-42 1-46 1-44 Potash soluble in ] acidulated water, j trace trace trace Phosphoric Acid ~^ (anhydrous), sol- uble in water at 60O to TOO F. 5-23 5-18 5-21= 8-59- Superphos- phate of Lime. Insoluble Phos- ") BonePhos- phoric Acid (an- V 8-19 8-36 8-28 = 18-08^ phate of hydrous). j Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we deduce the following amounts, contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer. 182-40 lbs. Water @ $0.00perlb. $ 0.00 28 80 " Nitrogen in organic matter @ 0.15 " 4.32 104-20" Soluble Phosphoric Acid.. @ 0.12^" 18.03 165-60 " Insoluble Phosphoric Acid. @ 0.00 " 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $17.35 Value of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $19.35 The above phosphate is sold at |50 per ton, involving a loss of $30.65, or nearly 159 per cent, to the farmer, on every ton he purchases ; or, in other words, he pays nearly 21 times as much for it as it is worth. 200 AMERICAN" MANURES. BERGER & BUTZ'S EXCELSIOR SUPER PHOSPHATE OF LIME. The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the manufacturers' office, Philadelphia. It is put up %■ in bags marked 200 lbs. ; the bag purchased weighed 201 lbs. Its mechanical condition was bad, the mineral phosphate from which it is made had seemingly been ground fine, but the finished product had dried in hard lumps in the bag, which would be a great inconvenience to tlie farmer if he wished to apply it w^ith a drill. It is strange that these manufacturers do not see the importance of reducing their fertilizers to a powder, before sending them to the farmer, who naturally expects it fully prepared to apply to tlie soil, either by drilling or by hand. When the farmer has to reduce these lumps to a pow- der, he is doing the work of the manufacturers for which he pays, and which could be done by them at far less cost. Messrs. Berger & Butz issue a very modest circular. They give no analysis of their fertilizer, which every manufacturer should do, as it alone is the only guarantee of its quality. The amount of soluble phosphoric acid and nitrogen it con- tains, is far more than in some other fertilizers that are more strongly recommended. ANALYSES. 20] ANALYSES OF "TFTE MAGNUM BONUM SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE," DUGDALE & GIRVIN SOLE PRO- PRIETORS, BALTIMORE, MI). Percentage, or amount contained in 100, Water (expelled at 2120 Fahrenheit). Nitrogen Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in acidulated water. Phosphoric Acid (anhydrous), sol- uble in water at [ 60° to 70° F. J Insoluble Phospho-"~j ric Acid (anhy- V drous). ) 1st 2iid Sample. Sample. 12-48 12-57 0-15 0-17 0-72 0-73 0-84 0-82 4-45 4-48 6-95 6-62 Mean. 12-53 0-16=0-20 ( Actual Am- 1 monia. 0-73 083 rS upe rphos- 4-47=7'37 < phate of I Lime. ( Bone Phos- 6-79--=14-82 -^ phate of (^ Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we de- duce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 250-60 lbs. Water @ $0.00 per lb. $0.00 4-00 " Actual Ammonia @ 0.25 14-60 " Nitrogen in organic matter. @ 0.15 16-60 " Potash @ 0.08 89-40 " Soluble Phosphoric Acid . . @ 0.12i 135-80 " Insoluble " '' . . (cd 0.00 1.00 2.19 1.33 11.17 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $15.69 Yalue of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $17.69 The above named fertilizer is sold at $52 per 202 AMERICAN MANURES. ton, involving a loss to the farmer of $34.31, or 194 per cent, on every ton he purchases, or, in other words, he pays for it very nearly 3 times as much as it is worth. "THE MAGNUM BONUM SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE." The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the office of Messrs. Dugdale & Girvin, Baltimore, Md. It is put up in bags, marked 167 lbs. ; the bag purchased weighed 170 lbs. Its mechanical condition was very bad, being composed almost entirely of coarse, hard lumps, that were pul- verized with considerable difficulty, and we should think it would cause considerable trouble to the farmer to prepare it for drilling. Messrs. Dugdale & Girvin are comparatively modest in recommending this fertilizer. They furnish an analvsis as follows : ANALYSIS. Made by Prof. W. LeRoy Broun, formerly of Va. Soluble Bone Phosphate 13-79 Bone Phosphate, soluble in the soil 27-94 Ammonia 3-82 Potash 4-24 Soda and Magnesia 2-79 This article contains the most vahiable constituents in large proportions, and I have no doubt will prove a very valuable Fertilizer. W. LkRoy Broun. December 3d, 1870. ANALYSES. 203 We would characterize the above as a garbled analysis, calculated to deceive the purchaser. There is no such compound as " Soluble Bone Phosphate ;" the term is absolutely hypothe- tical. There is Bone Phosphate of Lime, 13-79 parts of which contain 6*32 parts of Phospho- ric Acid. But perhaps 6-32 per cent, might not so favorably impress the buyer as 13-79 would ; and " Bone Phosphate," with the prefix "• Soluble," is used by the dealer to favorably im- press the farmer (unacquainted as he generally is with scientific terms) that he is getting more than twice the value he actually receives. Our analyses and that of Prof W. LeKoy Broun differ widely. We do not say his is not conscientiously made, because there is a possi- bility, not to say probability, that manufacturers and dealers submit a sample of one quality to the chemist for analysis, and palm off a greatly inferior quality upon purchasers. Certain it is, that the bag we bought shows no sucli result as that given by Prof W. LeRoy Broun. The Professor's analysis gives 27*94 per cent, of " Bone Phosphate, soluble in the soil;" he does not say in how long, whether it requires ten, twenty, or thirty years. These indefinite state- ments are calculated to deceive any one who is not fully informed on the subject, and the motives for giving them cannot be too strongly repre- hended. 14 204 AMERICAN MANURES. This fertilizer is represented to be composed of Dissolved Bones, Ammonia and Potash ; and " entirely free from any adulterative matter." The analyses show that it contains a great deal of something that is not accounted for. The large percentage of water might seem unneces- sary to the uninitiated. The reader will notice that there is flir more of this substance than Superphosphate of Lime, and if he compares the price of this fertilizer with the "value, he will naturally come to the conclusion that it is the *' Magnum Bonum " {the great good) to the manufacturers and dealers, and the " Magnum Malum " {the great evil) to the farmer. Messrs. Dagdale & Girvin say that this " Mag- num Bonum is the great Generator and nour- isher of Corn, Oats, Grass, Wheat, Tobacco, and other crops and plants." Tliis must be a most won- derful property of this fertilizer, the inference being that the farmer need not use any seed to pro- duce the above crops — the manure itself being a generator. There might, however, be a great disadvan- tage connected with its use ; the farmer naturally would have a desire to raise a specified crop, the generator might beget corn when he wanted wheat, or oats when he wanted tobacco, or might produce them all heterogeneously. We make these suggestions for the benefit of Messrs. Dug- ANALYSES. 205 dale & Girvin, so that in future they may be more careful or more specific in giving the quali- ties of this wonderful manure. " Consistency is a jewel;" and to show that the proprietors of this wonderful fertilizer are slightly lacking in this virtue, we give the fol- lowing analysis of the " Magnum Bonum," as given in Messrs. Dugdale & Girvin's advertise- ment in the "Journal of the Farm/' which an- alysis the reader is requested to compare with the analysis furnished by Prof. W. LeEoy Broun, formerly of Va. Soluble Bone Phosphate of Lime 15'33 Bone Phosphate of Lime 19*64 Ammonia (equal to 12 per cent, of Sulphate) 3-16 Potash 4-62 The laws of the State of Maryland require an analysis of every fertilizer to be plainly marked on each package. The bag of " Magnum Bonum" purchased by us had some blurred and half obliterated marks, which we charitably supposed were intended for an analysis, but we failed to decipher it after expending considerable time endeavoring to do so ; this showing conclusively that the intention was to conform with the letter and not the spirit of the law of Maryland. We would suggest to Messrs. Dugdale & Girvin the propriety of using larger letters and figures, thus saving considerable trouble to their customers, as well as saving their own credit. 206 AMEEICAN MANURES. ANALYSES OF WHANN'S RAW BONE SUPEE- PHOSPHATE. Percentage, or amount contained in 100. Mean. Water (expelled at ] 212° Fahrenheit), j Nitrogen. Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in acidulated water. Phosplioric Acid (anhydrous), so- luble in water at [ 60° to 70O F. J Insoluble Phos-"^ phoric Acid (an- V- hydrous). J 1st Sainjile. 2d Sample. 9-92 10-06 0-37 0-42 0-91 0-98 0-21 0-19 3-47 3-25 14-30 14-46 9-99 0-40 = 0-49 I ^ctualAm- 1 monia. 0-94 0-20 C Superphos- 3-36 = 5-54 \ phate of (^ Lime. C BonePhos- 14-38=31 -39 ■< phate of Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we deduce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : SO.OO 2.45 2.82 0.32 8.40 0-00 199-80 lbs. Water @ $0.00 per lb. 9-80 " Actual Ammonia @ 0.25 " 18-80 " Nitrogen in organic matter. @ 0.15 " 4-00 " Potash .-• @ 0.08 " 67-20 " Soluble Phos. Acid @ 0.12^ " 287-60 '* Insoluble " " @ 0.00 '' Total value as Superphosphate $13.99 Value of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $15.99 The above Phosphate is sold at $52 per ton, involving a loss of $36.01, or 225 per cent., to the farmer on every ton he purchases ; or, in other words, he pays 3i times what it is worth. ANALYSES. 207 WHANN S RAW BONE SUPERPHOS- PHATE. Tlie above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased from the manufacturers' agents, Messrs. Cruft and Young, Philadelphia. It is put up in 200 lb. bags ; the one purchased weighed 203 lbs. The mechanical condition of the fertilizer was only middling ; it had not that homogeneous appearance that a first- class fertilizer should present. This condition may be caused by a portion of the Charleston Guano, or other mineral phosphate, of which it is largely composed, being treated with sulphuric acid, and then mixed with another portion of phosphate in its crude state ; and the superphos- phate, taken as a whole, did not present the ap- pearance of being prepared from substances of " animal orujinr For tlie benefit of our readers we have collated the following extracts from the circulars of the manufacturers of this super- phosphate. No. 1. " Plants during? their grermination and development require a constant supply of food, and it is necessary that this nourishment be furnished in such a form as to be at once as- similable, and capable of being immediately useful in sustaining their growth." No. 2. "The experience of the most capable agriculturists throughout the civilized world points to the use of concentrated manures ; those which afford all the elements of plant food in a readily soluble form." No. 3. '-The phosphate of lime, as it exists in bones, is in- 208 AMERICAN MANURES. soluble in water, although when placed in the soil it becomes soluble to a very limited extent." No. 4. '' Quick manures mcrease the ftasmess capital of the farmer." No. 5. " Unlike Peruvian Guano, it (Whann's Raw Bone Superphosphate) does not exhaust the soil, but, on the con- trary, it insures a supply of valuable nutriment lasting through several seasons." No. 6. " The ingredients which enter into the composition of Whann's Raw Bone Superphosphate (raw bones, guano, sulphuric acid, potash and soda), are all subjected to thorough chemical analysis before they are purchased. No inert sub- stances are used. The phosphate is warranted free from adulteration^ No. 7. " With the exception of the sulphuric acid, potash, and soda, every ingredient entering into its composition is of animal origin." No. 8. " Our works are under the daily control and super- vision of an experienced chemist, and are furnished with a completely appointed analytical laboratory, where analyses are made of every ingredient used in the phosphate." No. 9. "Dollar for dollar, Whann's Raw Bone Phosphate will go nearly twice as far as Peruvian the first year." No. 10. "Instead of resorting to indiscriminate puffing for the purpose of forcing sales, the manufacturers have contented themselves with allowing it to speak for itself.'' The reader is aware that the quahfyirig name of this fertilizer is " Raw Bone." We are anxious to know how much of this substance is used by the manufacturers. On a careful examination we found what might be styled a sprinkling of hone, but not sufficient for the most limited excuse for giving it the name of " Raw Bone Phosphate." From the amount of soluble phos- n ANALYSES. 209 phoric acid present in a ton, the amount of sul- phuric acid used must be very small. Mr. Whann says, that guano is used, but he does not state the kind or kinds, or the propor- tions. We hazard the assertion that there is a large amount of Charleston, with a very small amount of Peruvian. " He also notifies us that potash and soda are used. The reader will notice by the analyses, that a ton of his superphosphate contains 4 lbs. of potash, worth 32 cents. The benefits result- ing from such an amount cannot be very marked, as it requires 40 lbs. of potash for 25 bushels of wheat with the straw. No adulteration is said to be practised in preparing this superphosphate, but Mr. Whann admits to using soda. We pre- sume he means salt cake or sulphate of soda, usually sold for $10 per ton, or he may apply salt or chloride of sodium. In either case, when Mr. Whann can prove the necessity of the use of soda in any form in a superphosphate, or that a large amount of crude mineral phosphate, which when ground could not possibly cost him over $17 per ton, should be found in a high-priced fertilizer represented to be made from " Eaw Bone," and sells for $52 per ton, we will admit that there has been no adulteration practised ; and when he can satisfactorily account for the presence of 267*60 lbs. of insoluble phosphoric 210 AMERICAN MANURES. acid in a ton of his " Siiperpliospliatej " and prove that this large amount is of immediate benefit to the farmer or to his crops, we will give Wh Ann's Haw Bone Superphosphate all the merit claimed for it ; until then we shall consider our- selves as cheated in our purchase of this fertilizer, and claim the right of expressing our opinion freely. Our farmers should take a lesson from Mr. Whann, and use a little of his caution in making their purchases, by assuring themselves of the quality of what they buy. As Mr. Whann says he keeps a chemist, we think it is due to him- self, and to the public, that he should publish a full analysis of his " Superphosphate." Were the manufacturers of fertilizers who re- sort to indiscriminate puffing to push forward their products, to inform the farmer as to their quality in a frank manner, by analysis we mean, a different state of affairs would now exist. And if the parties professing to make a Superphos- phate from Kaw Bones, had fully informed the farmer of the value of Mineral Phosj)hates, and candidly admitted to using the latter as a raw material, they would at the present time have little occasion to blush, perhaps, over their petty deceits and subterfuiies. ANALYSES. 211 ANALYSES OF SOLUBLE PACIFIC GUANO. Percentage, or amount contained in 100. Mean. k Water, (expelled at 212° Fahrenheit). Nitrogen. Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in acidulated water. Phosphoric Acid ^ (anhydrous), so- ! luble in water at 60O to 70° F. Insoluble Phos- phoric Acid (an- hydrous). 1st Sample. 2d Sample. 14-20 14-26 0-83 0-87 1-58 1-44 0-46 0-49 3-87 3-74 11-03 11-23 1423 1-51 -85 =1-03 I ActualAm- monia. 0-48 {Superphos- phate of Lime. f BonePhos- 11-13=24-30 ] pliate of [ Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we deduce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 284-60 lbs. AVater @ $0.00 per lb. $0.00 20-60 " Actual Ammonia @ 0.25 '' 5.15 30-20 " Nitrogen in organic mat. @ 0.15 •' 4.53 9-60 " Potash @ 0.08 " 0.77 76-20 " Soluble Phos. Acid @ 0.12^ " 9.53 222-60 " Insoluble '' " @ 0.00 " 0.00 Total value as a fertilizer $19.98 Value of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $21.98 The above fertilizer is sold at $50 per ton, in- volving a loss of $28.02, or 128 per cent, to the farmer on every ton he purchases j or, in other words, he pays more than 2? times as much as it is worth. 212 AMERICAN MANURES. SOLUBLE PACIFIC GUANO. The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the office of the agent of the manufacturers, Phila- delphia. It is put up in bags marked 200 lbs. ; the one purchased weighed 195 lbs., being 5 lbs. deficient weight on the bag, or 50 lbs. on the ton. Farmers in purchasing fertilizers should pay particular attention to this matter ; as this fertilizer is sold at 21 cents per lb., this de- ficiency in weight is a direct loss of $1.25. We have estimated the value of a ton of 2000 lbs. ; this shows a greater value than the deficient weight could demand. As there is a deficiency of 2i per cent, in the weight, to be just, we should deduct the same from the value. The mechanical condition of the fertilizer was good as regards fineness, and can be easily applied with a drill. It contains a large percentage of water, which is a very objectionable feature; every ton contains 284"60 lbs., which the flirmer pays 2i cents a pound for, amounting to $7.11; to which if we add the $1.25 paid for deficient w^eight, would make $8.36 paid for what is a direct loss. As this company is represented to sell 20,000 tons yearly, the reader can readily calculate what is made from the sale of the water alone. But this is not a strictly correct showing' of what the farmer pays for the water. ANALYSES. 213 We have shown what 136 "60 lbs. of the ton is worth to the farmer, as ammonia, nitrogen, pot- ash, and soluble phosphoric acid. Hence, he paj^s $28.02 for 1863-4 lbs. of water, sand, and other inert substances, which is over 1^ cents per lb. We give the following quotations from the circular of the wholesale agents of this Fertilizing Company 1. "A beneficent Providence has aggregated the crude ele- ments of fertility in exhanstless quantities all over the world — ^^pon islands of the sea, and in the sea and elsewhere. Nature, however, does not yield her treasures without an equivalent. Coal is found embedded in mountains ; the precious metals are held bound in the quartz rock, and are adapted to the uses for which nature designed them, only at the cost of labor, enterprise and capital. So also these deposits in their natural state are not in condition for practical utility, but modern science has developed methods by which they are capable of the highest utility to the most important of all interests. Hence, v/hile nature furnishes the crude, material, and science the method, still capital, skill, enterprise and labor are required to adapt them to the purposes designed by nature." 2. " An intelligent pursuit of this business requires a know- ledge of the science of chemistry, especially as applied to agriculture; a knowledge of the physiology of plants, their vital forces, their structure and organism ; a knowledge of the con- stituent elements of vegetable nutrition, of their natural sources of supply, as to whether they be of organic or inorganic origin; a knowledge of the constituents of the atmosphere and their relations to cultivated plants, of the nature of soils and the conditions in which the elements of fertility may exist; a knowledge of the nature and character of the elements which should enter info the composition of a concentrated fertilizer, their relative proportion etc. ; ;\ knowledge of the dijfertncfi 214 AMERICAN MANURES. and valuf. and quality of certain elements which professional chemists call by the same names ; for example, phosphate of lime, whether mineral or organic, is called phosphate of lime ; potash, whether supplied from felspar or in soluble form, is called potash. In making a report of analyses, chemists are not expected and do not make note of these important differ- ences. They take no note of the fact as to whether ammonia in a fertilizer be in the form of salts, or be generated from ani- mal organic matter ; hence, published analyses may not give a correct basis of value, for all these questions enter in the consideration." 3. " If the business be pursued without these proper qualifica- tions it becomes the subject of quackery, as is the case in other professions. A quack is he who pursues a profession under the guidance of rules and examples, without knowledge of laws or •principles, and is therefore liable to constant blunders and mis- takes. No business partaking of the nature of a profession has been more subject to the intrusions of quackery than this very business of manufacturing fertilizers ; hence it is, that so raiany fertilizers have been placed upon the markets which have proved so nearly worthless, as on the one hand to involve loss of money and time to the consumer, and on the other to create distrust in their minds of those articles that are brought into market by parties possessing all the requisite qualifications as to knowledge of principles involved, and the facilities afforded by ample material resources." Little need be s hydrous) ) 1st Sample. 2d Sample. 7-30 7-22 0-21 0-18 0-60 0-70 0-95 0-90 2-07 1-91 20-42 20-28 7-26 0-G5 20 = 0-24 j Actual Am- monia. 0-93 1-99 = 3-28 20-35=44-43 Superphos- phate of Lime. ' Bone Phos- , phate of L Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we de- duce the following amounts contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 145-20 lbs. Water ' (a) 4-80 13-00 18-60 39-80 407-00 Actual Ammonia @ Nitrogen in organic matter. @ Potash @ Soluble Phosphoric Acid . . @ Insoluble " " . • @ 0.00 per lb. ^0.00 0.25 1.20 0.15 1.95 0.08 1.49 0.121 " • 4.98 0.00 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $ 9. 62 Value of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $11.62 The above manure is sold at $52 per ton, in- volving a loss of $40.38, or 348 per cent, to the farmer on every ton. he purchases ; or, for manure alone, he pays 5i times as much as it is worth. 232 AMERICAN MANURES. BOWEE'S COMPLETE MANURE. The above manure, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased from Messrs. Dixon, Sharpless & Co., Philadelphia. It is put up in bags marked 200 lbs. ; the one pur- chased weighed 190 lbs., being 10 lbs. less than it sliould have weighed, or a deficiency of 100 lbs. to the ton. The mechanical condition of the manure was good. The following quota- tions from the manufacturer's circular will be valuable to the reader, from which he can make his own deductions No. 1. " All will of course agree that farm-yard or stable manure is a good fertilizer, yet unless it is properly rotted or prepared, and kept from the washing rains, its good qualities may be much impaired, and within my own experience but few farra9rs pay enough attention to the important point of having the manure in such a place as to prevent being leached out by rains. Take the best stable manure, however, and make a com- parison by analysis of its virtues with that of an artificial fertil- izer, as the 'Complete Manure,' it is found, estimating the cost (delivered) of farm-yard manure at $5.00 per ton, and the ' Complete Manure ' at $60.00, (delivered,) that the actual value of the ' Complete Manure ' to the farmer is more than double its cost, when compared with the very best farm-yard manure." No. 2. "It must be borne in mind, that in order to achieve the results obtained by the ' Complete Manure,' a consid(;r- able proportion of the constituents must be in a form to make them be taken up at once by the rootlets of the plant ; that is to say, they must he easily dissolved in the water contained in the soil. It is true, that Nature, among all her other wonders, has provided means to render soluble these constituents, but the process has wisely been made a slow one ; the chemist can ANALYSES. 233 provide the means to make sufficient for the growing crop dissolvable, the balance remaining in the soil to be acted upon by the air and water of the soil to provide food for future crops,' No. 3. " A benefit derived from the use of a powerful man ure, such as the ' Complete Manure,' is that it forces the young plant forward by reason of the large amount of soluble matter it contains. '^J'he importance of this cannot w^ell be overesti mated, as the plant soon reaches that degree of strength and toughness which will prevent an early frost from injuring, or some insect from devouring it ; hence it may be said to be par- ticularly applicable to cotton, tobacco, wheat, corn, potatoes, and other root vegetables, as all the young plants of these are subject to the ravages of tlie insect, or the blight of the frost.' No. 4. "In manufactured manures, much of their agricultural value depends upon the mechanical condition in which they are supplied, the extent to which the component parts have been pulverized and intermixed ; the richest manure, chemically speak ing, will be of little use unless it is moderately dry, reduced to fine powder, and its constituents thoroughly incorporated. This must be borne in mind in judging of the value of a manure, and a proportionate price ought to be allowed for the degree of com- pleteness with which these matters have been attended to. Al- though in theory the production of an artificial fertilizer is a very simple matter, in practice it is found somewhat trouble- some, from the difficulty of- producing a manageable article, and a great deal of experience and skill are required to prepare a manure of the requisite chemical strength, and mechanical condition." No. 5. "In speaking with farmers during the past season, many complaints have been met with of the inefficiency of some superphosphates, prepared guanos, poudrettes, and other so- called manures, some of them with high-sounding titles, having failed to produce the results their manufacturers claimed they would give. This has, no doubt, in some instances been the re- sult of a bad season, or bad farming, or some untoward cause which is unaccountable; but there is good reason to fear that it has been the result of adulteration.'' No. 6. " The adulteration of manures, as indeed of all other articles of commerce, is a practice that cannot be too strongly 234 AMERICAN MANURES. conderanecl ; and it is much to be regretted that the laws of thig country afford too many chances for successfully carrying on this species of fraud." No. 7. " In the case of manures their adulteration is attended with several evils besides the more direct one of robbing those who purchase the adulterated article. The fact of manures being known to be extensively adulterated tends to restrict their use, and to withhold the good that a more extended use of these materials is calculated to confer both on the farmer and on the community. For the same reason the trade of honest manufacturers is injured and confined. Under the name of manures all kinds of mixtures are sold, often worth but a fraction of the price paid for them, and in too. many instances altogether worthless. The frauds practised by dishonest man- ure dealers consist of diluting or weakening of standard man- ures — by the admixture of less valuable or worthless material, as tanner's bark, road or street scrapings, old mortar, spent wood-ashes, coal ashes, or other material ; and in order to give them apparent value, animal matter with a horrid stench is mixed with these in some instances (many persons are induced to think that a manure, in order to be good, must have a vile smell, than which there can be no greater mistake). Such mix- tures are brought into the market as new compounds under all sorts of high-flown names, which often indicate properties in every way the reverse of those possessed by the so-called man- ures they represent." No. 8. '• By a rudimentary knowledge of Chemistry, manures can be tested with sufficient accuracy to assure their genuine- ness ; various operations upon the farm can be wonderfully im- proved by studying Nature's processes, for in these we see the working of the Divine hand, at once so wonderful, so simple, and so w^ell adapted to the wants of mankind. In Mechanics, we have a help which is daily being increased, by the genius of our people, and the farmer can, by devising various simple changes in machines, no doubt increase their usefulness, or the uses of them." No. 9. " I do not forget that science is in its infancy; there are numerous secrets which Nature refuses to give up, and which, with all the chemical and mechanical aids available, the ANALYSES. 235 most arduous researches liave not been able to get from her, except by degrees ; as fresh discoveries come to Hglit, I will make every effort to take advantage of them in improving the * Complete Manure,' while farmers can at all times rely upon receiving ' the worth of thkir money ' when purchasing it." After the above, a brief breathing pause should be allowed to our readers. Such an extensive knowledge of Chemistry, as applied to Agricul- ture, should enable Mr. Bower to produce a '^ Complete Manure." But if our readers will compare these remarks of Mr. Bower with our analyses of his " Complete Manure," the ap- jDlication of the Fable of the mountain in labor^ when '' nascitur ridicidus mus''' (a miserable mouse was brought forth), will be appreciated. TESTIMONIALS. No. 1. " Messrs. Booth & Garrett, of Philadelphia, Chemists of high respectability, say, in speaking of the ' Complete Ma- nure,' in a note to Messrs. Dixon, Sharpless & Co., dealers in fertilizers : " The constitution of the above indicates a decided advance in the composition of a fertilizer, by the introduction of a con- siderable percentage of Potassa, and countenances the claim in- volved in the name ' Complete Manure.' " No. 2. " The report upon the ' Complete Manure,' made by Messrs. Williams & Moss, of Philadelphia, Chemists of large experience in the analysis of fertilizers, says : "We find from an analysis of your 'Complete Manure,' that the name you have given it is certainly warranted by its chemical composition ; in addition to thus cordially recommend- ing your fertilizer from a chemical stand point, we should state that its mechanical condition is most excellent, being such as to admit of its use in the drill without further preparation." 16 236 AMERICAN MANURES. No. 3. "Mining and Assay Office and Chemical Labora- tory, No. 57 Broadway, opposite Exchange Place, New York, October 10th, 1867. " Henry Bower, Esq., Philadelphia. " Dear Sir : — Enclosed please find results of an analysis of a sample of your ' Complete Manure,' taken from Dixon & Sharpless' warehouse, September 25th. " These results show at a glance the great merit your article possesses as a fertilizer, and warrant the opinion that it will take a leading rank among manures. The liberal proportions of soluble phosphoric acid, ammonia and potash, afford to soil a large amount of nutriment immediately available to growing crops, while the remainder of the phosphoric acid, becoming gradually soluble through atmospheric influences, assures a lasting supply of plant food. " The introduction of potash, and the nice adjustment of the proportions of the above ingredients, render the name you have given your fertilizer particularly appropriate, as it con- tains all the elements necessary to insure success, and I am confident that wherever it is used its reputation will rapidly extend. " Respectfully yours, •' C. Elton Buck.' No. 4. " Office State Geological Survey, New Brunswick, N. J.-, July 15th, 1869. " Dear Sir : — Your letter of May 20th was duly received. The five bags of your ' Complete Manure ' so generously sent to -the College Farm were also duly received. For this donation I desire to tender the thanks of the Trustees of the College, and to say that it was immediately used in trials upon corn, beets, and carrots, and on potatoes ; and also it has been subjected to chemical analysis. The results. of these will be given in the annual report upon the farm, which is made to the Legislature, and is printed and circulated extensively througliout the State. An earlier acknowledgment ought to have been made, but it has been delayed so as to send the chemical analysis, and that, though long expected, has but recently been completed. The crops upon which the ' Manure ' was tried are looking well. The results of the analysis show it to be a valuable fertilizer, and all ANALYSES. 237 that I have heard of it is in its favor. I hope to send you fur ther reports of it in the course of the season. " Respectfully yours, " George H. Cook, " To Henry Bower, Esq. State Geologist:' No. 5. "Laboratory of the Medical College, Queen STREET, Charleston, S. G., December 9th, 1869. *' This article certainly deserves the name it bears, i. e., of a Complete Manure— furnishing to the plant all the important elements of its food. " Charles U. Shepard, M. D. Inspector of Fertilizers for South Carolina" No. 6. ' Savannah, Ga., February 1st, 1870. " I take pleasure in saying that the accompanying analysis of Bower's Complete Manure, made for Messrs. Hacker & Molony, Savannah, Ga., warrants our confidence in its fertilizing proper- ties. Its amount of Ammonia, and its excellent supply of Phosphoric Acid, in a soluble state, will ensure the early growth and development of the plant, together with a fine fruitage, to which the Phosphoric Acid mainly contributes, and these re- sults may be expected for the first year, while the amount of in- soluble Phosphate remaining in the soil will, by slow chemical reaction going on during the suceeding Fall and Winter, pre- pare the land for a better crop during the year. "A Means, Inspector." The farmer after reading the above testnno- nials and comparing them with the analyses of the " Complete Manure " furnished by us, would naturally be induced to ask the following ques- tions : Where are the analyses of the " Complete Manure " furnished by these gentlemen ? Is it excessive modesty, or some other motive, that prevents Mr. Bower from pubHshingthem? Was 238 AMERICAN MANURES. the " Complete Manure " made of a hetter quality, at the time these testimonials were given, than it is at present ? If it was not, what are w^e to characterize these chemists, who knowingly allow their names to be used to encourage the perpetra- tion of such a great fraud ? If these chemists gave candid and honest statements at the time, and its present deterioration is due to Mr. Bower, we think it is due to those of them that are honest and capable, and most of whose opinions should have weight with the community, and also to Mr. Bower himself, if he desires to he con- sidered an honest man, at once to withdraw these testimonials, and modify his circular so as to bring its statements within the bounds of truth ; or, if this be distasteful to him, let him make reparation to his customers, and in the future manufacture a better article than was sold to us ANALYSES. 239 ANALYSES OF THE PATAPSCO GUANO COM- PANY'S AMMONIATED SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE! Percentage, or amount contained in 100. Water (expelled at 2120Fahrenheit). Nitrogen. Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in acidulated water. Phosphoric Acid "^ (anhydrous), sol- uble in water at 60° to TOO F. Insoluble Phos- phoric Acid (an- hydrous). 1st Sample. 2nd Sample. 14-97 15-06 0-73 0-82 1-54 1-58 0-62 0-65 8-43 8-21 6-56 6-69 Mean. 15-02 0-78 = 1-56 0-64 8-32=: 13-71^ 6-63 = 14-47 Q.g^S Actual Am- \ monia. Superphos- phate of Lime. BonePhos- phate of Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we deduce the following amounts, con tamed in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 300-40 lbs. Water '. @ $ 0.00 per lb. $ 0.00 19-00 " Actual Ammonia @ 31-20 " Nitrogen in organic matter. @ 12-80 " Potash @ 166-40 " Soluble Phosphoric Acid. .. @ 132-60 " Insoluble " " . . . @ 0.25 0.15 0.08 0.12^ 0.00 4.75 4.68 1.02 20.80 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $3J .25 Yalue of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $33.25 The above phosphate is sold at $55 per ton, involving a loss of $21.75, or nearly 66 per cent, to the farmer on every ton he purchases ; or, in other words, he pays for it nearly I3 times as much as it is worth. 240 AMERICAN MANURES. PATAPSCO GUANO COMPANY'S AMMO- NIATED SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE! The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the company's office, Baltimore. It is put up in bags marked 167 lbs. ; the bag purchased weighed 170 lbs. Its mechanical condition was very bad. We found hard lumps in it, as large as a 50-lb. cannon ball; as the manufacturers recommend this article to be drilled, we are in doubt whether they meant the drill of the farmer, or the drill of the quarryman. From our experience in pul- verizing the article, we incline to think it was the latter. This is a very objectionable feature of this fertilizer, and must necessarily give the farmer considerable trouble. In an attempt to conform with the laws of the State of Maryland, there were some letterins; and fi2:ures on the bao^, wdiich we are charitable enough to concede were intended for an analysis. After considerable trouble, we set down the following, which if not correct, we shall feel under obligation to the com- pany if they will notify us : Soluble Phosphates 24-00 Insoluble Phosphates IS'OO Ammonia 400 Salts of Potash 7-00 This, to say the least, is a garbled analj'sis. It states that this superphosphate contains 24 ANALYSES. 241 per cent, of " Soluble Phosphates," but as to the amount of phosphoric acid in the " Soluble Phos- phates " we are left entirely in the dark. Again, we are informed that the superphosphate con- tains 7 per cent, of " Salts of Potash," but as to the amount of potash we remain uninformed. By referring to our analyses, the reader will no- tice less than one per cent, of potash, and by converting this potash into the sulphate or mu- riate, he will obtain less than two per cent., which shows a great discrepancy in the analyses. We quote the following from the circular of these manufacturers : " With their increased facihties, improved machinery, and skilled workmen, under the superintendence of DR. G. A. LIEBIG, who personally selects and tests every article used in its manu- facture, and is constantly present at the works and directs every department, is a sufficient guarantee that its manufac- ture can be relied upon as being equal to^anything which can be produced. " The company continues to use the celebrated NAYASSA PHOSPHATE, (the richest phosphatic guano now known) which, together with the other ingredients, and its careful preparation, produce those prompt and permanent effects which have uniformly been shown upon all crops upon which it has been applied." 242 AMERICAN MANURES. ANALYSES OF NEKDLBS' IMPROVED SUPERPHOS- PHATE OF LIME. Fercentage, or amount contained in 100. 1st Sample. 2d Sample. 5-59 0-19 0-63 Mean. AV ater (expelled at 1 212° Fahrenheit) ) Nitrogen 5-63 0-17 0-60 5-61 0-18== 0-22 1 0-62 Actual Am- Nitrogen in org. \ matter. j monia. Potash, soluble in ) acidulated water i trace trace trace Phosphoric Acid' (anhydrous), sol- I iible in water at 60° to 70° F ... J trace trace trace Insoluble Phos- \ f Bone Phos- phoric Acid (an- - 22-43 22-55 22-49=49-10 J phate of hydrous) . Lime. From the mean of the above analyses, we de- duce the following amounts, contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 112-20 lbs. Water 4-40 " Actual Ammonia 12-40 *' Nitrogen in org. matter... . Trace Potash @ 1 . @ 0.00 pel 0.25 0.15 0.08 0.12^ 0.00 •lb. u (( K li (( $0.00 1.10 l.^^li 00 Trace Soluble Phos. Acid . 449-80 '' Insoluble Phos. Acid 0.00 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $2.96 2.00 Value of bags (say) Total value to farmer 4.96 The above Phosphate is sold at $47 per ton, involving a loss to the farmer of $42.04, or 847 per cent, on every ton he purchases ; or, taking the manure alone, he pays for it nearly 16 times as much as it is worth. ANALYSES 243 NEEDLES' IMPROVED SUPERPHOS- PHATE OF LIME. The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the manufacturer's office, Philadelphia. It is put up in 200 lb. bags; the one purchased weighed 187 lbs., being 13 lbs. less than it should be with the bag included, or 130 lbs. on a ton. The mechani- cal condition of this fertilizer was good, and could be easily applied by a drill. When we have said that, we have said all that is possible for us to say in its favor. Therefore we make the following selections from Mr. Needles' circu- lar, which show conclusively that even tnith, which costs nothing but an honest intention, is too valuable to waste on his worthless product : 1. "It is always of the'sarae pure quality." 2. " It is a permanent enriclicr of the soil." 3. " It loses none of its strength by exposure to the air." 4. " It is the cheapest Phosphate in the country." 5. "We were the originators of the preparation of this well known manure in Philadelphia, our house having- been engaged for over twenty-one years in the manufacture and sale of Con- centrated Fertilizers." In commenting on this fertilizer, and the above remarks, only a few words are necessary, as the fertilizer can only be characterized as a scanda- lous cheat and an unmitigated swindle on the community. 244 AMERICAN MANURES. The reader will notice from the analyses that it contains only a trace of Soluble Phosphoric Acid ; consequently, it has not the least preten- sion to be called a " Superphosphate." It is a fraud in v/eight as well as in quality, and if Mr. Needles has been manufacturing a similar arti- cle, and giving such deficient weight for the past twenty-one years, common justice, and common law, should have sufficient power to restrain him from continuing his criminal practices, and pun- ish him according to his deservings. And if twenty-one years have been devoted to such practices, the remainder of his life should be de- voted to making a partial atonement for the wrongs perpetrated on his customers. The article is simply ground mineral phos- phate, with a possible scattering of bones, and if there was any Sulphuric Acid used in its prepa- ration, there was not a sufficient quantity to liberate but a trace of Soluble Phosphoric Acid, so that it may only be considered a raw mate- rial for the manufacture of a Superphosphate. Such outrageous frauds as these are calculated to excite the indignation of all the community. The fact that such frauds can be successfully practised for twenty-one years, proves conclu- sively the necessity of just such information as is given in this book ANALYSES. 245 ANALYSES OF THE BROMOPHYTE FERTILIZER. Percentage, or amount contained in 100. Water (expelled at 2120 Fahrenheit). Nitrogen. Nitrogen in organic matter. Potash, soluble in acidulated water. Phosphoric Acid ^ (anhydrous), sol- I uble in water at 60O to 70° F. Insoluble Phos- phoric Acid (an- hydrous). Ist Sample. 2d Sample. 13-02 13-20 0-18 0-17 0-75 0-83 0-23 trace trace 1-51 Mean. 1311 0-18 = 0-22 0-79 f ActualAm- 1 monia. trace From the analyses, we deduce the following amounts, contained in a ton, or 2000 lbs., together with the value of a ton to the farmer : 262-20 lbs. Water @ $0.00 per lb. $ 0.00 4-40 " Actual Ammonia @ 0.25 " 1.10 15-80 " Nitrogen in organic mat. @ 0.15 " 2.37 4-60 " Potash @ 0.08 ** 0.37 Trace Soluble Phos. Acid @ 0.12i " 0.00 30-20 " Insoluble '* " . @ 0.00 "' 0.00 Total value as fertilizer $ 3.84 Yalue of bags (say) 2.00 Total value to farmer $ 5.84 The above fertilizer is sold at $40 per ton, in- volving a loss of $34.16, or 585 per cent, to the farmer on every ton he purchases ; or, for the manure alone, he pays $36.16, which is more than 9 times as much as it is worth. 246 AMERICAN MANURES. THE BEOMOPHYTE FERTILIZER. The above fertilizer, from which samples for analyses were selected, was purchased at the company's office, Philadelphia. Its mechanical condition was good, which is ahnost the only good thing it can conscientiously boast of We make the following selections from the circular of this company, with the analyses of the Bro- mophyte by Prof. Blaney : "In the manufacture of Bromophyte, the most scrupulous regard is paid to the hiws of chemistry; and to distinguish this fertihzer from all others — which we neither endorse nor con- demn — we have called it Bromophyte. This term is taken from two Greek words, wliich signify /oocZ for plants." *' The farmer and planter will see at once that his interest is our interest. We cannot hope to succeed unless we make good our promises. Nothing is surer than our failure if we do not give the farmer the worth of his money. We can, therefore, have no motive in deceiving any one." " We offer this fertilizer at about one-half the cost of guano, while its value, we are led to believe, is equal to if not better than the best Peruvian." "The attention of the Fruit Growers' Association of Wash- ington was lately called to this Bromophyte, and a member of the Association, Professor Thomas Taylor, a well-known chemist, at a meeting held August 3, 1869, read a paper upon the subject, from which we make several extracts :" " Mr. President and Gknit.emen : — I have here a sample of a valuable fertilizer, which is attracting much attention at this time. It is known by the name of Bromophyte, which signi- fies jp?a7ii /ood. Its base is human excreta, including urine, and is submitted to a process of deodorization by which it is deprived of its smell. "The efficacy of peat, which is used, is due to the soluble salts which it contains, and to its property of absorbing am- monia from the atmosphere — having an absorbing power of seventy-two times its own bulk. ANALYSES. ' 247 " Marl, one of the constituents of Bromophyte, is valuable for various reasons — ^it is a composition of clay and shells, the clay being the more important substan.ce of the two. Its very valuable properties were first pointed out by Professor Way, Chemist of the English Royal Agricultural Society. He says that clay will decompose the salts of ammonia, potash and soda, and retain their bases." "At the close of Mr. Taylor's remarks, Mr. William Saun- ders, of the Agricultural Department, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Taylor for his valuable remarks, which was unanimously carried. *' The following statement has been received from Professor Blaney, of Chicago, relative to the merits of Bromophyte : " Chicago, October 26, 1870. '* This is to certify that I have examined the specimens of Bromophyte submitted to me, and have found the same to be composed as follows : Yolatile matter, organic matter, water and a trace of free ammonia 59*05 Inorganic matter 40'95 The Bromophyte contains of salts 40' 95 per cent., namely : Sulphate of Lime 17-6765 Phosphate of Lime 1-4922 Phosphate of Magnesia 1-1335 Carbonate of Magnesia 2*2613 Chloride of sodium 2*0540 Sesquioxide of Iron and Alumina 5*0790 Insoluble Silicates 11*2690 Chloride of Potassium, a tra^e. Total 40*9655 Gain -0155 40*9500 " The Bromophyte was found by organic analysis to contain nitrogen, 3*92 per cent., equivalent to ammonia, 4*76 per cent. "James V. T. Blaney, ^^ Analytical and Consulting Chemist." <' P. S. — It will be seen, by comparing with analysis of guano, that Bromophyte is two per cent, the stronger." 248 AMERICAN MANURES. After making an analysis of this " Bromo- phyte/' and knowing its composition and value, we doubt whether the writer of the circular, or even Professors Taylor and Blaney were in earnest in their encomiums of this article. We rather think these gentlemen have endeavored to perpetrate a practical joke on the farmers. That any chemist (and Prof Taylor is represented to be one), should seriously recommend the use of peat and marl, clay and shells in a high-priced fertilizer that sells for two cents per lb., is almost incredible ; or that Prof Blaney should seriously say that it is two per cent, stronger than guano, is certainly beyond belief. The farmers who have used the article seem to have been in the same vein of humor, so pal- pably exhibited by the facetious Professors Tay- lor and Blaney, as the following specimens of their certificates will show : GKEAT ON TUENIP TOPS. "Washington, D. C, April 1, 1869. *' Eandall Fish, Esq. "Sir: — In reply to your note, inquiring about your fertilizer, I am happy to say that it will work wonders. " I tried it last season on some turnips as late as the 1st of October, and I never saw such a crop of tops in my life. Of course, it was too late to fetch a full crop, yet some were as large as hens' eggs. " I do not hesitate to say that I think it superior to any ferti- lizer in the market, as it will benefit the ground while it stimu- lates the present crop. I have used it with the greatest suc- cess, and have found it to be better than any other, having ANALYSES. 249 used it side by side with the Patapsco and other fertiUzers, and it far exceeds them. It has proven satisfactory to Dr. Nichols, the Superintendent of the Insane Asylum, as he has this spring purchased five tons of it. " Samuel A. Smith, " Gardener at the Insane AsylumJ* We should expect jusi such a certificate from an Insane Asylum. GREAT ON CUCUMBERS. " Washington, D. C, August 18, 1870. " Randall Fish, Esq. " Dear Sir : — I have used your fertilizer, called Bromophyte, on three acres of cucumbers, on my farm at Mt. Yernon, and can say that I believe it to be a first-rate article. A few rows I left without any fertilizer, on some I put Peruvian Guano, and on some Patapsco Guano. Those without any fertilizers are very poor, but where your fertilizer was used they are very fine, and much better than the vines that were fertilized with the Peruvian or Patapsco Guano. "Dr. E. P. Howland, " No. 27 Four-and-a-Half Street" DODGE ON BROMOPHYTE. " Washington, D. 0. *'I have seen the effects and examined the character of the fertilizer manufactured by Randall Fish, and am satisfied it is among the best now offered to the public. I have used it on my strawberries and other plants, and find the effect upon their growth superior to that of any other fertilizer I have ever used. I shall want more. " It eff"ects wonders on every kind of vegetable to which I have applied it, making vegetation grow on barren soil. *' Yery respectfully, "A. T. C. Dodge." This, we think, is a very good specimen of " dodge." As it makes vegetation grow on bar- ren soily Bromophyte must contain the essence of strawberries. Who will eat strawberries after this? 250 AMERICAN MANURES. GASS ON BROMOPHYTE. " Gelex, WashinoxTon Co., August 26, 1869. " Mk. Randall Fish : *' I have used your Bromophy to on tomatoes, squashes, cucum- bers and on corn, and must say that it exceeds my expecta- tions. I beheve that it is better than any fertihzer now in use. I have tried most all kinds in the market, and this is the best I have ever found. I have examined the corn to-day, and find, where your fertilizer was used, it was a deep green, and where other fertilizers were used beside it, the great drought had turned the leaves yellow, and the stocks were much smaller. " Very respectfully, "John Gass." We fear the corn was not so green as the buyer of the Bromophyte. Taken altogether it is a very gassi/ certificate. A 20,000 POUNDER CERTIFICATE. (2Vie biggest gun known.) " Alexandria, Ya., March 15, 1870. ** Randall Fish, Esq. " Dear Sir : — Please send me ten tons of your Bromophyte, the most economical manure, which insures the quickest and best returns of any I have ever used. Rely on me as a custo- mer while I have any land to cultivate. " Yours, very respectfully, " J. Millard." If the Bromophyte Mr. MiRard purchased was no better than that sold to us, and he con- tinues to go it so strong on Bromophyte, he will soon have no land to cultivate — it will be in the hands of the sheriff. A CERTIFICATE FROM THE "LAND OF DREAMS." "Norfolk, Ya., May 13, 1870. " C. C. Brown, Esq. " Dear Sir : — I have been experimenting last fall and this spring with your Bromophyte. It beats any fertilizer I know I ANALYSES. 251 of. For early truck of all kinds it is all that can be desired. It is destined to take the place of nearly all the so-called fertili- zers, now so numerous. For radishes, it beats all I ever dreamed of. I do not dare to tell how short a time it took to produce for me the finest radishes I ever saw. '' Yours, etc., " George S. Oldfield, "■ Formerly Judge of County Court." Query. — Does the Judge often dream of radishes — it must be an interesting subject for a Judge. We shall next expect to hear of the Judge dreaming of " turnip tops." FISHING FOE DODGE. " Washington, D. C., June 29, 1870. " Randall Fish, Esq. " Dear Sir : — In reply to your favor of to-day, I would say that I have used the Bromophyte — Fish's — in my garden in this city for two years, and do not desire anything- better for straw- berries. In fact, it seems to impart a remarkably strong and healthy growth to any and every vegetable to which I have applied it, and I believe it is superior to any fertilizer in the market, not excepting the Peruvian. " Respectfully, yours, etc., "A. T. C. Dodge." Another specimen of '^ dodge ;" being better than Peruvian Guano, we think it slightlj " fishy." The reader will notice that these certificates are given by farmers in the vicinity of Wash- ington. The Bromophyte to which they have reference being prepared there. We do not say that excreta at Washington are richer than at Philadelphia ; but it is possible that the Wash- 17 252 AMERICAN MANURES. ington manufacturers may be more honest, and make a better article than their Philadelphia brethren — it is almost impossible that they could make a worse. The use of these certifi- cates by the Philadelphia Company is literally stealing the thunder of the excreta of Wash- ington. METHODS OF ANALYSIS. The methods of analysis employed to deter- mine the amount of nitrogen, actual ammonia, and potash, and of phosphoric acid in the several manures, of which analyses are given in this chapter, are of too intricate a nature to be un- derstood by the general reader. Hence we state the methods only in general terms, with such remarks and particulars as will enable profes- sional chemists, into whose hands our work may fall, to estimate the carefulness with which they have been made. METHOD FOR TOTAL NITROGEN. From about 30 grammes of the finely pul- verized and intimately mixed substance 1 to 2 grammes were taken for analysis, which was made according to Varrentrapp and Wills' me- thod. We remark, that the actual amount of Nitrogen was calculated from the actual amount of metallic platinum obtained, and not from the METHODS OF ANALYSIS. 253 weight of the precipitate, as is sometimes done : the former being considered the most reliable. METHOD FOR ACTUAL AMMONIA AND POTASH. Substance = 50 grammes. Fluid = 250 c.c. Fluid taken = 25 c.c. = 5 grammes substance. The substance in an evaporating dish was treated : first, with small quantities of water at 60° to 70° ; then boiled successively in water acidulated with hydrochloric acid ; and finally, washed on a filter with boiling water, till the filtrate measured nearly 250 c.c. The ammonia was determined according to SOHLOESING'S PROCESS. Strength of Soda Solution, 3.06 c.c. ::= 1 c.c. Normal Sulphuric Acid. The potash was determined as potassio-bichlo- ride of platinum. METHOD FOR TOTAL PHOSPHORIC ACID. Substance = 20 grammes. Fluid = 1000 c.c. Fluid taken = 50 c.c. = 1 gramme substance. The hydrochloric acid solution, with the addi- tion of several drops of concentrated nitric acid, was evaporated completely to dryness, and the residue treated with dilute hydrochloric acid. To the solution thus obtained, there was added; first, citric acid, in quantity sufficient; then ammonia ; then, acetic acid, each slightly in ex- cess ; and finally, to the nearly boiling solution, 254 AMERICAN MANURES. oxalate of ammonia was added. The precipitate obtained was collected at once on a double filter, and to the cool and strongly ammoniacal filtrate, were added, 6 to 10 c.c. of an ammoniacal aramo- nio-sulpliate of magnesia solution — each c.c. of which corresponds to 0.0358 gramme anhydrous phosphoric acid. The filtrate and wash water measured 250 to 300 c.c, and for every 54c.c. of the same, 0.000637 gramme phosphoric acid was allowed. METHOD FOR SOLUBLE PHOSPHORIC ACID. Substance ^= 20 grammes. Fluid ■ = 1000 c.c. Fluid taken = 100 c. c.= 2 grammes substance. The substance was triturated in a mortar with distilled water, at 60° or 70°,'' the powder allowed to settle, and the fluid decanted. This operation was repeated till I litre of fluid was obtained, when the powder was collected on a filter and washed with distilled water till the filtrate mea- sured one litre. The phosphoric acid, as in the previous instance, was determined gravimetri- cally. Note. — In one or two instances, instead of 1 to 2 grammes, 10 grammes of the substance were taken for the phosphoric acid determination. CONCLUDING REMARKS. Manufacturers of fertilizers attach great im- portance to the certificates of farmers, and it is considered a strong point as an evidence of the CONCLUDING REMARKS. 255 superior quality of their products; hence they procure as many of them as possible. Two ad- vantages are thus gained : First. It effectually closes the farmer's mouth for subsequent unfavor- able criticism. Second. Every farmer's opinion has weight in the circle in which he moves, and his favorable report of a fertilizer induces others to give it a trial. Thus the business of these manufacturers is increased, and the farmer un- wittingly becomes a party to their frauds, and when his neighbors find that they are cheated, he receives his share of blame. Hence ftirmers should be very careful in giving these loosely worded recommendations, which benefit no one but the manufacturers. Those who have given these certificates know how they have been pro- cured ; personal friendship for the manufacturer or dealer, has led many to give favorable re-, ports, we doubt not against their better judg- ment, while with others, perhaps, the desire of seeing their name in print has its influence. Certificates are a part of the stock in trade of qjiachery, and no honestly conducted business needs them. Besides the certificates given to different manufacturers when taken collectively do not amount to anything, because each man- ure sold is represented by the certificates to be the best. Such conflicting statements are with- out value as evidence ; consequently, the fiirmer 256 AMERICAN MANURES. is as much puzzled in the selection of a good manure, as he would be without seeing the certificates. If this business had been legitimately con- ducted, and the price regulated by the quality and condition of the valuable constituents of the fertilizer, manufacturers would have no occasion to resort to customers' certificates. There is another class of certificates that, un- fortunately, do not meet the public eye, namely : The complaints of those who have realized that they have been swindled in the purchase of these manures. These certificates would present an interesting sequel to the others, and in number as well as in force, would completely overshadow them. If time and space permitted, we could give a long list of these negative certificates that would be anything but interesting readuig for the manufacturers. An illustration of the un- reliability of certificates is seen in the samples we have given from the users of the Bromophyte, a manure that is almost worthless. Some of its users certify that it is better than Peruvian Guano, or the Patapsco Ammoniated Phosphate, the latter, according to our analyses, being one of the best superphosphates now made in this country. Many certificates are given before the crop is harvested ; such premature statements must be very unreliable. Farmers should realize CONCLUDING REMARKS. 257 the importance of knowing the source of the henefits realized before giving certificates. It may be due to a favorable season, to substances already in the soil, or to the manure, or to all three combined. If the farmer sees a favorable ap- pearance in his crop, he is too apt at once to attribute it exclusively to the bought fertilizer, forgetting what he must have frequently seen, when using stable manure alone, that one year a good crop may be raised, and the next time, though equally well cultivated and manured, a poor one. It has been shown that the amounts required of the valuable constituents of crops are very small. Hence, if the so-called concentrated fertilizers contain but a little of what is really needed, its effect on the crop would be apparent But our farmers should bear in mind that they pay exorUtant prices for the benefits received. If they apply 400 lbs. of a fertihzer costing $50 per ton, it would be $10 to the acre, and they should have clear views of the amount of any crop that should be expected from such an out- lay. As an illustration, 25 bushels of wheat with the straw requires : 27-95 lbs. of Phosphoric Acid @ $0.12| per lb $3.49 39-65" ''Potash @ 0.08 " .... 3.17 46-60" "Nitrogen @ 0.15 " 6.99 '%i^\ $13.65 Hence, if an outlay of $13.65 on an acre should 258 AMERICAN MANURES. produce 25 bushels of wheat with the straw, an outlay of $10 to an acre should produce over 18 bushels of wheat with the straw, in addition to what could be produced without the application of fertilizers, or if we allow half of the nitrogen to be represented by actual ammonia at 25 cents per lb., an outlay of $10 to the acre should pro- duce 14 J bushels. This calculation can be readily applied to other crops from the same data, and from it the farmer can see how small the amount of benefit, in increased crops, he has derived from the use of these fraudulent manures in proportion to the money invested. We are quite sure if the farmer had correct views on the subject, he would no more think of giving certificates to these manufacturers, than he would of giving a certificate of good character to the burglar who had broken into his house and stolen his money, but spared his life, or to the thief who had stolen his horse and failed to set fire to his barn. The reader should now be fully convinced from the facts stated and analyses given, of the absolute necessity of National and State legisla- tion to protect the farmers and the public- from the rapacity of manufacturers of fertilizers. There are Grain, Flour, Liquor, Tobacco, Lea- ther, Oil, Drug and other Inspectors, appointed to protect purchasers and honest manufacturers CONCLUDING KEMARKS. 259 and dealers. Fertilizers are equal in importance to any of those commercial articles mentioned, while there are greater facilities for fraud. In England and other European countries, the prices of these fertilizers are fixed by the amount and value of the fertilizing elements contained in them, according to the manner in- dicated in this book ; and in this matter, we are far behind those countries we are accustomed to style slow. In those countries, concentrated fer- tilizers are inspected by government officials. As the result of the rigid inspection laws of Ger- many, purchasers are protected. We quote from the circular of George Charles Zimmer, at Man- heim, one of the largest manufacturers of fer- tilizers in Germany, and give three analyses of the superphosphates manufactured by him, to show the operation of the law : These fertilizers are always sold and delivered of an ap- proved, uniform, superior quality, and their ingredients war- ranted ; samples of the same are deposited with the Central Agricultural Department of the Grand Duchy of Baden, at Carlsruhe, under whose control the products of the factory are placed by law. The monthly official analyses of supplies on hand in the manufactory, are published from time to time in the Weekly Journal of the Agricultural Society of the Grand Duchy of Baden, and every purchaser of at least half a ton at one time of one of these superphosphates, has the privilege to transmit (free of charge) with enclosure of the original invoice, a sample of the same to Doctor J. Nessler, the President of the Experimental Station, at Carlsruhe, in order to be analyzed, Iree of expense, to the purchaser. Furthermore, these fertilizers are subject to the control of the Agricultural Societies of Hes- 260 AMERICAN MANURES. sen on the Rhine, Rhenish Prussia, etc., and the results of their investigations are communicated to the public from time to time, in their respective agricultural papers. No. 1 — Analysis of Coprolite Superphosphate. Pei-Gentage. Equal to Soluble Phos-) m +« n i« +^ iq (Superphosphate phoric Acid, J ^^ ^^ ^^ - ^^ *^ 1^ I of Lime. Insoluble Phos- 1 o +^ ^ c +^ o f Bone Phosphate phoric Acid, I 3 to 4 = 6 to 8 I ^^ ^ime No. 2 — Analysis of Bone Meal Superphosphate. Percentage. Equal to Soluble Phos- 1 ^3 _ I Superphosphate phoric Acid, J [of Lime. Insoluble Phos- ■) o +^ ^i n a-^ o f Bone Phosphate phoric Acid, I 3 to 4 = 6 to 8 I ^f Lime.^ Nitrogen 0*5 to 1 No. 3. — Analysis of Baker Guano Superphosphate. Percentage. Equal to Toricicit} i« t» 2» = ■'' '" '' rTLt^'^'* Insoluble Phos- "I ^ . „ a ^ o f Bone Phosphate phoric Acid, j 6 o (of Lime. On comparing the above analyses of super- phosphates made in Germany, with those made by our hoastful manufacturers, the reader will notice that their lowest grade superphosphates contain more soluble phosphoric acid than our hest, and that the insoluble phosphoric acid (3 to 4 per cent.) contained in those made at Man- heim, is about equal to the average amount of soluble phosphoric acid, in American commercial manures. THE END. 3477