Dear Sir: I regret to inform you that I have not been able
to make any analyses of the artificial manures now offered for sale
in our market; having no more time at my disposal than is ne-
cessary to analyze the soils, marls, &c, of the particular counties
in which I have been engaged. The office of my assistant ex-
pired on the 10th of last March, and, according to the decision
of the Comptroller of the Treasury, the appropriation Bill did
not, per se, continue his salary. The law was not enacted to con-
tinue to the state the services of this eminently skillful and indus-
trious gentleman, though several of the largest counties in the
State have yet to be examined. The information which I shall
give you must therefore be derived from what these manures say
for themselves by their interpreted analyses.

The only manure which has recently been brought prominently
before the public is one called "C. B. DeBurg's Super Phosphate
of Lime." This manure has been extensively advertised in the
public papers, and also by means of printed sheets containing its
analysis, and a recommendation by Dr. David Stewart, a Chem-
ist of this city. From an attentive examination of the report on
this manure, one of two conclusions must be formed: First, either
the analysis must be incorrect; or, that this manure is sold under
a false name, it being no "Super Phosphate."

"Super Phosphate of Lime," as we know, and as is particu-
larly stated to us in the Baltimore Weekly "Sun" of May 20th,
should be nothing else but bones (or other Phosphates) dissolved
in sulphuric acid; and theory shows the mixture of both to be:
For every 100 lbs. of raw bones 29 lbs. of oil of vitriol. Such
a mixture would then contain about 21 lbs. of real sulphuric acid
without water, and its composition would be pretty well repre-
sented by the following numbers:

Moisture............................................................ 10

Animal Matter..................................................... 27

containing of Nitrogen 1.25, equal to Ammonia, 1.5.
Hydrated Sulphate of Lime (Plaster of Paris)............. 39

containing of real Sulphuric Acid, 18.
Bi-Phosphate of Lime, soluble............................ 24

containing of Phosphoric Acid 17.

T. Thomas Way, Consulting Chemist to the Royal Agricultu-
ral Society of England, remarks that no neutral or insoluble Phos-
phate is mentioned, because it is supposed to be entirely con-
verted into Bi-Phosphate (Super-Phosphate;) with it must be
said, however, that it is practically impossible to do this. The
manufacturer will either fall somewhat short of the entire decom-
position of the Phosphate, or he will go beyond it, setting Phos-
phoric Acid free; which, to the consumer, is by no means an ob-

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