I.—lo.

produce high-class superphosphates; but this is not important so long as good, genuine, rriediumclass superphosphates are supplied at their true value. A few examples will now be given of badly-made and adulterated phosphates.

Table VII.-Analyses of Inferior Superphosphates.

The first three of the above manures have been manufactured from material containing calciccarbonate, and, insufficient sulphuric acid having been used, the carbonate of lime remaining has converted much of the monocalcic phosphate into dicalcic and tricalcic phosphates. Nos. 681 and 682 are largely adulterated with sand, and contain no raonocalcic phosphate whatever. No. 262 is a manure that was fairly made in the first place, but calcic carbonate has been added, probably to dry the superphosphate. This manure was probably newly made, as none of the soluble phosphate had been reduced, but under the conditions it would no doubt, if kept, retrograde considerably. No. 119. This manure was intended to be a superphosphate, but the manufacturer, probably to dry the mixture, added caustic lime, which had the effect of completely neutralising the effect of the acid added, and also driving off most of the nitrogen in the form of ammonia. Nitrgoenous and Special Manures. The use of nitrogenous manures is not so general in New Zealand as that of phosphatic ones; the principal manures of this kind imported are nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, together .with a little dissolved guano and a few special manures. Dissolved guano is generally Peruvian guano that has been treated with sulphuric acid, for the purpose of rendering the phosphates contained in it soluble and fixing the ammonia; it is consequently a nitrophosphatic manure. It also contains more or less potash. Special manures are generally formed with a basis of superphosphate of lime, to which is added the food. constituent specially required by the crop it is intended for. Thus grain and grass manures contain nitrogen, while for beans and other liguminous crops and potatoes potash is added. Turnip manures are generally simple superphosphates. The composition of those received for analysis is shown in Table VIII.

Table VIII. — Analyses of Dissolved Guano and Special Manures.

In addition to these manures, all of which are imported, there is now in our local market several excellent manures which originate from our meat-freezing industry, and of which dried blood forms the basis. These are probably the cheapest forms of nitrogenous manure that we have in New Zealand. As to the efficacy of dried blood, the researches of Petermann, extending over eight years, go to show that, compared with other nitrogenous manures, dried blood is only inferior to nitrate of soda. Two samples of this manure were found to have the following composition.

10

6 'A >, Q g ■3 District received from. I 6 3 .2 o 3 j I <D CS ■fl S g O i 8 a & * I. U I o ft -"•a .si fe s o c5 60 O ilO >12 il3 181 Otaio Makikihi St. Andrews Timaru 6-11 14-82 5-31 13-95 6-72 35-05 2?48 1-54 2-50 3-42 34-26 I 1-31 6-68. 1-64 6-89 6-59 12-45 Nil Nil 11-20 | .. Nil .. 16-50 6-98 2-83 4-14 1-10 3-20 1-40 2-71 41-21 36-78 23-84 4-02 9-77 22-35 3-17 29-39 0-90 5-80 4-53 0-81 0-36 2-17 0-28 £ s. a. 4 2 9 3 10 5 9 6 0 13 9 '62 Temuka 11-42 10-66 3101 4-30 49-96 7300 3-50 3-53 4-90 • 1-0-44 0 13 9 !62 .19 Ruapuna Ngahauranga .. 4-32 2-60 Nil 16-65 Trace 25-81 10-89 16-15 12-98 0-85 2-62 2-43 0-52 1 14 6 2 2 3

6 | 5 "I j i g District received 5 from. .23 o a I o - 1 35 .23 ii 1 o 13 & o O 'o I 6 if 2 o d 5 i i^h | as & 1 o o a o Name of Manure. dissolved guano .. 242 398 406 Chrisfcchurch i 6-15 39-241 j 8-30 31-07 7-70 30-40 43-10 10-7214-22 6-20 30-76 13-75 22-11 12-05 13-88 15-9811-63 51-23 113-20 9-08 8-24 17-14 13-18 12-52 Nil 2-62 2-62 2-90J 4-70 4'38 [14-28 28-07 29-54 7-091 2-98J 4-38! 6-23 5-67 5-53 £ s. d. 9 15 0 8 15 6 8 10 6 751 5-84 10-82 9-15 4-60 26-49 * ' I 5-60 8 18 0 immonic phosphate "mperial manure .. Universal „ 3otato „ Curnip 155 244 245 402 401 College farm Christohurch 1-52 8-70 5-24 4-56 5-74 23-07 6-26 8-24 15-82 12-19 1-31 4-36 0-87 3-49 2-18 4-60: 2-30 230 3-30 10-40 I J43-45 34-34 38-76 41-44 37-91 1-11 7-08 8-73 4-16 2-54 0-81 2-49 1-30 1-46 2-17 2-24 1-45 '2-17 0-53 7 19 3 4 12 0 i 10 6 7 6 0 5 16 special „ 752 8-48 10-49 0-43 3-80 24-36 1-20 1-21 3-89 6 10 6