New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-19
ANALYSIS or FERTILIZERS.
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

| AGEIcuLruRAL CoLLgGs or PzNysY1y.xi,
June 80. l8s2. !
To he Editor Of The " Y Tribune.
SIR: One Of our students who takes your paper
has Just called my attention 70 your remarks upon
the Analysis of Fertilize g." in your paper OF
June q.
TIE Agricultural College Of Pennsylvania was In.
corporsted organized md built up at TN expense OF
over 5000, 900, with view Of sssocistpg higher
degree of intelligence with the agricultural classes
aud interests Of our State. Oar means of doing THE
Embrace
First. A purely educational department, in which
we now have about 100 students, some Of them from
your city.
Second: A farm of 400 acres all the labor Of which
is done by Students Upon the farm we have in
augurated series Of experiments with manures
crops, &c.
Third: A chemical laboratory upon the plan OF
the German laboratories for scientific investigator
and instruction.
Il is part of our duty, as State institution to look
sitter the agricultural interests Of farmers and TO
make use of the facilities afforded by science to pro-
tect them from the imposiIioDs of ignorant and De.
signing men who may wish tn sell them worthless
implements rnanures. seeds and plants. With view
of performing this duty, we requested responsible
gentleman Of Philadelphia to procure us specimens OF
all the manures sold in the Philadelphia market. No
particular manure Was asked for.
Each manure was analy zed and its value caIu'
lated from the value of iu individual constituents,
and the value Of these was fixed ut what they eou
be purchased for, IN the condition as to the as
sinibility of plants in other sources accessible t
farmers.
Thus. insoluble silcates Tor sand, Of which the
above analysis shows Is per cent, We considered
worthless These might contain potash and other
valuable ingredients, but owing TO the condition IN
which they exist" they are valueless.
sulphuric acid we rate at one cent per pound be-
cause it can be purchased in Gypsum at this rate and
because Il crisis IN the ADORE phosphnte as Gyp'um
W. pay only about half cent per pound for Snlphu
rio Acid in Gypsum for our own use. So with Phos
phoric Acid, and Potash and Nitrogen, each is est
mated at its proper commercial value No serlcuitu'
raj chemis, would dirpute what you say in regard 10
the value Of an element being effected by the cond''
tor ia which il exists ahen applied 10 the soil; bW
no ono would confound potash IN wood ashes wild
potash in granite rock" free understandable nitro
gen in the sir with combined assmilabe nitrogen IN
4 manure. Nothing is more clearly settled among
agricultural chemists than that these conditions must
be taken into consideration in estimating the value o.
u manure, and for all practical purposes chemical
analysis in proper hands lie fully competent TO do it.
Chemical analysis has driven scores OF worthless ma
nures from the English market, aod has enabled
manufacturers TO establish good ones 10 their stead
and quack manufacturers may rest assured that u
ig,H do the same here.
| will have no controversy with any one who Al
tempts TO impugn my motives, much less with any
one whose bad nlanures we have exposec.> II any
one thinks we have been base enough 10 attach false
figures TO Mapes's insnures because of "moiee pre-
pense' he is at liberty to think and to purchase
his dear manures till he becomes better scquain.ed
with US and men enlightened on the Subject Of ma
nures We trust that there sre many farmers 10
our State who will give credit for honesty in this
matter, snd who will appreciate our unrewarded Ia
borious efforts protect them from imposition in me
purchase Of manures.
Yours truly, EVAN PUGH.
I'VE have omitted from the foregoing oil that
is not essential to the issue raised by our forme
article We do not perceive that Prot. Pugh has
impeached the soundness of our criticism on tic
method of Chemical Analysis employed by him;
but of thi. others will Judge. Ed