The Portland daily press., 1873-03-13

parties, no matter what positions they
hold. L..
Our recollection Of the bit of excellent SER
vice rendered by the retiring secretary to the
farmers q. OF the country which calls out this
d. MN differs from that of the writer
quo'eo above. We accordingly proceed TO
ie'resh his memory by its renrodpct;on A.
the worthy doctor has often 49, .-.o,
vice OF kindred sort. in nr,cL,n. 80 80.
a '"o"'ne up humbugs, he shouIi not
maze WY mouths, when invited 10 tos,a ,s
his own prescriptions. '"''o u
After alludng to some short.comjpo, o,,,
public press, Secretary Goodale proceeds :.
say: i4
"There Is some editorial advice bestov.s
upon farmers to which know not wh,t a.
tibet to apply. 1t seems impossible to charo.
it to ignorance, or to willingness to deceive:
-judicious, we cannot call it, injudcious. IL
not sufficiently descriptive. Let me read Won
a sample of what is now referred to. tits
from ''The Boston Journal Of Chemistry,"
'sDevoted to Chemistry as applied 70 Medi-
cine, Agriculture and the Arts. Edited By
Jas. r. Nichols, M. D." The number
for April 1, 1868. 1t appears in the
editorial column, in loaded type, and with
every appearance of being from the pen of
the editor. /. read as follows:
''Superphosphates- of our agricultur-
al friends have written to us, asking which
Kind of superphosphate" we would recommend
them to purchase. Certainly there ought to be
only one kind of superphosphate, and that
genuine superpbosphate of lime, containing at
least ten per cent of soluble phosphoric acid.
o sd an equal quantity of insvluble, in addition
to the phosphate of lime. We do not know of any
brand we can recommend as being properly
manufactured, genuine superphosphate of
lime. 1t there is auy in the market, we have
not been able to find it, and we have searched
diligently As the inquiries are presented, We
san make no answer. If the questions should
assume another form-'What compounds,
composts or mixtures, such as arc put mp in
barrels and labelled superphosphate, we
found these mixtures to vary SO exceedingly in
fertilizipg value, little reliance can be placed
upon them. In color, some are quite dark;
others gray, or light yeleww; In odor, one is
have kind of sulphurous smell. The color is
due to an admixture Of charcoal, or bone coal,
or sugar refiners' waste, in varying quantities.
As regards the origin of the differing odors,
we suppose, when the manufacturers run short
of cheap fish pomace, they substitute dead cats
and dogs, or other decompOsiug flesh. As .
rule, that "superphosphate" which has he dark
est color and the most abominable smell, sells
the best, as it is regarded the strongest"
Manufacturers understand this, and take ad-
vantage of it. True, genuine "superphosphate"
is almost colorless, and has but q faint acid
smell, not in the least unpleasant. To manu-
facture such, all that is required is to dissolve
fine bone-dust in oil of yitriol, $50 pounds OF
the former to so of the latter, with the sddi-
tor of sufficient water to form an intimate
and perfect mixture. In the home maunfac-
ture of this fertilizer, 60 pounds Of acid, with
150 of fine bone may be employed, as it is bet
ter to avoid the risk of any free acid remaining
in the mixture after the action 10 over. We
have given, in a former number of the Journal,
full directions for making superphosphate upon
the farm. Farmers can and should make their
own superphosphate."
{ have not the honor of personal ac-
quaintance with the writer of this article, but
it is due TO say, that DR.. Nichols is under
stsod to enjoy the reputation of being an es-
timable gentlemen, practical and scientific
chemist, and farmer also. and occupies po-
sition at the head of an establishment for the
manufacture and sale of chemical prepara-
tions, chiefly medicinal. 1t is also proper to
say that the Journal in question has been the
vehicle of much information and advice
which was accurate, sensible, and effective
Tor good.
.Jf -
But the chemistry Of the article quoted
above, and its arithmetic, are fairly opsn to
criticism. The writer says that there ought
to be only one kind of superphosphate, and
that genuine superphosphate Of lime, con-
tdining at least ten per cent, soluble phospho-
ric acid, and an equal quantity of insoigbIs
in addition to the phosphate of lime"
Ten per cent. soluble and an equal quanti-
~ of insoluble make twenty per cent. Bear
this in mind, and then note that lower Down
ne tells us now 70 make lust ,lis same ssu-
ulne superphosphate." He says "To msnx-
fdcture such all that is required is to dissolve
ine bone dust in oil Of vitroil-one hundred
and fifty pounds Of the former to- eighty
pounds of the latter;,' with the addition Of
water, &C., but as the water mostly dries out
again, though some is retained in combina-
ton. we viii not count that in.) The prod
uct of superphosphate weighs one hundred
and fifty pounds, flor the bone) plus eighty
pounds acid, making two hundred and lhir-
ty pounds at the least. Now, bones contain
one half their weight of phosphate lif the
bone be old and hard trifle more; if young
and soft rather less fifty per cent. Is more
than the Doctor himself puts it In another
place. Of this phosphate less than half Is
that, as near as may be, avoiding small frac-
tions, bones contain twenty-three per
cent. of their weight of phosphoric acid.
Now, If one hundred pounds of bone contain
twenty-three pounds Of phosphoric acid, one
hundred and fifty pounds contain thirty-four
and half pounds. IT two hundred and thir-
ty pounds superphosphate contain thirty-four
cent. Is that? If my answer is right, it Is
just fifteen per cent, yet he tells us ''con-
tanning at least' twenty per cent. Here is a
serious falling off, but the astonishing part
remains. He tells us containing at least ten
per cent. soluble phosphoric acid, and an
equal quantity of insoluble, In addition to the
phosphate oflime." Why! every particle Of
of lime or the trife OF phosphate of magnesia,
has been used up to furnish fifteen per cent!
There is not an atom cf phosphoric acid in
bone except in its phosphates, and yet he
tells us twenty per cent. phosphoric acid in
addition to the phosphate Qftime!
All have to say about this is, that if the
facts are as he states, the case more than
equals realization of the desire of the boy
who wanted to ''keep his pie and eat it too;'
for here the pie, weighing only fifteen ounces
before it is eaten, weighs twenty ources Sat
least" after it is eaten. Ought such advice
to be termed jud;cious--or iniudicicus or
what?
And he adds in a note:
DR.. Nichols seems to have been unfortunate
in his arithmetical statements in connection
with commercial manures upon other occa- 4
sions; one instance Of which may be named
here. In a lecture before the Massachusetts,
Board of Agriculture, given in Flints Re-
port for 1867, page z37, we read as follows:
"a direct estimation of the nitrogen gave In
1000 pounds of bones, 80 pounds.
Hence we find they afford about 20 per cent.
of nitrogen in their fresh condition" The
error here, in calling twentieth part, 20 per
cent. instead of per cent. is so goss and
palpable that any careful reader would readi-
ly detect it; and it would pass for q slip Of
the pen, were it not that, in a book published
not long subsequently, entitled "Chemistry
Of the farm and the Sea-" consisting chiefly
of previously written papers, newly arranged
and revised, we find the same error deiiber-
ately repeated. III sea
We confess inability to perceive in this any
nearer approach to personal abuse than to
expose the fact that the Doctor in his wonder
full zeal TO denounce humbugs, stated that
which in point of scientific accuracy is ex-
actly on apar with the mathematical statement
that Is subtracted from Is leares remainder
Of 90 This, connected with doubt whether
the proportion of so in 1000 is aecuratelp
stated as 20 per cent. constitutes the sum to-
tai of the Stcretary's offence.
Nor did the review in the Journal attemn.
to show any 'errors," but simply poured ont
indignation upon the offender for daring TO