The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-03-21
The Analyses OF FerEl.zo-a

--1 ~ 0& AEFLAAET&Ts = al nZuH-
Do not wonder thar some ~ The
agents Fcom impatient while await
lng my analyses. because verv fen
not IN the profession. have any idea of
the and care which = QUAINT
tatIye analysis of a fertilizer involves.
They think that the Chemist has bu;
TO handle a few mysterious looking
bottles: pour out few drops 81 tins
liquid. add a little of something cl~.
ana IN n few moments or 81 most. a
lew he can make la. report.
The analysis ola single fertilizer.
containing ammonia and potash. IN
NoINes nine Y separate determinations
VIZ. water, sand. volatile and organic
matter. nitrogen. potash. soluble pho~-
phorlc acid, insoIuble phosphorc acid.
reverted phosphoric and total phas.
phorIc acid.
In analyses where the reputation ~
The manufacturer, as well a. the
Chemist, l. ar stake oftentimes. the ut
most caution and care
must b. observed. and MANY i time
the analysis entire must be repeated.
or al least some determinations dupli-
Gated. The standard solutions used
must be constantly tested, a Well as
the reagents employed. 10 ensure their
purity and that their standard i main
tanned. Let us look at il more i'm de-
tail:
When the sample is received the
can Is opened, the contents poured out
upon a clean sheet of paper and divi.
ded into two portions-one portion is
sealed up in bottle for p~rcservation:
the other, intended for analysis. i
ground up in a mortar. until it will
pass through 2 fine sieve: every lump
must be pounded up. This takes at
least half an hour and oftentimes
much longer; for when organic mat
ter such as meat, fish &c, is present.
In a moist state, IT Is very hard u get
them through a sieve whose mesh il
% to the square inch, or smaller.
The sample being ready for ANALYSIS
the Tejghing ont must now begin.
This affected upon a very delicate bal
ance and must be accurate 10 uithin
0ne.tfteen-hundredH 1900 Of a gram.
This takes time and is a very different
matter from weighing bacon and meal
or wen drugs.
Provided no determination must be
repeated there are at least Sere4teot
such welghings in every analysis. The
mlsplacmg of a single weight or a
wrong recording of a single figure
Will vitiate the result.
n portions for the various determ-
nations being weighed out. one is
placed in a bath at 212o f. to drive off
water, this occupies at least three
hours. | will not weary YOU however,
with oil the details but will take the
determination of Total Phosphoric
acid as the type of the four Phospho-
nc acid determinations made in each
sample.
n portion weighed out is trans
terred to a crucible and fused with a
fuslng mixture about thirty minutes.
then dissolved in acid, allowed TO
stand TIL cool and made up TO a known
volume. An accurately measured
portion Of the liquid is then remov-
ed and precipitated with a solution of
m~olybdate of ammonia. The precipi-
tate Is allowed to stand t,celCe hours.
1t is then filtered, washed and redis-
solved III ammonia and appropriated
with "magnesia mixture. This second
p~reclpltate is allowed ttrelre hours to
subslde; it is then filtered, washed,
dried, lgnlted, allowed to cool and
weighed.
You see this one determination can
not be finished in a day. The others
take about the same length of time.
n no week passes without the neces-
slty OF repeating and verifying one or
mOr determinations.
BY hard 1rOrk am able to finish four
analyses a week. by devoting all my
evenings to the large and increasing
correspondence of the station. This
correspondence consists. in the main,
IN answering questions Of farmers,
giving formula &c. &c.
At one P. ", On Saturday the labora-
tory IS closed-and the work of max
ing out the reports must be done, be
tore the analysis can be sent in. This
IS no small labor. 1t may be gener-
ally known that the results obtained in
the laboratory do not show at once the
percentage of the different ingredients
present IN the fertilizer: These have TO
be calculated and the calculation of
the nine determinations requires the
use OF no less than four hundred and
mtg, 400 figures, or 1,S00 figures, in
additions, subtractions, multiplica-
lions and divisions, must be gone over
twice or three times before the results
of the weeks work can leave my
hands. Every calculation must be
verified.
have said nothing Of the ordinary
duties Of the laboratory which must
hoi NC H~SSitCItu, SUCH d- oDldlillUR
distilled water, making UP solutions
&c, &c.
| have now on hand about 70 sam
pies Of fertilizers, and with my pres
ent facilities and with but one assist
ant, it will be atleast ten weeks before
all can be finished.
l sincerely hope that as the useful
ness of the work of the Station be-
m more and more apparent, more
facilities Will be afforded 10 do work
with greater rapidity.
The law establishing the Station. as
if now stands, requires more han any
one or two human beings can accom-
plish, throwing the analysis of f~ertili-
GERS, the chemical work of the Geolog-
zeal Survey. The analysis OF sugar
beets, beets, &C.. &c, &C.. into hands
still further burdened by Z lab%orious
yet important correspondence. Things