The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-18
AN ADULTERATER.-Prof Chas. b.
Dabnsy. Director Of Tho Chapel Hill

an HOlIkfkA u IOI. NbhS II.
Dabnsy, Director Of Tho Chapel Hill
Analytical Station, has done $ good
work in boldly showing up tie fraudu-
leLt fertilizers, or chemical. III one
Alexander j. Weiderburn. Virgins
Grange Agency. r~nanlfac urer or ,'eres
/, fertilizers. and General Com MISSION,
No ., Camden ST.. Baitinore No
charge for thi. advertisement.
Wedderburn shipped Il INT of chem
Gals To Mr.. K. K Baughsa, Of North
anpton county, guaranteeing then
Pure nitrate Of soda. and pq.e sui
phats Of ammonia M. Geo. B,.nnp
bought a lot Of the chemicals; put SIS
pecting their PURITY, ssnt samples ~
Director Dabney who found tiat tn-
Pure" soda contained As 40 per cenr
of common salt, ana the amonia cou-
tanned 29-Tl per cent of salt. Prot.
Datney wrote to Messrs. Baker 4 Co.
who imported the soda and ELECTED
. letter from Wedderburn showing
that he bought the chemicals pure,
but that he adultersted thsm one
fourth" He speaks of this a 4 common
practice.
Prof. Dadney, commenting, writes
"Mr. Wedderburn say, be purpo,ely
reduced the nitrate Of sod by max
ing d mixture Of three fourths pure
nitrate and one fourth kainit. IN order 70
produce an article he calls Agricultural
Nitrate of Soda" This mixture should
nave contained 20 per cent. Of actual
nitrate Of soda n least. ! fud OIL,
1862 per cent. in Mr.. Bishop. sample.
Sup posing this WAS exactly what he
tried to 20. there was = tremendous
mistake somewhere. Mr.. N~ecdenourn
SAVE he did Al extra scientific job OF
reducing For common salt he sub
stituted kainit, he SAYS, aud therein
presented ths farmer IRE gratis 90 mucn
potash extra. But Mr.. Bishop sample
contains no k%iinit. 1t i. common satt
it contains.
The important question raised here
though is, is this - per cent. 'Agri-
cultural Nitrate Of Soda, which Mr..
Wedderburn says be intended to make
known in tbr trade As | have said
pure imported nitrate must be guaran
ICED as 81 To SO per cent. IL any otnsr
glade recognized
Lieisig recommended the farmer to
mix one third common salt with his
nitrate when he applied it. Expert
ments made At Bagenhauscn proved
that thia mixture was more active than
the nitrate alone.
have the tcstomOny OF numerous
respectable firms, doing = large business
IN these materials, to the fact that the
trade regards any manipulation Of
p.tratn nf coda . ynry H1p.fInnAhir
and the sale OF suca manipulated
nitrate a. pure, as, of course, a gross
fraud. To majority u the persons
Of whom snquired, this mixture was
entirely unknown.
Mr.. G.. l.. Upshur, President Of the
Up.hur Guauo Company .ays:
First class dealers do not care to
handle what is known as agricultural
nitrate OF Soda = mixture o. about 81
per cent. common salt with pure nitrate
OF soda. although 1t is sometime done
to suit such customers who visn 1t. IL
is Of course nothing but adulterated
nitrate Of soda. The price Of this Is
about one third less. The only tToupie
i. dealers of easy conscience may not
make any difference in price. We con
slider any change of sulphate Of ammonia
az an adulteration. as we know OF but
one article that runs "A to % per cent
ammonia.
Mr.. Wedderburn denies havis. adu!-
terated the sllphate of ammonia and
attempts to explain how il might have
been mixed with other things, either AT
the time of shipping from Baltimore
in which case he is responsible for ii
or in Norfolk. Mr.. Bishop say. that
be received the bags with Mr.. Wedder,
burns tags on them. The mixture
with which Mr.. Wedderbu-n suppose.
it became mixed contained potash. b.
SAYS. Air. Bishop, sample contains nc
potash. 1t is common salt again which
is used AZ the "reducing'' agents.
The adulterated goods are estimated
a. worth the nitrate of soda pa cents
per pound, the sulphste Of ammonia
cent.per pound, n. Bishop wa. deiraud
ed 10 the sxtcnt Of one half on his
nitrate. therefore, and two tifths on bis
sulphate of ammonia.
| hope this case will prove a warning
to dealers and obstructive to farmers
FRAUD will always be exposed. Far
mers will avoid buying their chemical,
persons Who are in the habit of reduc-
ing them.