Black Rain: The Complete Series :

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Black Rain
Roland Carlsson
Copyright

Copyright © 2022 by Roland Carlsson

All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher or author,
except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the
publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or
distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters
and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s
imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1

I ducked as the branch whipped out and almost hit my face.

“Careful there.”
Lucy twisted her head back and flashed an apologetic smile.
“Sorry prof, I’ll watch where I’m going.”
I nodded. We’d been hiking through the Oaxacan jungle for
hours. Dark patches of sweat covered my shirt in a splashy
patchwork. Exotic bird cries filled the air, reminding me that I
was a long way away from the ice encrusted city of
Philadelphia.
“Sir,” Lucy said. “I think this is it!”
I hurried to her side. Despite the thin light that ran through the
jungle canopy, the side of the pyramid was unmistakable. A
burst of joy shot through me. This was the greatest find in
Mesoamerican archeology since the discovery of Calakmul.
Thick vegetation covered the base of the pyramid, providing a
small measure of camouflage. I leaned forward and laid a
reverential hand on its stony surface. More likely than not no
human hands had touched this structure in a millennium, if not
longer.
The people of Oaxaca were not as famous as their Mayan and
Aztec sister civilizations. Few people knew about the Zapotecs
and Mixtecs.
Fewer still knew about the Teixpan, and for good reason.
Centuries before Cortes was born, this civilization had already
achieved an almost legendary status. Among the native
peoples, they were treated as something akin to the Atlanteans
in Western mythology.
Getting the research grant to search for the lost city of
Teixpanino was like pulling teeth. But, somehow I managed to
pull it off.
Legend has it that the pyramids of Teixpanino were filled with
lost treasures and arcane wonders. After having spent months
searching down fruitless leads, I wasn’t about to just give
away the location to the greatest find of my career.
Assuming this was, of course, the pyramid I was looking for.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. You still have a long way to go
before you can declare victory.
“First one up is a rotten egg,” Lucy said. She flashed me a
playful look, before darting up the side of the pyramid.
I clambered up after her. Though I’d recently turned forty,
long hours in the gym and on the climbing wall made the
scramble up the side of the pyramid a cinch. The tropical heat
lubricated my joints.
I looked up, then quickly looked away. My young assistant
was wearing baggy shorts that covered the bare minimum.
While a practical choice for the tropical heat, they were short
enough to give me an eyeful from my vantage point below her.
I continued to climb, the rough stone a welcome cool to my
already overheated body. In many ways, I was lucky to have
Lucy with me. My young grad student was only 23, but she’d
already proven herself to be a rising star in the field of pre-
Columbian archeology.
Fiercely intelligent and blessed with an appearance that could
turn heads at a Milan fashion show, I knew she’d make some
lucky man happy one day.
Not that she did much dating. I’d been her undergraduate
advisor before she applied to our university’s graduate
program, and she’d always been too busy spending time in the
library, poring over old books and records to have much of a
social life.
Then there were the looks I caught her giving me when she
thought I didn’t notice. While in many ways it was flattering
to receive attention from the beautiful young red-head, I was
also very aware of the boundaries inherent in our professional
relationship.
Simply put, I’d worked far too long and too hard to risk my
life’s work on a girl seventeen years my junior.
With a grunt, I heaved myself onto a rocky platform and was
instantly blinded by unfiltered yellow light. We’d made it
above the tree-line.
Lucy sat close by, swinging her legs over the edge. Her lively
green eyes danced beneath a matted cross-hatch of scarlet hair.
“Well look who finally made it,” she said.
I took a swig of water from my canteen and passed it over.
“Don’t forget, I can still fail you.”
She rolled her eyes as she downed a few sips then passed the
canteen back to me. Straightening up, I averted my eyes from
her deep cleavage, barely covered by a light black camisole.
The edge of her sports bra was visible through the side.
We passed into the black tunnel that was cut into the side of
the pyramid wall. I turned on my flashlight, though I quickly
discovered it was unnecessary. Small slits at regular intervals
provided enough light to see by.
Elaborate murals covered the walls, the paint rendered pale by
the passage of time. I could already see the hundreds, if not
thousands, of man-hours piling up ahead of me:
photographing, cataloging and deciphering the faded artwork.
The hallway terminated onto an octagonal chamber. Larger
holes cut in at diagonal angles between the walls and the
ceiling provided a healthy dose of illumination.
I turned, carefully examining the various exits that branched
off from the sides of the chamber. Lucy stepped around me
and walked to the nearest one. After a few moments, she
called over to me: “Sir, you’re going to want to see this.”
I came up behind her. “What is it?”
“Remember what the old man in the village said?”
I groaned. “How could I not?”
We’d gotten our latest lead from a desiccated corpse of a man
in an isolated jungle village. Only a few of the townspeople
spoke Spanish. From the wide-eyed stares we’d both gotten in
the streets, I surmised that they didn’t get many visitors.
Hell, we might’ve been the first outsiders some of them had
ever seen in their lives.
After asking around, we’d learned that an old man might know
of the fabled city of Teixpanino and for a few pesos, one of the
more cosmopolitan local figures- a young merchant named
Jose who split his time between the village and a nearby city-
would lead us to him and interpret for us.
He’d taken us to a wood hut on the outskirts of town. Huddled
inside on the dirt floor was a mass of brightly colored
blankets. It’d taken me a few seconds to realize that buried
within was the man we were looking for, a figure with more
wrinkles than a cotton work shirt left in the dryer for a week.
The locals claimed he was 104 years old. I didn’t have a hard
time believing them.
It’d taken some coaxing on the part of Jose, but eventually the
old man began speaking. In between incoherent rambling
stories about his youth, he’d given us a rough set of directions
to where the supposed ruins of Teixpanino lay.
As we turned to go, a coughing fit seized him. Concern shot
through me as he began screaming incoherently. Jose shook
his head. Later on he told us the man was merely repeating the
words ‘black rain’ and ‘damnation’.
Old people, eh?
Lucy crinkled her nose. “Well, my translation could be off, but
I believe this pictogram also references a ‘black rain’, though
its meaning is unclear.”
I leaned in close and studied the faded lines.
“Something else we’ll have to look into when we start the
examination in earnest,” I said.
I snapped a picture before straightening up. “C’mon, let’s go
see what else we can find in here.”
The hallway continued on for a few dozen more feet before
terminating suddenly onto a circular chamber. This room was
small- no more than fifteen feet in diameter.
“My God, will you look at that,” I said.
A massive sun stone dominated the center of the room.
Around the outer layer, delicate scrollwork showed a
procession of peasants carrying baskets of food. Moving in,
the figures turned to soldiers armed with atlatls and
macuahuitls. Finally, in the innermost rings there were all
manner of strange creatures. Things that appeared half-human,
half-animal playing a sort of crude ball game with a team of
loincloth clad athletes.
And in the very center rested a monstrous head, its jaws
gaping. A shiver ran down my spine. A brace of dagger-like
teeth protruded from the sides of its mouth.
Lucy turned to me, her eyes shining. “Can you imagine the
reception we’ll get when we submit this to the journals!”
I advanced on the center of the disc and began snapping
photos. “Truly spectacular, I can’t believe it’s gone
undiscovered all these years.”
The sound of scurrying feet broke the silence. I twisted my
head up towards the shadow strewn ceiling. Nothing. I turned
back to my work.
“Look out!” Lucy shouted.
A sharp pain cascaded over me as my head and torso were
jerked down. I let out a low moan. An iguana tottered off my
head and trotted towards the far wall.
“Son of a-,” My hand had landed heavily against the idol’s
deceptively sharp fangs. A thin spurt of blood spilled from my
palm and onto the stonework. It trickled around the edges of
the central figure, bathing the toothy demon mouth in crimson.
The face began to glow.
The ground swept away and I became weightless. I turned to
Lucy in panic. She was still there, floating beside me in the
fathomless void. Darkness surrounded us on all sides.
“What’s going on?” I said.
I was unable to hear myself speak. Suddenly, a cascading
laughter filled the chill air.
“A sacrifice has been made, and the game must be played.”
The words were sourceless, leaden and deep. They
reverberated around me, cascading with a terrible fury through
my mind.
A massive stone idol’s head filled my vision. Its fang filled
mouth opened and shut in a jarring display.
“Welcome to the game of Gods, mortal scum. The rules are
simple: in order to win, you must advance through all nine
levels and ascend to the celestial throne.”
“And if we lose?” I shouted the words, but they came out
small and faint: A robotic whisper.
“Then I will bring the Black Rain upon this pathetic planet.
You and the rest of your race will perish in a deluge beyond all
imagination.”
Chapter 2

I groaned as I sat up. A sea of emerald green grass spread out

before me. The stat figures scrolled across my vision like a
head’s up display in a first person shooter video game.
Team: Teoti
Class: Warrior
Specialty: Melee Fighter
Strength: 6
Constitution: 4
Wisdom: 3
Charisma: 4
A message in flashing red letters appeared.
Welcome to Black Rain, the game of the Gods.
Congratulations, you and your teammate have been selected to
fight for an opportunity to sit on the celestial throne. In order
to attain ultimate power, you must complete all nine levels
within the allotted time.
Failure to attain the celestial throne will result in the dark God
Tlani’s rise to power and the coming of the black rain.
Warning: this will result in the total destruction of Earth and
all the inhabiting species thereof.
Good luck!
“What the hell,” I muttered.
“Um, professor Lucas?”
I turned to the source of the voice and my eyes nearly bugged
out of my head. It was Lucy, I was sure of that, but she looked
completely different. For one thing, her already alluring outfit
had been replaced by a sheer, gauzy loincloth and bra combo.
For another thing, a pair of fox ears puffed out along either
side of her head. She stood up, revealing a fox tail that
emanated from a point on her backside just a hair above the
edge of her loincloth.
The HUD reappeared.
Team: Teoti
Class: Fox Girl
Specialty: Healing
Strength: 2
Constitution: 3
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 5
I blinked. “You have fox ears.”
“It can’t be much worse than that he-man thing you have
going on,” she retorted. “Strike that, I kind of like it. Mind
posing for me, prof?”
I looked down and was greeted by a sheet of rippling muscles.
I was in pretty good shape before, but this was ridiculous. My
clothes had also been replaced with a pair of fur-covered
barbarian shorts that ran from my waistline to about half-way
down my thighs.
Lucy was right, I looked like I belonged in an ’80s cartoon.
“Did you also see that pop up display about the black rain?” I
said.
She grimaced. “I’m afraid so. It looks like we’re not in Kansas
anymore.”
A thousand thoughts flooded my head as I tried to make sense
of our situation. As much as I wanted to believe I was in a
coma back on the floor of that temple in Oaxaca, a part of me
knew, deep down, that this was real.
Somehow, I’d been transported to another realm to play a
game for the fate of humanity.
I shook my head, when I put it like that the whole thing
sounded almost cartoonish. Then again- I looked down at my
muscle-bound body and smirked.
If this was a dream, it wasn’t a bad one- at least not yet.
New words in bright, bold red letters scrolled across my
vision.
New Objective: Make it to Barter Town.
The words shrunk and moved up while an intricate map grew
in the now empty space. Two small red dots clustered together
in the center. I assumed they represented Lucy and me. At the
periphery was a little icon in the shape of a medieval walled
town. I groaned as I looked at what lay in between.
The display switched off, and a faint red arrow pointed straight
ahead towards a massive, gradually rising hill.
Lucy’s fingers intertwined with mine. “Let’s go boss.”
***
The path stretched endlessly upwards. It seemed that no matter
how much we climbed, the road never dipped or leveled out.
Until it did.
We reached a crest. Below us spread a verdant valley. A
slender tongue of clear water wound its way through the
bottom, but that’s not what grabbed my attention.
Two women in sparkling dresses were perched atop a rocky
outcropping. At its base huddled several diminutive figures.
Crude melee weapons were raised high overhead, which they
shook menacingly. Even from my high vantage point, I could
feel the fear radiating off the trapped girls.
Slender black letters scrolled across the top of my field of
vision.
New side quest: Save the pixies of Vanerla.
“Did you see that?” I said.
Lucy was looking off into the distance. Her eyes snapped back
into focus. “Yup, think we should do it?”
I shook my head. “This is all so strange. It’s like we’re in a
video game.”
I studied the tableau below me. The pop up display had said I
was a warrior specializing in unarmed combat. Theoretically, I
should be able to take on the gang of little green men.
At least, I think I could. In reality, the last time I’d thrown a
punch was when I signed up for karate lessons in my early
twenties. That had lasted for all of a month.
My ears pricked up as a high pitched scream filled the air.
Those girls were in trouble. Without another thought, I took
off sprinting down the hillside.
“Wait for me!” Lucy yelled.
Were we under any other circumstances, I would’ve. But, I
couldn’t. Not now.
Not when two innocent girls were in trouble.
***
Team: Tlani
Class: Pig-Man (oink oink)
Specialty: None (oink oink)
Strength: 4
Constitution: 2
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: -1
I blinked. What the hell did oink-oink mean? And how could a
creature have negative charisma?
I didn’t stop to think about it for too long, since I was almost
there and the pig-men were sure to notice me.
Now that I was closer, I could see that it was no ordinary stone
outcropping. It looked more like an obelisk, albeit with a flat
top.
I could also see that these were no ordinary girls. For one
thing, their skin glittered in the sunlight like they were covered
in glitter or small jewels. For another thing, broad, translucent
pale lime green butterfly wings sprouted from their backs.
One spotted me. Her eyes widened and she extended an index
finger towards me. “Our savior!” she squealed.
All three pig-men swiveled around.
Gee, thanks a lot lady.
“Oi, that’s a ’uman, ain’t it?” ugly bastard number one said.
“Blasted if I know, let’s kill him anyways,” ugly bastard
number two said.
Ugly bastard number three let loose with an inarticulate yell.
Raising his crude caveman’s club over his head, he rushed
towards me.
A jolt of fear ran down my spine. The pig-men were short,
coming no higher than my chest, but they were broad
shouldered and heavily muscled across the chest, shoulders
and arms. Even their sagging pot-bellies had a solidity to them
that was vaguely intimidating.
My reflexes took over and I stepped to the side as his club
whooshed past, missing me by mere inches. I twisted sharply
on my heel and threw both of my arms around his waist.
He let out a surprised, porcine squeal as I spun him in a sharp
quarter turn. The bastard was surprisingly heavy. The large
muscles in my legs burned as I launched him face first onto
the ground.
Leaning low, I grabbed his club and with two swift steps I was
standing over my foe. Raising the club over my head, I took
aim at the back of his head and sent it crashing straight down.
His skull exploded like a pumpkin dropped from the roof of a
three-story building. My upper lip curled back as bits of bone
and skin splattered across my bare legs. Surprisingly, I didn’t
see any grey matter. I squinted. It looked as if the pig man’s
cranial cavity was empty.
Then I saw it. Pulsing weakly in the center of his head was a
miniature brain, no larger than a walnut. Just to be safe, I send
the club crashing down twice more.
The porcine villain twitched, and was no more.
I looked up at the other two pig-men. Except for the short
tusks that flanked either side of their faces, and their sagging
bellies, they didn’t exactly resemble pigs.
Their mouths were hanging open in slack-jawed wonder.
“Oi, dis man killed Ernie.”
“Ernie owed me money. ’Ey man, you owe me three piece of
coin.”
“What if we just kill ’im instead?”
“But, me coin?”
Whatever fear I’d felt on my initial descent had long since
been replaced by annoyance. I was ready to kill both of them,
if for no other reason than to shut them up.
I sprinted towards the two, although they didn’t seem to notice
that I was attacking until I was almost on top of them.
Swinging out with my club to the side, I connected heavily
with the chin of the left most pig-man. The light left his eyes,
alongside a healthy number of teeth.
Twisting my body to the side, I used my momentum to my
advantage, slamming my right shoulder against the other pig-
man. He fell heavily onto his back. The club slipped out of my
hands, as I fell on top of the second pig-man.
Wrapping my fingers around his throat, I began to squeeze. I
was surprised by the depth of my fury. Then again, while I
may have been a mild-mannered professor, I’d always looked
down on woman-beaters with an almost primal fury.
“Try. Picking. On someone. Your own size,” I gasped,
squeezing my words out awkwardly between breaths.
The pig-man’s eyes popped open. An inhuman anger twisted
his face, and then two claw tipped hands were squeezing
heavily into my forearms. I bit off a sharp yelp as they tore
through my arm, drawing blood.
“Pathetic ’uman,” the pig-man croaked. “I’ll, I’ll-”
He froze. I could literally see the wheels turning in his head.
“Kill me?” I offered helpfully.
“Oi, that thing. I’ll kill ’ou,” the pig-man sputtered. His face
was turning an interesting shade of puke green, and his
breathing was labored.
Not that I held any high hopes that he’d pass out from a lack
of oxygen to the brain anytime soon.
He twisted his fingers and my hand went numb as a burst of
fiery pain rushed up my left forearm. My grip broke and the
pig-man lifted his head in triumph. Thinking quickly, I
extended my index and middle finger into a prong shape and
pushed them deeply into the pig man’s eyes.
He let out a pathetic cry as his head slammed back against the
ground. Stumbling off of him, I grabbed hold of the club with
my good hand. Staggering back to the pig-man, I positioned
myself over his head.
He was still rolling on the ground, clutching his eyes.
“Oi, that bloody ’urts ya bastard,” he grumbled.
Ignoring him, I raised my club overhead and brought it down
onto the pig-man’s head with all of the strength I could muster.
He let out another cry, louder this time and I could already tell
this was going to be a long, ugly beating.
It took seven strikes before the pig-man stopped moving.
Finally, I dropped the club onto his mashed-in face.
“And this little piggy went wee-wee-wee, all the way home,” I
mumbled under my breath.
More words popped up on my HUD, but I wearily waved them
away. There’d be time enough for that later. Right now, I was
exhausted.
A bead of sweat stung my eye. I blinked away the blur and
found myself face to face with the two floating women. They
could’ve passed for twins.
The first thing I noticed was that they were very pretty. Their
faces reminded me of Tinkerbell, although their skin was a
pretty shade of light green and they were of normal height, if a
bit on the shorter side.
The second thing I noticed is that they were both nearly naked.
A thin splattering of leaves were all that shielded the ends of
their modest b-cup breasts and pubic region. The little
covering they had did more to enhance their sensuous beauty,
than it did to protect their modesty.
I averted my eyes as I realized I was staring at their lithe
assets.
“You saved us!” they chorused.
Before I could react, the two had enveloped me in a crushing
bear hug. My tired arms slid down the sides of their backs.
They giggled in unison as soft flesh curved under my palms.
It took me a moment to realize their leafy coverings did not
extend to their backsides. Chastened, I pulled my hands up.
The two girls stepped back, their eyes drawing level with
mine. The HUD popped up again. This time I read it, eager for
the opportunity to look away from the jaw dropping beauties.
Team: Teoti
Class: Pixie
Specialty: Nature Magic
Strength: 1
Constitution: 2
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 7
Genuine curiosity gripped me. Whatever these pixie creatures
were, they seemed to be the polar opposite of the pig-men. I
was curious what the nature magic speciality entailed.
Delicate scrollwork spread across the top of my field of vision.
Side quest completed: You saved the pixies! What? Do you
want a reward? It’s called basic human decency you creep.
New side quest: Escort the pixies to Bartertown. With their
home village burned down by the pig-men forces, these
debutantes need a big, strong man to guide them to safety. Are
you that man?
I blinked away the new quest. Whatever the source of the
sorcery that was assigning me these quests, it had a distinct
personality.
Twin sets of sparkling emerald green eyes met mine. “How
can we ever repay you?”
I let my gaze wander as they pushed their chests out ever so
slightly.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, grimacing as pain shot up
through my forearm.
Concern clouded their eyes. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing.” Doesn’t feel like nothing, though. I gritted my
teeth. “That last pig-man got me good is all.”
“Let me take a look, professor.”
Lucy appeared at my side. I wondered how long she’d been
standing there.
“It’s nothing,” I repeated.
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” my fox-eared assistant said, as
she lifted my forearm with her cool fingers. She turned it over
in her hands, a tiny frown tugging at the corner of her face.
“Hold on.” She closed her eyes and bit down lightly on her
lower lip. I recognized that look from our long hours spent
conducting research together. That was her thinking face, the
one she put on when a problem required one hundred percent
concentration.
A burst of light glimmered over my forearm. My skin went
numb, and then it was over. Lucy opened her eyes and lifted
her hands away from me.
“Wow, it actually worked,” she said softly.
I raised my forearm. The surface of my skin had become clear
and smooth. The two girls clapped in excitement, bouncing
slightly in the air.
“Oh wonderful!” they said together.
Did these two have some sort of twin telepathy thing going on?
Were they even twins or was that just the way their species
worked?
“Thank you, Lucy,” I said.
To my surprise, she leaned over and planted a wet kiss on my
cheek. Embarrassed by her impulsive action, she instantly
looked away towards the ground. A slight blush colored her
pale, milky colored cheeks.
“Don’t mention it boss,” she said.
Her breasts jiggled slightly with each movement. I forced
myself to look away from her deep cleavage. We had work to
do. And despite all the craziness that was going on, Lucy was
still my graduate assistant.
Boundaries had to be maintained.
I turned back to the pixies. “Would you like us to escort you
two to Bartertown, where you’ll be safe?”
The girls buzzed up and down. This time only one of them
spoke. The rightmost pixie stared at me with clever eyes and
said, “Of course, after the strength you displayed saving us, we
would follow you anywhere.”
Her twin piped in, “It’s not like we have anywhere else to go.
Those dastardly pig-men burned down our village.” A shiver
wracked her slender body. ”Vanerla is the only home we’ve
ever known.”
That reminded me of something. A little yellow light blinked
at the bottom right hand corner of my vision. I’d been ignoring
it until now. I mentally clicked on it and the HUD came back
up.
Side quest: Save the pixies of Vanerla.
Status: Completed
+2 Strength
+3 Constitution
+1 Wisdom
Interestingly, killing the pig-men hadn’t given me any
additional charisma. I wondered how I could level up that
skill.
Lootable items: Pig-man club, pig-man bacon, and pig-man
jockstrap.
“Uhhh,” I murmured.
“What is it?” Lucy said.
“Nothing,” I said, blinking away the HUD. I looked over to
where I’d dropped the club. To my surprise, the pig-man
corpse had disappeared. In its place sat a jock-strap with a
yellowed band, a packet of neatly wrapped wax paper that I
could only assume held the bacon, and the club. The blood and
gore had, thankfully, faded away.
Ignoring the other two items, I picked up the club. A pop up
appeared on my HUD: Place club into inventory?
A faint yes and no floated beneath it. I mentally clicked on the
yes and the club disappeared from my hands. A notification
popped up on the bottom of my display in small letters.
Total cache: 1 item.
I blinked away the HUD and turned back to the girls. Lucy
shot me a questioning glance, but the pixies looked as if
nothing was amiss.
“Before we go, what are your names?” I said.
“I am Tereti,” the rightmost one said.
“I am Teretu,” the one on the left said.
They smiled simultaneously, and I knew I’d never be able to
remember which was which.
I extended my hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you
Tereti.”
Taking my hand in hers, she pulled it up to her lips and planted
a damp kiss on the back. She looked up, a wolfish grin
plastered across the lower half of her face.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
A pit formed in my stomach.
What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter 3

The pixies buzzed eagerly ahead of us to the bank of the river.

My suspicions were confirmed. While small clouds of
strategically placed leaves covered the naughty bits on the
front sides of their bodies, their backsides were completely
exposed.
My eyes roamed over their smooth skin and tight bubble butts,
before I forced myself to look away.
“It’s okay,” Lucy said chuckling, “I’m looking too. Hell, they
don’t seem to mind.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said primly.
Electric tingles ran through my body as Lucy stopped me. A
nervous chuckle rang from her lips. “You don’t need to put on
an act for me. I don’t know where the hell we are, but it’s
pretty obvious to me that we’re not on Earth anymore.” She
walked around me, blocking my path with her body. Her hand
slid around my shoulders to my chest, and ran teasingly down
my stomach. She stopped just a hair above my belly button.
My heart skipped a beat. “That means, no more Earth rules.
You know I’ve always had a thing for older men. They know
their way around a woman, and there’s nothing sexier than
competence.”
Her tongue danced over her lips. Then, she winked and turned
to go. Her hips swayed cheerily in the bright sunlight. I tried to
look away and failed. I was mesmerized by her retreating
form. The back flap of her loincloth flapped from side to side,
revealing tantalizing slips of the back half of her thighs and the
gentle curves of her buttocks. Accenting her movements was
the gentle back and forth swish-swish-swish of her tail as it
moved from side to side.
***
The pixies were waiting for us by the river. It was perhaps
thirty feet across. I could not see the bottom. Leaning down, I
plucked a blade of grass and tossed it onto the surface of the
water.
It sped away in the blink of an eye
“The current’s too strong,” I said. “’We’ll have to find a more
suitable place to cross further downstream.”
“Don’t be silly,” the girls giggled. “We’ll fly you across.”
I cast a skeptical eye at the pale green pixies.
“Are you sure you can lift me?” I said, thinking back to the
single strength point I’d seen on my HUD.
“Of course,” Tereti said. Or maybe it was Teretu. I’d have to
figure out a way to remember which was which. She lifted her
arm and strained her face. It took me a minute to realize that
she was trying to flex her bicep. The action failed to inspire
confidence.
“Here,” she said. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms
under my armpits. Her breasts squished tightly against my
chest, the leaves covering her nipples scratched against my
bare skin.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” she said, her breath hot on
my neck.
Her wings beat mightily against the air and for the barest
fraction of a second, my feet left the ground. Then we came
crashing down. The pixie separated from my body and
stumbled back.
Her eyes widened. “Wow, you’re really heavy!”
I tried my best not to roll my eyes. It was clear she meant well,
even if her execution left something to be desired.
A thought popped into my head. “Hey, don’t you two have
plant magic?”
“Yes,” the one that I’d decided was Tereti said. “But, it’s not
powerful enough to stop a whole stream.”
“But, could you build a bridge or something for us?” I asked.
The two exchanged a look.
“It’ll be difficult,” Tereti said.
“But, we’ll try our best,” Teretu said.
“Stand back,” the two said in unison.
Lucy’s hand met mine and she tugged me slightly backwards.
The two girls faced towards the river, giving me a glorious
view of their exposed asses.
They began to hum, a low, thrumming noise that sounded less
as if it was emanating from their mouths than from the
surrounding air.
A green tendril burst from the river bank. The ground rumbled
as it continued to stretch and grow over the fast moving river,
forming a makeshift bridge. The tendril reached the opposite
bank and buried itself in the ground, completing the arc.
The girls turned towards each other and clapped both of their
hands together.
“We did it!” they squealed.
Teretu turned and flashed a wink. “See you on the other side.”
The two fluttered off towards the far bank.
“Dang, that’s pretty cool,” Lucy said. A toothy smile crossed
her face. I noticed for the first time that her incisors had
sharpened and lengthened, becoming distinctly vulpine. I was
surprised to discover that it added a sexy flair to her smile.
“Last one there is a rotten egg.”
She sprinted off towards the vine. I paused, mesmerized by her
generous curves and scantily clad form.
I’m never going to get used to this, I thought.
I shook my head and took off after her.
Lucy reached the vine first and was already halfway across by
the time I caught up to her. Although the plant was a solid six
feet across, its cylindrical shape and sloping arch made
walking an impossibility.
Instead, we had to climb on our hands and knees. I forced
myself to concentrate on the section of vine directly in front of
me, rather than the scantily clad derriere mere feet in front of
my face.
That was how I almost missed Lucy’s tumble into the river.
A high pitched yelp cut through the air. I looked up just in
time to catch Lucy slipping downwards. Her legs swung off,
sending her torso whipping towards me. Without thinking, I
shot forward and wrapped my fingers over her wrist.
She hovered above the rushing water, her body shaking in the
wind. I pulled with all of my strength, and she swung up
beside me. Her body collided against mine and for a single,
heart-stopping second I was afraid I was going to fall off the
side of the vine.
I righted myself just as I reached the edge. Clinging tightly to
the vine with my left hand and holding equally tightly onto
Lucy with my right, I closed my eyes as a blessed stillness
spread over the two of us.
“Lucas,” Lucy’s soft voice filled my ear. I opened my eyes and
found myself staring into hers. Hesitantly, she continued: “You
saved me.”
“Hey, it’s what friends do, right?” I tried, and failed, to muster
up an expression that was equal parts cool and calm.
She nodded slowly, an appraising look in her eye.
From the far bank, two voices cried out in unison: “Hey, are
you two okay?”
“We’re fine,” I called back.
Lucy’s luminous emerald eyes filled my field of vision.
“Just fine.”
***
We’d been walking for an hour or two when the red bar started
flashing at the upper right corner of my HUD. I frowned.
“What’s this?” I muttered to myself.
I mentally clicked on the rectangle, making it bigger. Delicate
scrollwork text ran beneath it.
Warning: Mana depletion imminent. Mana restoration
necessary for continued operation.
I clicked the health bar away and looked over at Lucy. From
the look on her face, I could tell she was dealing with the same
thing.
“Hey, what’s mana?” I said.
“Mana?” the pixies said in unison.
“Why, it’s only the most-,” Teretu began.
”-important thing in the universe,” Tereti finished.
The two giggled.
“Why?” Teretu said.
“Do you need to restore yours?” Tereti said.
“Uh yeah, sure,” I said.
“Mana is a store of energy used to manipulate magic and to
power our physical feats. Mana depletion is a serious problem
that can lead to lethargy, uncontrollable sleep and even death.”
Lucy’s voice was rote, as if she were reading off a cue card.
I raised an eyebrow. “Where did you find that?”
“I clicked on the word mana and a definition popped up.”
“You can do that?”
A wolfish smile flashed over her face. “I wouldn’t be much of
a research assistant if I couldn’t even do a little research now
and again, would I?”
Fortunately, I was saved from having to formulate a witty
rejoinder by the pixie I was 98% sure was Tereti: “That is
correct! You are very knowledgeable, sister.”
I looked around. The landscape had flattened out and an
increasing number of trees populated the land around us to the
point where the surrounding area was more forest than
grasslands.
Tereti buzzed over to a nearby bush and plucked a small
purple berry. She held it above her head for our examination.
“This is a preisly berry. Eating one grants half a mana point.
Of the many ways to restore your mana, it is among the
weakest. However,” she squinted at each of us in turn, “both of
you have a relatively low mana capacity. Lucas, your capacity
is 21 and you’re at 1.5. Lucy, you’re at 1, your capacity is 18.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow, you guys better get on it, those are
dangerously low numbers.”
I did some quick mental math. “Why did I lose so much more
mana than Lucy? And why is my capacity higher?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Teretu said.
If it was, I wouldn’t have asked. I bit back the retort.
Teretu continued, “When you saved us by killing those pig-
men, you increased your mana capacity. It’s tied to your
overall stat points, although the exact relationship isn’t very
well understood.”
“However,” Tereti interjected. “By fighting the pig-men and
by later saving Lucy’s life, you used a lot more mana than
her.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” I said, as I walked over to the berry
bush. Brushing off a handful into my hand, I popped them into
my mouth and began to chew. I swallowed and my mana bar
slid up. The flashing red became a vibrant green.
I repeated the process several more times until the mana bar
was topped off. Lucy was standing beside me, her cheeks
bulged out like a squirrel’s.
She swallowed and her eyes widened. “This stuff is really
good!”
“Not bad, right?”
I froze as I heard the faint rustle of leaves. “Did you hear
that?”
“Hear what?” Lucy said.
The rustling continued. Creeping around the bush, I delved
deeper into the woods. In a small clearing, was a runty looking
mottled pink and black pig. He mewled pathetically as he
fought against the tangle of vines that surrounded him.
Patches of bristly hair covered its hide.
A blinking icon in the shape of a pig lit up at the top of my
HUD. I clicked on it and a text field popped out in front of me:
Team: Neutral (convertible character)
Class: War Hog (oink oink)
Specialty: Customizable upon reaching level 10 Strength
Strength: 3
Constitution: 2
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 3
“What’s with this place and pigs?” I knelt down and began to
untie the vines. The pig wriggled uneasily against the rough
cords, but it didn’t seem violent. No bigger than a puppy, it
couldn’t have hurt me even if it’d wanted to.
Lucy let out a surprised gasp. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” I said. “I’m freeing this pig. It’d be a
lot easier if I had a knife.”
“What if it attacks us?” Lucy said.
I chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”
I untied the last knot. I took hold of the pig’s torso with one
hand. Avoiding a patch of bristly hair, I gently stroked his
surprisingly silky skin.
“Hold on little buddy.”
I lifted the vine over his head and he was free. To my surprise,
the pig shot directly towards me. He collided against my shin
with a solid thud and big, bolded words spread across my
screen.
***Pet Acquired***
Congratulations player, you are now the proud owner of
your very own war hog! If only your mother could see you
now. Don’t even think of getting rid of this little porker.
He’s yours ’till death do you part.
I reached down and absentmindedly brushed the little guy’s
head. He lifted his snout and nuzzled my hand warmly.
“Looks like we’ve got a new addition to our team,” I said.
“You’re taking him with you?” Lucy said. A quizzical tone
had entered her voice. “What are we going to do, eat him?”
I squatted down and lifted him protectively against my chest.
“You are not touching him. He is a deadly war hog, and he
will be treated as such.” I looked down into his sweet little
eyes. “Won’t you Harold the chubby?”
He let out a high pitched squeal. Lifting his head, he lapped at
my chin with his tongue.
“Ah, he’s a kisser,” I said, placing him back down.
He trotted eagerly around my feet. Lucy looked unconvinced,
but she didn’t press the issue.
“Hey, you two,” Teretu said.
“We were wondering when-” Tereti said.
Their eyes widened as they took in Harold the chubby.
“So cute!” Teretu broke in.
“I could just die,” Tereti said.
The pixies knelt beside my new war hog, giving me an
excellent view of their bare backsides. I gave Lucy a ‘see’
look.
Tereti looked up at me, her eyes shining. “You’ve made a
smart decision.”
“You’ll have to protect him,” Teretu said.
“But, once his strength levels up to ten.”
“Oh boy.”
“You look out.”
Teretu hooked her hand into a claw shape and snarled,
“Rawwr.”
A rustling sounded from the canopy. I looked up and saw a
small brown face staring back at mine.
Team: Tlani
Class: Mischief Monkey
Specialty: Theft
Strength: 2
Constitution: 1
Wisdom: 3
Charisma: 2
It seemed to be a pretty low level creature. But, the team
option had populated as Tlani. I wasn’t one hundred percent
sure how this game worked, but from what I’d seen so far that
was the bad guy.
Not to mention the whole mischief aspect. I waved my arms:
“Shoo, go home monkey!”
He tilted his head and began to chatter. The next thing I knew,
I was tottering backwards as 30 lbs of monkey flesh crashed
into me. I landed heavily on my backside.
“Ouch,” I moaned. Rough paws dug into my shorts. I wriggled
back, uncomfortable at the sudden intrusion into my personal
space. I swatted the monkey off my body, but not before my
inventory icon flashed.
Item removed.
The monkey let out a high-pitched squeal as it lifted the club
overhead and ran around in a small victory dance. Leaping to
my feet, I reached out and plucked the club from the monkey’s
hands.
It screeched and jumped towards me just as I brought the club
down in a crushing swing.
The club connected solidly with the little bugger’s head. To
my surprise, his eyes transformed into big, black cartoon Xs.
A tight black coil hovered over his head.
Strength: +1
Lootable item: Mushy banana
The monkey corpse faded and was replaced by a chunk of
blackish-yellowish fruit that had obviously seen better days. I
wrinkled my nose in disgust.
What type of place was this? Have I been transported into a
video-game?
I’d been wondering about that since my arrival. Despite the
ancient Mesoamerican source of all this, the mechanics of the
world around me fit much more closely with those of the
Dungeon and Dragon type games that I’d played on my PC
when I was younger.
Lucy screamed. The short hairs along my spine rose as I spun
around, club raised to meet this new threat.
My fox-girl assistant was topless. Her gently bouncing breasts
were mesmerizing. “Don’t just stand there, it’s getting away!”
I spun around, embarrassed by how obviously I’d been staring.
A distant brown figure was swinging through the canopy,
moving from vine to vine like Tarzan on crack. In one paw, the
monkey held a strip of gauzy fabric.
He spun in mid-air and I swear the simian winked at me. Then
he caught hold of a vine and was lost in the forest canopy.
I turned back to Lucy, a sheepish expression on my face.
Her arms were folded over her chest, her palms covering her
nipples. A bright, scarlet flush covered her face.
“What the hell was that?” she said.
I shrugged. “It did say that its class was ‘mischief monkey’.
I’d say it lived up to its name pretty well.”
“Oh, you asshole,” she huffed.
“What is it?” Teretu said.
“She is injured, we must examine the wound.” Incredibly,
Tereti took hold of Lucy’s arms and tried to pry them away
from her chest. I caught a fleeting glimpse of her bare bust in
all its glory and then her arms were wrapped back tight again.
“I’m fine!” she said. “Really.”
Her eyes darted up towards the sky. Tereti and Teretu
exchanged a puzzled glance.
“You desire to be covered?” Tereti said.
“That would be great,” said Lucy.
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Teretu said.
“It’s such a simple thing,” Tereti said.
The two turned towards each other and waved their arms in a
weird, new agey dance. Then they began chanting in a
language with entirely too many vowels. A bright green sprout
shot up through the ground and began to grow upwards
between them.
Two broad leaves sprung out from either side. The chanting
stopped and each pixie took hold of a single leaf.
“Lift your arms,” they chorused.
I looked away as the two fitted the leaves over my assistant’s
bust. Harold the chubby nuzzled my shin with his snout. I
leaned down and scratched the back of his neck.
“It’s alright, little buddy,” I said.
“You can look now,” Lucy said.
I turned around and lifted my eyebrows in an appraising look.
The pixies had affixed the leaves directly over her breasts.
They hung on via some sort of adhesive, or magic.
Actually, knowing them it probably was magic.
“Not bad, not bad at all. You should wear that to the office
sometime.”
A flash of something- anger, embarrassment, discomfiture- ran
through her eyes, and then she was doubled up laughing. With
her hands planted firmly on her knees, I got an excellent view
down her cleavage.
Ever the gentleman, I averted my eyes and met those of
Teretu.
“Did we do well?” the pixie asked.
Lucy’s laughter was contagious, and I couldn’t help but let
loose with a chuckle.
“You did amazing.”
***
We continued on for another three hours or so without
incident. Finally, with the sun settling low in the sky we
stopped and made camp.
I was surprised that despite having spent the better part of the
day on the road, I wasn’t thirsty at all. Strangely enough, I
wasn’t hungry either.
I mentioned this to Tereti and she froze. When she spoke, it
was in a mechanical tone: “Gameplay has commenced.
During gameplay, all biological needs are temporarily halted.
The only energy consumption necessary for advancement is
mana energy. Food and drink are available in select areas.
However, please note that their usage is purely recreational.”
“Uhm, are you okay?” I said.
She blinked, and it was like she’d fallen out of a trance.
“What?”
“You just told me a bunch of stuff about how I don’t need to
eat or drink,” I said.
“Really?” She frowned. “Are you sure it was me? It might’ve
been Teretu. People tell us we look similar. Personally, I think
that’s speciest clap-trap.”
“Nope, I’m pretty sure it was you. You were standing right
here in front of me. You said a bunch of stuff about a game.”
Tereti slowly shook her head. “Sorry, but I’m not picking up
what you’re laying down.”
I sighed. “Never mind.” I turned and walked back to where
Lucy was constructing a fire. By the time I got there, it was
crackling merrily away. “Hey, how did you manage that?”
A look of weary satisfaction crossed her face. “My dad taught
me when I was a girl. He was really into the whole survivalist
thing, so when he used to take me out on camping trips he’d
teach me to do stuff like this.”
I squatted before it and warmed my hands.
“Nice and toasty,” I said. “So, I asked Tereti about the whole
eating situation.”
“It’s so weird,” Lucy said. “I haven’t felt hungry or thirsty at
all since I’ve come here.”
“Well, that’s the thing,” I said.
I quickly recapped Tereti’s message, including her weird,
robotic face and intonation, as well as the amnesia that had
suddenly gripped her afterwards. When I was done, Lucy
poked at the fire with a stick before speaking.
“Do you remember when we first came here, how that floating
head talked about a game?” she said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Well, I think this goes back to the Teixpanino religion. You
know how they have those two Gods, the light and the dark
one. And of course, you have the Pre-Columbian fascination
with divine games,” she said.
A grim expression swept over my face as I thought of the
Mesomerican ball game that often ended with a ritual
sacrifice.
“Teoti and Tlani, those are the names of the Gods. Above our
class is a team name. We’re on Teoti’s team and the opposing
side is on Tlani’s side,” I said.
“Which means Teoti is the good guy and Tlani is the evil one.”
Lucy clapped her hands together. “He’s the God of chaos, and
the black rain is his reward for winning.”
“But, how does he win?” I said.
“I’m pretty sure that for him to win, all we have to do is lose,”
Lucy said.
I clutched my forehead. “This is all so weird.”
“What’s so weird?” Twin voices sounded from behind us.
I started. Twisting around, I caught sight of the pixies standing
behind us. They both had big bundles of long grass, leaves and
moss in their arms.
“Nothing,” I said hastily. “What have you got there?”
“Our beds,” Tereti said. “Aren’t you going to collect your
beds? The night has already fallen.”
I stifled a yawn. Although Tereti had said that all biological
needs were temporarily halted, I had a feeling that didn’t apply
to sleep. In a way, that made sense. Of all of our bodily
necessities, it was probably the least understood.
“Sure,” I said.
Picking myself up, I turned to Lucy. “Will you accompany me
on my journey into the deep, dark woods?”
“I would be delighted,” she said, taking my hand.
We stood up and walked over to the edge of the forest.
I stooped over and began to gather up moss from the forest
floor. Thick swatches of the fungi spread across the ground
and onto the tree trunks. Nearby, Lucy was bundling leaves
into her arms.
She looked over and gave me an absentminded smile. My
heart beat a little faster. There was no denying her beauty. Nor
the fact that she was one of the brightest researchers I’d ever
had the opportunity to work with.
And now that we’ve been transported to this strange world,
there wasn’t exactly a conflict of interest when it came to
pursuing a relationship. After all, what conflict of interest
could exist between a warrior and his fox-girl healer.
A grin twisted up my face as the absurdity of the situation took
hold of me.
I walked back towards the campfire and dumped my moss on
the ground. Kneeling down, I spread the moss out with both
arms into a roughly bed shaped rectangle. A few more loads,
and it’d be complete.
To my surprise, a cascade of leaves drifted over my moss bed.
“What are you doing?” I said.
“Making our bed.” A hint of amusement entered her voice.
I weighed my words, trying my best to appear judicious.
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable on your own?”
“I’ll be more comfortable sharing warmth,” Lucy said. “Don’t
be a prude. You know as well as I do how far nighttime
temperatures can dip.”
Well, it’s not exactly as if there’s a conflict of interest here.
Right?
“Okay.” I shrugged.
Together, we carted back six armfuls each of moss and leaves.
By the time we were done, we had a cozy little nest six inches
deep and long enough for me to lay down head to toe without
any uncomfortable overhang.
The width left something to be desired. As I nestled down onto
our makeshift bed, Lucy squeezed in tight next to me.
By now the fire had died down and the only lights in the night
sky were the silvery moonbeams and the twinkling star lights.
Lucy caressed my face. “Can I ask you a question?”
My stomach tightened. A heat was growing deep inside of me.
“Anything,” I said. My voice came out gruffer than I’d
intended.
“Don’t you want me?”
A glistening dot streaked down Lucy’s face. I realized with a
start that my fox-girl was crying.
I reached up with both hands and held her face gently between
them. Her cheeks were warm and soft, a slick runnel where a
single tear had run down her face was damp beneath my right
palm.
“Of course, I want you,” I said. I slid my left arm down her
body until my hand was resting in the small of her back. I
pulled her closer to me.
“You’re whip smart, gorgeous and the best damn graduate
student a professor could ask for. You’re an amazing girl, but
you know as well as I do that nothing can ever happen
between us. It wouldn’t be ethical.”
“Screw ethics,” she said with unexpected force. “I don’t know
if you’ve noticed, but there’s a goddamn fox tail growing out
of my ass. Whatever this is, wherever we are, the normal rules
don’t apply anymore.”
Her fingers ran over my bare chest. There was a teasing
quality to her touch, but beneath it was something more: a hot
desperation, a hunger that cried out to be sated.
“You want it that bad, huh?”
I immediately felt like kicking myself at the decidedly
unsmooth word choice. But, if she noticed, she didn’t seem to
care.
The desperation disappeared from her voice, replaced by a
lighthearted sweetness. “You know, I’ve always had a thing for
you. The unapproachable professor, the established, older
gentleman.”
“I had an inkling.”
And I want you just as much, if not more. I continued in my
mind as the unspoken corollary to her statement.
“I know you knew,” she said, chuckling slightly. “And if I’m
being honest, that just made me want you more.”
Her hand crept down further, and slipped beneath the waistline
of my shorts. I let out a small gasp as her hand wrapped
around my erect manhood.
“You’re so big,” she breathed. “I want you to take me. Please
Lucas, I’m begging you. I don’t know how much longer we’ll
survive in this place. I need you!”
I responded by leaning forward and planting my lips over hers.
It was only two inches to bridge the distance, but those two
inches were the longest I’d ever traveled in my entire life.
Her mouth melted against mine. Her breath filled my lungs.
Honeysuckle and lavender, a gentle Spring wind, nothing
smelled so sweet as her. Her hand slid up and down my shaft,
gently caressing my cock.
My hands ran down her body, touching, caressing, teasing and
pleasing. She convulsed, her body gripped by pleasure as my
fingers found her neatly shaven nub. I began to knead it gently
with my right hand, while my left hand slowly peeled up her
leaf brassiere and got to work on her nipples.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy parted her lips from
mine.
A smile twinkled in her eyes. “I want to do something for you.
Lay on your back.”
I obeyed. Looking up at the stars, my whole body tingled with
excitement. Years of sexual tension were finally coming to a
head, in the most unexpected way possible.
“Close your eyes.”
My anticipation heightened as darkness covered my field of
vision. Lucy took hold of my waistband and began to gently
shimmy down my shorts.
The cool night air spread across my thighs and crotch as wet,
warm lips slipped over my manhood. Unable to resist any
longer, my eyes snapped open. Her breasts jiggled as she
worked her mouth up and down the shaft, her eyes were closed
shut, her face twisted into a mask of sheer ecstasy.
I felt something rising within me, as pools of heat grew within
my crotch.
Her loincloth clad ass rose into the air behind her. From this
angle, the thin strip did less to cover than to enhance her curvy
behind. An easy grin broke over my face.
Her eyes opened, and she fixed me with a saucy stare. Then
she pulled her head back. A slender strand of saliva connected
the head of my cock to her lips.
“Fuck me hard,” she said.
She stood up and knelt over me, positioning her crotch above
my waist, I slid my cock into her waiting warmth. I was met
with surprisingly little resistance.
She moaned.
“Jesus Christ, you’re huge,” she said.
A smirk drew over my face. “I’m no slouch.”
She hit my chest playfully. “I can’t believe you made me wait
so long for this.”
“Well, the wait is over. Now get in here,” I slid an arm around
her waist and brought her close to me. Her breasts pressed
tight to my chest, I planted a desperate kiss against her lips.
There was no sweetness to this. This kiss was all passion and
flames, hot and reaching. Then her lips were sliding from mine
as I began to jackhammer at her pussy.
Pulsing with my hips, I shot in and out with increasing speed.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes,” Lucy said. “Please fuck me harder. Dear
God yes!”
“You got it,” I grunted.
She stiffened as an orgasm came crashing over her body.
A moment later, I followed.
Chapter 4

The next morning, we woke with the dawn in a tangle of arms

and legs. We hurriedly got dressed, then moved to the burned
out fire. Lucy quickly got it going again, and the pixies joined
us shortly thereafter.
The pixies were eating preisly berries off of a broad, tear-drop
shaped leaf. They set the leaf between us.
“Go ahead,” Tereti said, her eyes sparkling. “You two could
use the energy after your nocturnal exertions.”
The two pixies giggled at that. I chose to ignore the comment,
while Lucy flushed a deep red.
I said, “I think we should focus on something else, today.”
“What’s that?” the pixies said.
“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about the fight that we had with
the pig-men the other day,” I said.
“You were so brave,” Tereti cooed.
“Thank you,” I said, trying not to look at her scantily clad
form. “That fight went well, but there’s no guarantee that’ll be
the case in the future. I need to level up if we’re going to
survive.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Lucy asked.
“Well,” I said. “My strength, constitution and wisdom all
increased by a decent amount after my fight with the pig-men.
What I plan on doing is something called grinding.”
“Oh, I know what grinding is!” Lucy said. “Like in a video
game when you target low level monsters over and over again
to gain experience.”
“I didn’t know you played video games?” I said. It shouldn’t
have surprised me, since Lucy was a bit on the nerdier side.
But, given the sheer amount of time she’d spent helping me
conduct research throughout her college career, I’d assumed
that she’d had little time for recreational activities.
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 The Project Gutenberg eBook of Principles and
practices of agricultural analysis. Volume 2 (of 3),
Fertilizers
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
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Title: Principles and practices of agricultural analysis. Volume 2 (of

3), Fertilizers

Author: Harvey Washington Wiley

Release date: December 17, 2023 [eBook #72438]

Language: English

Original publication: Easton: Chemical Publishing Co, 1894

Credits: Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRINCIPLES

AND PRACTICES OF AGRICULTURAL ANALYSIS. VOLUME 2 (OF
3), FERTILIZERS ***
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
OF
AGRICULTURAL ANALYSIS.
A MANUAL FOR THE ESTIMATION OF
SOILS, FERTILIZERS, AND
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

FOR THE USE OF ANALYSTS, TEACHERS, AND

STUDENTS
OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY.

VOLUME II.

FERTILIZERS.

BY HARVEY W. WILEY,
Chemist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
EASTON, PA.,
Chemical Publishing Co.,
1895.
 COPYRIGHT, 1895,
By Harvey W. Wiley.
 PREFACE TO VOLUME SECOND.
In this volume an attempt has been made to treat the subject of
fertilizers and fertilizing materials in the manner followed in the first
volume with soils. The general principles of fertilizer manufacture
and application have been presented in so far as they seemed to
throw light on the rational method of examination and analysis. The
standard methods of analysis in use in this and other countries, have
been presented with sufficient fullness for the guidance of the skilled
worker, and the information of the student. To those who make use
of a book only for routine work or for preparation for an examination,
this volume, as its predecessor, will be found to have little attraction.
This fact, however, will not be a cause of regret to the author whose
purpose has been, avowedly, to present to the busy worker and
student a broad view of a great subject which each one does not
have the time to search out for himself.
It is a matter of regret, however, that the contents of the volume
have again exceeded all expectations. It was found impracticable to
secure any greater condensation without departing from the
purpose, and impairing the completeness of the work. When work is
done with no prospect of financial compensation, it is gratifying to
find it appreciated, and the author will be content to have this volume
meet with as kindly a reception as has been accorded volume one.

Harvey W. Wiley.
Washington, D. C.,
End of July, 1895.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS OF
VOLUME SECOND.
PART FIRST.
PHOSPHATES AND PHOSPHATIC FERTILIZERS.

Introduction, pp. 1-4.—Natural fertilizers; Waste matters as

fertilizing materials; Valuation of fertilizing ingredients.
General Analytical Processes, pp. 4-15.—Taking samples;
Fertilizing minerals; Mixed fertilizers; French methods of taking
samples; Sampling stable manures; Preparation of sample in
laboratory; French and German methods; Drying fertilizer samples;
Moisture in acid phosphates.
Analysis of Mineral Phosphates, pp. 15-39.—Constituents to be
determined; Direct estimation of phosphoric acid; Official method;
Preparation of solution; Use of tartaric acid; Determination of water
and organic matters; Carbon dioxid; Soluble and insoluble matter;
Silica and insoluble bodies; Estimation of lime; Ammonium oxalate
method; Immendorff method; Estimation of iron and alumina; The
acetate and Hess methods; Methods of Jones and Crispo;
Geological Survey method; Method of Marioni and Fasselli; Method
of Krug and McElroy; Method of Wyatt; Estimation of magnesia; of
sulfuric acid; of fluorin.
General Methods for Phosphoric Acid, pp. 39-57.—Preliminary
considerations; Estimation as stannic phosphate; Water soluble acid;
Citrate insoluble acid; Total phosphoric acid; Norwegian methods;
German experiment station methods; Soluble phosphoric acid;
Swedish methods; Dutch methods; Errors in molybdate method;
Color of pyrophosphate; Solution in sulfuric acid.
The Citrate Method, pp. 57-70.—General principles; Halle
method; Swedish method; Methods adopted at the Brussels
Congress; Dutch method for citrate soluble acid; Comparative
accuracy of citrate and molybdate methods.
Basic Phosphatic Slags, pp. 70-86.—History and manufacture;
Composition; Molecular structure; Solubility; Separation and solution;
Estimation of total acid; Alternate method; Halle method of analysis;
Dutch method; Estimation of citrate soluble acid in basic slags;
Wagner’s shaking and digesting apparatus; Estimation of caustic
lime in slags; Detection of adulteration.
Volumetric Determination of Phosphoric Acid, pp. 86-106.—
Classification of methods; Uranium method; Preparation of sample;
Precipitation of the phosphoric acid by magnesium citrate;
Composition of magnesium citrate solution; Solution of ammonium
magnesium phosphate; Preparation of standard solutions; Verifying
standard solutions; Conduct of the analysis; Phosphoric acid in
superphosphates; Determination of soluble and reverted phosphoric
acid; Conclusions.
Titration of the Yellow Precipitate, pp. 106-118.—Pemberton’s
method; Conduct of the analysis; Reactions; Calculation of results;
Comparison with Official method; Titration as a lead compound;
Water soluble acid; Estimation of phosphoric acid in presence of a
large excess of iron; Emmerton method; Method of Dudley and
Noyes; The Jones reductor; The volumetric silver method.
Technical Determination of Phosphoric Acid, pp. 118-125.—
Desirability of methods; Reagents employed; Conduct of the
molybdenum method; Conduct of the citrate method; Treatment of
mineral phosphates and basic slags; Analysis of superphosphates.
Miscellaneous Notes on Phosphates and Phosphatic Fertilizers,
pp. 126-150.—Time required for precipitation; Examination of the
pyrophosphate; Iodin in phosphates; Chromium in phosphates;
Estimation of Vanadium; Fluorin in bones; Note on separation of iron
and alumina from phosphoric acid; Ammonium citrate soluble acid;
Influence of time and strength of solvent on solution; Arbitrary
Determination of reverted phosphoric acid; Digestion apparatus of
Huston; Huston’s mechanical stirrer; Citrate method with small
percentage of phosphoric acid; Direct precipitation of the citrate
soluble phosphoric acid; Availability of phosphatic fertilizers; Direct
weighing of the molybdenum precipitate.
Chemistry of the Manufacture of Superphosphates, pp. 150-156.
—Reactions with phosphates; with fluorids; with carbonates; with
iron and alumina; with magnesium compounds; Determination of
quantity of sulfuric acid; Phosphoric acid superphosphates;
Authorities cited in Part First.

PART SECOND.
NITROGEN IN FERTILIZERS AND
FERTILIZING MATERIALS.

Kinds of Nitrogen in Fertilizers, pp. 161-169.—Determination of

state of combination; Microscopic examination; Seeds and seed
residues; Fish scrap; Dried blood and tankage; Horn, hoof, and hair;
Ammoniacal nitrogen; Nitrogen in guanos; Nitric nitrogen.
Methods of Analysis, pp. 169-192.—Classification of methods;
Official methods; Combustion in copper oxid; Official volumetric
method; Mercury pump; Combustion furnace; Process of
combustion; Method of Johnson and Jenkins; Calculating results;
Reading barometer; Tension of aqueous vapor; Aqueous tension in
solutions of potassium hydroxid; Tables for calculating results; Soda-
lime process; Official French method; The ruffle soda-lime method;
Official ruffle method; Boyer’s ruffle method.
Moist Combustion Process, pp. 192-220.—Historical; Method of
Kjeldahl; Theory of the reactions; Preparation of reagents; Dutch
kjeldahl method; Halle kjeldahl method; Official kjeldahl method;
Distillation apparatus; Patrick’s distilling flask; Modification of the
kjeldahl process; Method of Wilfarth; Method of Asboth; Method of
Jodlbaur; Dutch jodlbaur method; Halle jodlbaur method; Official
method for nitric nitrogen; Method of Scovell; Gunning method;
Reactions of the gunning method; Official gunning method; Gunning
method adapted to nitrates.
 Determination of Nitrogen in Definite Forms of Combination, pp.
221-231.—Introductory considerations; Nitrogen as ammonia;
Method of Boussingault; Determination of thiocyanates; Separation
of albuminoid nitrogen; Separation of nitric nitrogen; Separation of
ammoniacal nitrogen; Ulsch method for mixed fertilizers; Method of
Schlöesing-Wagner; Schmitt’s modified method; Krüger’s method.
Sodium Nitrate, pp. 231-247.—Functions of sodium nitrate;
Commercial forms of Chile saltpeter; Percentage of nitrogen in Chile
saltpeter; Adulteration of Chile saltpeter; The Halle zinc-iron method
for estimating nitrogen in Chile saltpeter; French method; Gantter’s
volumetric method; Method of difference; Application of Chile
saltpeter to the soil; Taking samples of soil to determine nitric
nitrogen; The nitrifiable solution; Quantity of Chile saltpeter per acre;
Consumption of Chile saltpeter; Authorities cited in Part Second.

PART THIRD.
Potash in Fertilizing Materials and Fertilizers, pp. 248-266.—
Introduction; Forms of potash; Organic sources of potash; Tobacco
stems and waste; Cottonseed hulls and meal; Wood ashes;
Fertilizing value of ashes; Sugar beet molasses; Residue of wineries;
Destruction of organic matter; Ignition with sulfuric acid; Potash in
mineral deposits; Occurrence and history; Changes in potash salts in
situ; Kainit; Carnallit; Polyhalit; Krugit; Sylvin; Sylvinit; Kieserit;
Schönit; Potassium sulfate; Potassium magnesium carbonate;
Potash in factory residues; Quantity of potash salts used.
Methods of Analysis, pp. 266-289.—Classification of methods;
Platinic chlorid method; Official method; Alternate official method;
Solution of organic compounds; Factors for calculation; Halle potash
method; Dutch method; Swedish method; Method of the German
Kali syndicate; Method for high grade potash salts; Barium oxalate
method; de Roode method for kainit; Calcium chlorid method; Rapid
control method; Determination from metallic platinum; Errors in
platinum method; Effect of concentration on accuracy; Differences in
form of crystals of potassium platinochlorid; Recovery of the platinum
waste.
 Estimation of Potash as Perchlorate
,
pp. 289-301
.—General principles; Caspari’s method of preparing perchloric
acid; Kreider’s method; Keeping properties of perchloric acid; The
analytical process for determining potassium as perchlorate;
Removal of sulfuric acid; Applicability of the process; Accuracy of the
process; Authorities cited in Part Third.

PART FOURTH.
Miscellaneous Fertilizers, pp. 302-324.—Classification; Forms of
lime; Application of lime; Action of lime; Analysis of lime; Gypsum, or
land plaster; Analysis of gypsum; Common salt; Green vitriol; Stall
manures; Hen manure; Guanos and cave deposits; Official French
method for phosphoric acid in guanos; Leather waste; Wood ashes;
Analysis of wood ashes; Method of analysis used in this laboratory;
Official method for estimating alkalies in wood ashes; Statement of
results; Authorities cited in Part Fourth; Index.
 ILLUSTRATIONS TO
VOLUME SECOND.
Page.
Figure 1. Apparatus for crushing mineral fertilizers 5
“ 2. Plate grinder for minerals 6
“ 3. Shaking apparatus for superphosphates 60
“ 4. Shaking machine for ammonium magnesium phosphate 64
“ 5. Rössler ignition furnace 65
“ 6. Wagner’s digestion apparatus for slags 79
“ 7. Jones’ reduction tube 115
“ 8. Huston’s digesting apparatus 142
“ 9. Huston’s mechanical stirrer 145
“ 10. Mercury pump and azotometer 174
“ 11. Moist combustion apparatus of the Halle agricultural laboratory 201
“ 12. Distillation apparatus of Halle agricultural laboratory 203
“ 13. Distilling apparatus 208
“ 14. Schlöesing-Wagner apparatus 229
“ 15. Halle nitric acid apparatus 234
“ 16. Gantter’s nitrogen apparatus 237
“ 17. Geological relations of the potash deposits near Stassfurt 258
 VOLUME SECOND.
EXAMINATION OF FERTILIZING MATERIALS,
FERTILIZERS, AND MANURES.
 PART FIRST.
PRELIMINARY TREATMENT AND PHOSPHATES.

1. Introduction.—In the first volume the principal plant foods occurring in soils have been
named and the methods of estimating them described. As fertilizers are classed those materials
which are added to soils to supply supposed deficiencies in plant foods, or to render more
available the stores already present. There is little difference between the terms fertilizer and
manure. In common language the former is applied to goods prepared for the farmer by the
manufacturer or mixer, while the latter is applied to the stores accumulated about the stables or
made elsewhere on the farm. Thus it is common to speak of a barnyard or stall manure and of a
commercial fertilizer.
One of the objects of the analysis of soils, as described in the first volume of this work, is to
determine the character of the fertilizer which should be added to a field in order to secure its
maximum fertility.
One purpose of the present part is to determine the fitness of offered fertilizing material to
supply the deficiencies which may be revealed by a proper study of the needs of the soil.
2. Natural Fertilizers.—In the succession of geologic epochs which has marked the natural
history of the earth there have been brought together in deposits of greater or less magnitude
the stores of plant food unused by growing crops or which may once have been part of
vegetable and animal organisms. Some of these deposits have been mentioned in the first
volume, paragraphs 11, 12, and 18.
For a full description of the extent and origin of these deposits the reader is referred to works
on economic geology. These deposits are the chief sources of the commercial fertilizers which
are offered to the farmers of to-day and to which the agricultural analyst is called upon to devote
much of his time and labor. The methods of determining the chemical composition and
agricultural value of these deposits, as practiced by the leading chemists of this country and
Europe, will be fully set forth in the following pages.
3. Waste Matters as Fertilizing Materials.—In addition to the natural products just
mentioned the analyst will be called on also to deal with a great variety of waste materials
which, in the last few years, have been saved from the débris of factories and abattoirs, and
prepared for use on the farm. Among these waste matters may be mentioned, bones, horns,
hoofs, hair, tankage, dried blood, fish scrap, oil cakes, ashes, sewage, and sewage precipitates,
offal of all kinds, leather scraps, and organic débris in general.
It is important, before beginning an analysis, to know the origin of the substances to be
determined. As has already been pointed out in volume first the process which would be
accurate with a substance of a mineral origin might lead to error if applied to the same element
in organic combination. This is particularly true of phosphorus and potash. A simple microscopic
examination will usually enable the analyst to determine the nature of the sample. In this
manner, in the case of a phosphate, it would at once be determined whether it was bone,
mineral, or basic slag. The odor, color, and general consistence will also aid in the
determination.
4. Valuation of Fertilizing Ingredients.—Perhaps there are no more numerous and
perplexing questions propounded to the analyst than those which relate to the value of fertilizing
materials. There is none harder to answer. As a rule these questions are asked by the farmer,
and refer to the fertilizers put down on his fields. In such cases the cost of transportation is an
important factor in the answer. The farther the farmer is removed from the place of fertilizer
manufacture the greater, as a rule, will be the cost. Whether the transportation is over land or by
water also plays an important part in the final cost. The discovery of new stores of fertilizing
materials has also much to do with the price. This fact is especially noticeable in this country,
where the price of crude phosphates at the mines has fallen in a few years from nearly six
dollars to three dollars and forty-three cents per ton[1]. This decrease has been largely due to
discoveries of vast beds of phosphatic deposits in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia. The state of trade, magnitude of crops, and the vigor of commerce also affect, in a
marked degree, the cost of the raw materials of commercial fertilizers.
5. Trade Values of Fertilizing Ingredients in Raw Materials and Chemicals.—The values
proposed by the Massachusetts Experiment Station are given below.[2]
Cents per
pound.
Nitrogen in ammonia salts, 19
“ “ nitrates, 14½
Organic nitrogen in dry and fine-ground fish, meat, blood,
and in high-grade mixed fertilizers, 18½
“ “ “ cottonseed meal, linseed meal,
and castor pomace, 15
“ “ “ fine-ground bone and tankage, 16½
“ “ “ fine-ground medium bone and tankage, 15
“ “ “ medium bone and tankage, 12
“ “ “ coarse bone and tankage, 7
“ “ “ hair, horn shavings, and coarse
fish scraps, 7
Phosphoric acid soluble in water, 6
“ “ soluble in ammonium citrate, 5½
“ “ in fine bone and tankage, 5½
“ “ in fine medium bone and tankage, 4½
“ “ in medium bone and tankage, 3
“ “ in coarse bone and tankage, 2
“ “ in fine-ground fish, cottonseed meal,
linseed meal, castor pomace, and wood-ashes,5
“ “ insoluble (in ammonium citrate) in
mixed fertilizers, 2
Potash as high-grade sulfate, and in mixtures
free from muriate, 5
“ “ muriate, 4½
The manurial constituents contained in feed stuffs are valued as follows:
Organic nitrogen, 15
Phosphoric acid, 5
Potash, 5
The organic nitrogen in superphosphates, special manures, and mixed fertilizers of a high
grade is usually valued at the highest figures laid down in the trade values of fertilizing
ingredients in raw materials; namely, eighteen and one-half cents per pound, it being assumed
that the organic nitrogen is derived from the best sources; viz., animal matter, as meat, blood,
bones, or other equally good forms, and not from leather, shoddy, hair, or any low-priced, inferior
form of vegetable matter, unless the contrary is evident. In such materials the insoluble
phosphoric acid is valued at two cents a pound. These values change as the markets vary.
The scheme of valuation prepared by the Massachusetts station does not include phosphoric
acid in basic slags. By many experimenters the value of the acid in this combination,
tetracalcium phosphate, is fully equal to that in superphosphates soluble in water and
ammonium citrate. It would perhaps be safe to assign that value to all the phosphoric acid in
basic slags soluble in a five per cent citric acid solution.
Untreated fine-ground phosphates, especially of the soft variety, so abundant in many parts
of Florida, have also a high manurial value when applied to soils of an acid nature or rich in
humus. On other soils of a sandy nature, or rich in calcium carbonate, such a fertilizer would
have little value. The analyst in giving an opinion respecting the commercial value of a fertilizer,
must be guided not only by the source of the material, its fineness or state of decomposition,
and its general physical qualities, but also by the nature of the crop which it is to nourish and the
kind of soil to which it is to be applied.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL PROCESSES.

6. Taking Samples.—It is impracticable to give definite directions for taking samples of
fertilizers which will be applicable to all kinds of material and in all circumstances. If the chemist
himself have charge of the taking of the sample, it will probably be sufficient to say that it should
accurately represent the total mass of material sampled. Generally the samples which are
brought to the chemist have been taken without his advice or direction and he is simply called
upon to make an analysis of them.

Figure. 1.
Apparatus for Crushing Mineral Fertilizers.

7. Minerals Containing Fertilizing Materials.—When possible, the samples should be

accompanied by a description of the mines where they are procured and a statement of the
geologic conditions in which the deposits were made. As large a quantity of the material as can
be conveniently obtained and transported should be secured. Where a large quantity of mineral
matter is at hand it should first be put through a crusher. Many forms of crusher, driven by hand
and other power, are on the market. Among these may be mentioned the Alden, Blake,
Bisworth, Forster, and Lipsay machines.[3] They are all constructed essentially on the same
principle, the pieces of mineral being broken into small fragments between two heavy vibrating
steel plates. The general form of these instruments is seen in Fig. 1.
The fragments coming from the crusher can be reduced to a coarse powder by means of the
iron plate and crusher shown in Fig. 2.
Where only a small quantity of mineral is at hand the apparatus just mentioned may be used
at once after breaking the sample into small fragments by means of a hammer.
Finally the sample, if to be dissolved in an acid or soluble materials only, is reduced to a
powder in an iron mortar until it will pass a sieve with a one or, better, one-half millimeter circular
mesh. The powder thus obtained must be stirred with a magnet to remove all iron particles that
may have been incorporated with the mass by abrasion of the instruments employed.
If a complete mineral analysis of the sample is to be secured, the material freed from iron, as
above described, is to be rubbed to an impalpable powder in an agate mortar.

Figure. 2.
Plate Grinder for Minerals.

8. Mixed Fertilizers.—In fertilizing materials in bulk, the first requisite is that they shall be
thoroughly mixed so that a given volume of the material may represent, practically, definite
quantities of the materials sampled. The finer the material is, in the original state, and the more
thoroughly it has been mixed, the better the sample will be. If the sample be already in sacks it
will be sufficient to take portions by means of the ordinary trier, such as is used for sampling
sugar and other substances. This consists of a long metal implement such as would be formed
by a longitudinal section of a tube. The end is pointed and suited for penetrating into the sack
and the materials contained therein. On withdrawing it, the semi-circular concavity is found filled
with the material sampled. Samples in this way should be taken from various parts of the sack
and these samples well mixed together and a subsample of the amount necessary to be taken
to the laboratory can then be obtained.
9. Method of the French Experiment Stations.—In the method employed by the French
Experiment Stations it is directed that in no case should stones or other foreign particles be
removed from the fertilizer sampled, but they should enter into the sample taken in, as nearly as
possible, the same proportions as they exist in the whole mass.
 In the case of stones or other solid masses which are to be sampled, as many samples as
possible should be taken from all parts of the heap and these should be reduced to a coarse
powder, thoroughly mixed together and sampled.
In case the material is in the form of a paste, if it is homogeneous, it will be sufficient to mix it
well and take the sample directly; but in case there is a tendency for the pasty mass to separate
into two parts, of which the one is a liquid and the other, more of a solid consistence, it may be
well to take samples from each in case they can not be thoroughly incorporated by stirring.
10. Method of the French Association of Sugar Chemists.—The method adopted by the
French sugar chemists directs that the sample should be taken from the fertilizer in bulk or from
a portion used for industrial purposes.[4] The sample for analysis is to be taken from the above
sample after it has been sent to the laboratory. The method of taking should be varied according
to the condition of the substances to be analyzed.
The large sample selected from the goods delivered to commerce having been delivered at
the laboratory, the analytical sample is taken as follows:
When the industrial sample, more or less voluminous, reaches the laboratory, the chemist is
to begin by taking a note of the marks, labels, and descriptions found thereon, and of the nature
and state of the package which contains it, and the date of its arrival. All this information should
be entered upon the laboratory book and afterwards transcribed on the paper containing the
results of the analysis, as well as the name of the person sending it. This having been done, the
sample is to be properly prepared in order that a portion may be taken representing exactly the
mean composition of the whole.
If it is in a state of fine powder, such as ground phosphates and certain other fertilizers, it is
sufficient to pass it two or three times through a sieve with meshes one millimeter in diameter,
taking care to break up the material each time in order to mix it and to pulverize the fragments
which the sieve retains. The whole is afterwards spread in a thin layer upon a large sheet of
paper, and a portion is taken here and there upon the point of a knife until about twenty grains
are removed, and from this the portion subjected to analysis is afterwards taken.
If the sample comes in fragments, more or less voluminous, such as phosphatic rocks or
coarsely pulverized guanos containing agglomerated particles, it is necessary first to reduce the
whole to powder by rubbing it in a mortar or in a small drug mill. It is next passed through a
sieve of the size mentioned above and that which remains upon the sieve pulverized anew until
all has passed through. This precaution is very important, since the parts which resist the action
of the pestle the most have often a composition different from those which are easily broken.
When the products to be analyzed contain organic materials, such as horn, flesh, dry blood,
etc., the pulverization is often a long and difficult process, and results in a certain degree of
heating which drives off some of the moisture in such a way that the pulverized product is at the
last drier, and, consequently, richer than the primitive sample. It is important to take account of
this desiccation, and since the pulverization of a mass so voluminous can not be made without
loss, the determination of the total weight of the sample before and after pulverization does not
give exact results.
In such a case it is indispensable to determine the moisture, both before and after
pulverizing, and to calculate the analytical results obtained upon the pulverized sample back to
the original sample.
In order to escape this necessity, as well as the difficulties resulting from the variations in
moisture during transportation, some chemists have thought it better to always dry the
commercial products before submitting them to analysis, and to report their results in the dry
state, accompanied by a determination of the moisture, leaving thus to the one interested the
labor of calculating the richness in the normal state, that is to say, in the real state in which the
merchandise was delivered.
In addition to the fact that this method allows numerous chances of errors, many substances
undergoing important changes in their composition by drying alone, it has been productive of the
most serious consequences. The sellers have placed their wares on the market with the
analysis of the material in a dry state, and a great number of purchasers have not perceived the
fraud concealed under this expression so innocent in appearance. It is thus that there has been
met with in the markets guano containing twenty-five per cent of water, which was guaranteed to
contain twelve per cent of phosphoric acid, when, in reality, it contained only eight per cent in
the moist state.
11. Barn-Yard Manures.—The sampling of stall and barnyard manures is more difficult on
account of the fact that the materials are not homogeneous and that they are usually mixed with
straw and other débris from the feed trough, and only the greatest care and patience will enable
the operator to secure a fair sample.
In the case of liquid manures the liquid should be thoroughly stirred before the sample is
taken.
Frear points out the difficulty of securing representative samples of stall manure and
describes methods of removing it.[5] The stall manure sampled had been piled in the cattle-yard
for a time and the cattle were allowed to run over the heaps for an hour or two each day. Pigs
were also allowed free access to the heaps in order to insure a more perfect mixture of the
ingredients.
Twenty-nine loads of 3,000 pounds each were taken from the exposed heap and thirty-four
loads of 2,000 pounds each were taken from the covered heap. From each load were removed
two carefully selected portions of ten pounds each, which were placed in separate covered
boxes numbered A and B. When the sampling was completed these boxes were covered. After
being removed to the laboratory the boxes were weighed and the contents thoroughly mixed.
Two samples of twelve liters volume each, were drawn from each box. One-third of this was
chopped in a large meat chopper and the other two-thirds taken into the laboratory without being
cut. These samples, on entering the laboratory, were weighed and dried at a temperature of 60°.
Smaller samples were then drawn from each of these and ground in a drug mill for analysis.
Duplicate samples taken in this way, while they did not give absolutely concordant results,
showed a near approximation. A more careful sampling on the line proposed would, in all
probability, secure absolutely agreeing results in duplicate samples.
12. Preparation of Sample in Laboratory.—The method of preparing mineral fertilizers for
analysis has been given under directions for sampling. Many difficulties attend the proper
preparation of other samples, and the best approved methods of procedure are given below:
According to the directions given by the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists the
sample should be well intermixed, finely ground, and passed through a sieve having circular
perforations one millimeter in diameter.[6] The processes of grinding and sifting should take
place as rapidly as possible so that there may be no gain or loss of moisture during the
operation.
13. Method of the French Agricultural Stations.—The manner of proceeding
recommended by the French stations varies with the fertilizer.[7] If it is not already in the form of
a powder it is necessary to pulverize it as finely as possible by rubbing it up in a mortar. In
certain cases, as with superphosphates, the material should be passed through a sieve having
apertures of one millimeter diameter, all the larger parts being pulverized until they will pass this
sieve.