22 CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR SELECTING SAMPLES FOR ANALYSIS. 



MANURES. 



Four or more Lags are to be selected for sampling. Each bag is to be 

 emptied out separately on a clean floor, worked througli with the spade, 

 and one spadeful taken out and set aside. The four or more spadefuls 

 thus set aside are to be mixed together until a imiform mixture is obtained. 

 Of this mixture one spadeful is to be taken, spread on paper, and still more 

 thoroughly mixed, any lumps which it may contain being broken down vriih 

 the hand. Of this mixture two samples of about a pound each shall be 

 taken by the purchaser or his agent, in the presence of the seller or his 

 agent or two witnesses, and these samples shall be taken as quickly as 

 possible and put into bottles or tin cases to prevent loss of moisture, and 

 having been labelled, shall be sealed by the samplers — one sample to be 

 retained by the association, and the other to be sent to the chemist for 

 analysis. 



FEEDING STUFFS. 



Samples of feeding compounds are to be taken in a similar manner. 



Samples of cake are to be taken by selecting three cakes, breaking each 

 across the middle, and from the broken part breaking a small segment 

 across the entire breadth of the cake. The three pieces thus obtained shall 

 be wrapped up and sealed by the samplers, and sent for analysis as in the 

 case of manures, and three duplicate pieces similarly sealed shall be retained 

 by the association. 



SOILS. 



Dig a little trench about two feet deep, exposing the soil and sub- 

 soil. Cut from tlie side of this trench a perpendicular section of the soil 

 down to the top of the subsoil, and about lour inches wide. Extract it 

 carefully, and do not allow the subsoil to mix with it. A similar section of 

 subsoil immediately below this sample should be taken and preserved 

 separately. Five or six similarly drawn samples sliould be taken from 

 different parts of the field, and kept separate while being sent to the chemist, 

 that he may examine them individually before mixing in the laboratory. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTS. 



Turnips, dr., 20 to 30 carefully selected as fair average bulbs. 



Hay and straw must be sampled from a thin section cut across the whole 

 .stack, and carefully mixed about ; about 20 lbs. weight is required for 

 analysis. 



Grain should be sampled like feeding stuffs. 



WATERS. 



The bottles or jars in which samples of water are sent should be 

 thoroughly cleaned. This is done by first rinsing them with water, then 

 with a little oil of vitriol. After pouring this out the bottle should be 

 rinsed six times with water, filled, corked with a new washed cork, sealed, 

 and sent without delay. (Chemically clean bottles may be sent from the 

 laboratory. ) 



Well water may be collected at any time, but it should be allowed to run 

 for some time before the sample is taken. 



Spring or stream water should be collected when the weather is dry. 



In the analysis of a mineral water it may sometimes be desirable to de- 

 termine the amount of gases held in solution, in which case certain precau- 

 tions must be observed whicli require the presence of the chemist at the 

 spring. 



