174 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



registration, a hearing has been arranged with the deakr ex- 

 posing the goods and an explanation asked for; in all, seventy 

 hearings have been arranged. 



In general the relations between the Bureau of Inspections 

 and the feeding stuffs dealers have been pleasant, and a feel- 

 ing of fairness and cooperation has been clearly demonstrated 

 •by the feeding stuff's manufacturers who are shipping their 

 products into this state. 



Two hundred and two official feeding stuffs samples were 

 drawn by the inspectors during the year and the results of 

 the analyses — together with the analyses of those samples sub- 

 mitted by dealers — may t>e found in Official Inspections No. 

 60. 



Fertilizer Inspection. 



The work of the bureau in this connection is, in many ways, 

 quite similar to that of the feeding stuffs inspection; it re- 

 quires the enforcement of the law providing for the registra- 

 tion of all brands of fertilizers offered for sale in Maine, and 

 the filing of manufacturer's certificates at this office before 

 sales can be legalized. As stated above, the work of fertilizer 

 inspection was carried on in the early spring months and was 

 accompHshed by inspectors instructed to draw samples fairly 

 representing the goods as sold in the open market; in any in- 

 stance where the lot was of sufficient amount, such samples 

 were taken from ten bags and thoroughly mixed. 



On the whole, the fertilizer manufacturers and agents have 

 shown a willingness' to comply with the law and to protect the 

 dealers handling their products in this state by the necessary 

 registration ; their attitude, in nearly all cases, has been very 

 fair and businesslike. 



The total number of samples collected and analyzed was 

 five hundred and sixty-six; of this number, eighteen brands 

 were not protected by registration and hearings were arranged 

 'with the dealers \\ath whom the goods were found. Upon 

 investigation, it was in most cases proven that the goods had 

 been shipped direct from the manufacturer to the consumer 

 and used for experimental purposes; such goods — in accord- 

 ajice with the interpretation of the law — require no regis- 

 tration. In other instances it was found that the goods were 



