REPORT OF BUREAU OF MARKETING AND SUPPLIES. 1 55 



COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER. 



That the Bureau of Marketing and SuppHes has assisted the 

 farmers in securing their supply of commercial fertilizers has 

 brought out adverse criticism on the part of some of the manu- 

 facturers. This criticism we believe to be uncalled for. If 

 the bureau succeeds in bringing about correct business methods 

 in the purchasing of commercial fertilizer, the manufacturers 

 will profit largely by the change. Under the present methods 

 of December payment the companies lose many bills, and besides, 

 collections are costly in the extreme. If the efforts of the 

 department succeed in bringing about a banking system that will 

 enable the farmers to borrow the cash at a reasonable rate of 

 interest, thereby banishing forever the unfortunate December 

 payment method, the manufacturers will profit to as great an 

 extent as the farmers. The farmers' organization would con- 

 sider it a misfortune if they were obliged to handle all the 

 fertiHzer used in the state. 



The svstem under which commercial fertilizer has been han- 

 died ever since it was used in the state has been wasteful in 

 the extreme. It might be compared with the system of handling 

 milk, groceries and provisions. Dozens of milk wagons, grocery 

 teams, etc., drive all over the city, each furnishing scattered 

 customers and adding to the expense of distribution. In a like 

 manner there are numerous fertiHzer manufacturers, each main- 

 taining a general state agency, and this agency appoints an army 

 of sub-agents in every producing center. In this way there 

 may be numerous manufacturers represented in a section where 

 the total tonnage does not amount to over a thousand tons. 

 In addition to this there are travehng agents scouring the 

 country, paying railroad fares, hotel bills, carriage hire, etc., all 

 adding to the cost which the farmer has to pay. It may be said 

 that these men are entitled to a living, and this we will not 

 dispute, but we owe something to our producers and every pos- 

 sible expense should be eliminated. 



MAINE AN AGRICULTURAL STATE. 



Maine is an agricultural state and the prosperity of the cities 

 and towns depends entirely upon the prosperity of the pro- 

 ducer, and if we would make Maine better and greater we must 



