VALUATION OF MANURES. 367- 



It is entitled " An Act to prevent fraud in the sale of commer- 

 cial manures." 



The first section provides that, "Commercial manures sold or 

 kept for sale in this State shall have affixed to every barrel, bag or 

 parcel thereof which may contain fifty pounds or upwards, a printed 

 label, which shall specify the name of the manufacturer or seller, 

 his place of business and the per centajje which it contains of the 

 following constituents, to wit : of soluble phosphoric acid, of in- 

 soluble phosphoric acid, and of ammonia." 



The second section provides that, "Whoever sells or keeps for 

 sale commercial manures not labelled in accordance with the pro- 

 visions of the first section of this act, or who shall affix thereto 

 labels specifying a larger per centage of the constituents mention- 

 ed in said first section, or either of them, than is contained therein, 

 shall be punished by a fine of ten dollars for the first, and twenty 

 dollars for the second and each subsequent oflence ; to be recovered 

 on complaint before any tribunal of competent jurisdiction." 



The third section provides that, " Any purchaser of commercial 

 manures bearing label, as provided for by the first section of this 

 act, and which contains less than the percentage stated in said 

 label, may recover from the seller, in an action for debt, twenty- 

 five cents for every pound of soluble phosphoric acid ; six cents for 

 every pound of insoluble phosphoric acid, and thirty-five cents for 

 every pound of ammonia deficient therein." 



The fourth section provides that, "By the term soluble phos- 

 phoric acid, wherever used in this act, is meant phosphoric acid 

 in any form or combination readily soluble in pure water ; and 

 by the term insoluble phosphoric acid, is meant phosphoric acid in 

 any combination which requires the action of acid upon it to cause 

 the same to become readily soluble in pure water." 



The fifth section exempts from the provisions of the statute porgy 

 chum and any manures "prepared exclusively from fish and sold 

 as such," and also any other commercial manures sold at a price 

 not exceeding one cent per pound. 



I propose now to offer some remarks with intent to show how 

 this law may work good to the farmer ; why it should be enforced 

 and also to state some of the facts and principles which governed 

 in adopting its provisions. 



The aim of the law is three-fold — - 



1st. To introduce into general use the system of selling commer- 

 cial manures by " guarantied analysis " — the method which has 



