12'3 Repoet of Farmers' Institutes 



UNDESIRABLE FORMS OF EXPLOITED SO-CALLED PLANT FOOD 



Dr. L. L. Van Slyke 



J^ot even the patent medicine Ijiisiness furnislies a more flourish- 

 ing soil for fakes than does the sale of fertilizers. And one 

 amazing feature is that, even after all the extension work that 

 has been done to put farmers on their guard, and in spite of the 

 ease with which farmers can get reliable information at the cost 

 of a postal card, the woods are still full of " suckers." The past 

 year has furnished unusual opportunities for farmers to get 

 " stung," owing to the scarcity of potash compounds. 



Attention will be called to three classes of fertilizers which are 

 utilized by fakers: (1) Mineral plant-foods, (2) humus ma- 

 terials and (3) specials. 



MINERAL PLANT-FOOD FAKES 



From time to time during the past twenty-five years, there have 

 been promoted various materials as fertilizers which consisted 

 largely or wholly of some form of ground rock, such as granite, 

 feldspar, lava, etc. In this class attention is called to the follow- 

 ing: (1) Stonemeal, (2) mineral fertilizer, (3) new mineral 

 fertilizer. 



Characteristic of the literature advertising these materials is 

 an extravagant claim for wonderful results ; and, in addition, 

 many of the most important fundamental facts relating to plant 

 nutrition are baldly denied and agricultural scientists are given a 

 generally bad reputation for ignorance and unreliability. 



(1) Stonemeal. The worst fake during the past year has been 

 the stonemeal fertilizer, sold by the Stonemeal Fertilizer Co., 

 l^orth Paterson, IST. J. The prices paid vary from $26 to $37 a 

 ton. A few quotations from their literature will reveal their 

 methods. Much is made of the unsupported statement that 

 normal soils produce clean crops, because such soils contain only 

 minerals, while the use of animal matter produces filthy crops, 

 unhealthful for human food. 



The advertising pamphlets issued by the Stonemeal Co. are 

 models of misstatement of facts, hypocritical claims, malicious 



