New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 651 



form of so-called complete fertilizers, that is, mixtures containing 

 compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. As we shall 

 point out later these vary greatly in composition, price and the cost 

 of plant-food. 



It is the principal object of this bulletin to call attention to such 

 differences in cost of plant-foods as we have actually found to exist in 

 the case of various commercial fertilizers sold in this State during 1914. 

 There are certain important facts which should be made known to 

 purchasers of commercial fertilizers in order that in the future they 

 may buy their needed plant-foods more economically than they have 

 been doing. 



In addition to the subject of cost of plant-foods, we shall discuss 

 the composition of commercial fertilizers, the relation of guaranteed to 

 actual composition, and some points in relation to the present laws 

 governing the sale of fertilizers. 



The analyses of fertilizers contained in Bulletin No. 390 of this 

 Station are used as the basis of our discussion. Through the cour- 

 tesy of the Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. Calvin J. Huson, it 

 was possible to obtain retail prices paid by farmers for fertilizers. 



The following outline statement gives a classification of fertilizers, 



the analyses of which are contained in Bulletin No. 390. 



Number of 

 samples 

 Kind of fertilizer or material. analyzed. 



Complete fertilizers 614 



Mixtures of acid phosphate and potash salts 117 



Acid phosphate 57 



Sodium nitrate 39 



Bone materials 34 



Potassium chloride (muriate of potash) 27 



Lime compounds 25 



Tankage 20 



Dried blood 14 



Kainit 11 



Sheep manure, dried 9 



Potassium sulphate 5 



Basic slag 5 



Mixtures of bone and potash salts 4 



Mixtures of compounds of calcium (lime), phosphorus and potas- 

 sium 4 



Wood-ashes 4 



Rock-phosphate 



Ground fish 3 



Dissolved bone 1 



Ammonium sulphate 1 



Miscellaneous mixtures 6 



Total 1,004 



