196 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



EEPOET OF FERTILIZER CONTROL WORK 



Harrisurg, Pa., December 31, 1910. 

 Hon. N. B. Critchfield, Secretary of Agriculture. 



Dear Sir: — In reviewing tlie work of the Fertilizer Control, I 

 beg to inform you that during the year 1910, fifty-three counties 

 of the State were visited by fourteen commissioned sampling agents, 

 and two thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven samples of com- 

 mercial fertilizer, and substances used for fertilizing purposes, were 

 secured. One thousand one hundred and forty-four of these samples 

 were subjected to separate analysis. The remainder of like samples 

 were, in many instances, composited with the above samples, and the 

 same brands sold in different sections of the State, were represented 

 in the individual analysis. 



This arrangement has enabled the Department to examine the same 

 brand of fertilizer in different sections, without subjecting it to extra 

 expense in re-examination of the brand. 



The effect of this method of handling the work has not only pro- 

 vided for a larger scope under the limited appropriation made for this 

 branch of work by the last session of the legislature, but has pre- 

 vented unscrupulous manufacturers and dealers from offering and 

 selling inferior fertilizers in sections of the State, when they knew 

 that certain of their fertilizers had been sampled in some other 

 section. 



When deficiencies are noted in these composited samples, an in- 

 dividual examination is made of each sample entering into the com- 

 posite, and the deficiency is traced to the particular fertilizer which 

 is below guarantee. 



Your special attention is directed to the fact that this extra ser- 

 vice is performed by Dr. Frear and his corp of assistants without 

 additional expense to the Department. 



^'For the purpose of indicating more specifically to the eye, cases 

 deficient in guarantee, an asterisk has been affixed in the analytical 

 tables where the ingredient has been found less in quantity than the 

 manufacturer guaranteed. Too great emphasis should not be placed 

 upon very slight deficiencies, because very slight imperfections in 

 mixing and slight variations in analysis are practically unavoid- 

 able. The asterisk has been used, therefore, only in cases where 

 the deficiencies amount to 0.3 per cent, or more, except where 

 nitrogen has been guaranteed in amounts not higher than 1.0 per 

 cent, in which case an asterisk has been affixed where the deficiency 

 amounts to 0.1 per cent, or more." 



Where the word "Bone" is present as a part of the brand name 

 of any fertilizer, extra examinations are made to determine, ihe 

 source of the phosphoric acid contained in such fertilizer. There 

 are re])orts on file in this office, showing that certain fertilizers in 

 whole and in part, derive their phosphoric acid from other materials 

 ihan pure animal bone as provided by the act of April 'J.'n 1901). 

 These cases, where the evidence is sufficient to warrant a C()nviction, 



