FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 123 



be sure, the availability of the nitrogen in some oT the low grade mater- 

 ials, leather for exam|)Ie, is increased by treatment with sulphuric acid, 

 as in the case of the phosphate rock, but as I said before the great ob- 

 jection to buying the ready mixed IVrlilizer is, that we do not know 

 what materials have been used. The manufacturer may be able to tell, 

 by the appearance of a fertilizer, some of the malerials Ihat have been 

 used but the layman has absolutely no way of knowing. The chemist 

 also, has not been able to tell with any degree of certainty, what ma- 

 terials have been used to furnish the nitrogen in a given fertilizer. 

 Neither has he been able lo throw much light. ui)on the availability of 

 this nitrogen. Within the past few years, however, a method lias been 

 perfected Avhich enables the chemist to tell with a fair degree of ac- 

 curacy what the availability of the nitrogen in any fertilizer will be 

 when it is applied to the soil. This method has already been adoi)ted 

 by the New England states and also by New York and New Jersey. 

 We are just beginning to try the method out in this state and hope to 

 include it in our fertilizer re])ort within the next year or two. 



Many manufacturers and agents Avill tell you that the fertilizer nmst 

 be machine mixed; that it is impossible to get a perfect mixture by the 

 use of the shovel. Of course it cannot be denied that the mixing ma- 

 chine will do a better job of mixing that the farmer will do with a 

 shovel. But the process of mixing these materials together does not add 

 one penny's worth to the value of the fertilizer as plant-food. They 

 could just as well be put onto the soil separate and do just as much good 

 as they will after being mixed together by exj)ensive machinery. I be- 

 lieve that absolutely. Of course when these materials are mixed to- 

 gether and ])ut u]) in convenient sized bags they are more easily and 

 cheaply handled than the separate ingredients would be. The ])lant- 

 food, however, would not be more available. 



If the manufacturers would ])lainly state upon the package what nm- 

 terials were used in its manufacture then tlu; user would have some 

 basis upon which to judge of its adaptability to this conditions. I 

 do not believe it is asking too much of the manufacturer for a statement 

 of the materials used in compounding their fertilizer. Why not know 

 what you buy in commercial fertilizers as in the other commodities? 

 It is not too much to ask of the manufacturer and certainly it would 

 benefit those manufacturers who are doing a legitimate business. 



A Member — What is the filler composed of — anything they want to 

 put in? 



Prof, Patten — A great many are using muck as a filler; some use coal 

 ashes — any inert material. Dried i)eat is a very satisfactory filler and 

 providing, the manufacturer does not figure the amount of nitrogen 

 Avhich ])eat contains in the total nitrogen guaranteed there is no objec- 

 tion to its use. Peat makes an excellent filler, where filler is needed, be- 

 cause it improves the mechanical condition of the fertilizer. It takes up 

 any excess of moisture and the fertilizer will be dry and consequently 

 drill better. Personally I would prefer not to buy fertilizer containing 

 filler. I would rather buy a fertilizer made up of a high grade material, 

 one that would not require filler, and I would use a little less of it to the 

 acre. You will find that the i)lant food will figure out cheaper to the 

 pound when you buy high grade fertilizer than when you buy a low 



