EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 

 FERTILIZER ANALYSES. 



BY ANDREW J. PATTEN. 



Bulletin No. 248. 



The inspection and analyses of the commercial fertilizers oflfered for 

 sale in Michigan are made under authority of an act of the Legislature, 

 approved March 10, 1885. The full text of the law has been printed 

 in former bulletins, and its salient points alone will be referred to here. 

 It provides that all commercial fertilizers, retailing for more than ten 

 dollars per ton, shall be accompanied by a statement certifying the 

 number of net pounds in the given sack, the brand, name and address 

 of the manufacturer, and a chemical analysis stating the percentages 

 of nitrogen, of potash soluble in water, of available (soluble and re- 

 verted) phosphoric acid, and the insoluble phosphoric acid. (Sec. 1.) 

 It provides that the manufacturer, importer or agent (the latter only 

 in case the manufacturer fails to comply with the law), shall pay an- 

 nually a license fee of twenty dollars for each brand offered for sale. (Sec. 

 3.) It provides that any person offering unguaranteed or over-guaran- 

 teed goods, shall be subject to a fine. (Sec. 6.) The full text will be 

 furnished on application. 



LICENSED BRANDS. 



Twenty-six manufacturers and fertilizer companies have licensed 145 

 distinct brands for sale in the state during the season of 1907. These 

 brands, appearing in the following tables of analyses, and no others can 

 be legally sold. 



Parties manufacturing, importing or purchasing fertilizers for their 

 own use and not for sale are not affected by the restrictions of the 

 law. 



COLLECTION OF SAMPLES. 



The sampling agent of the station, during the mouths of April, May 

 and June drew 193 samples from dealers stock, representing 119 different 

 brands. The failure to get samples of 26 brands is due to the fact 

 that many of them are sold only In the fall, then too, a few companies sell 

 direct to the consumer through the Grange and other organizations 

 and consequently, it is only by chance that samples of these goods are 

 obtained. If persons ordering goods in this way wish to have theni 

 inspected they will protect themselve.s and at the same time confer a 



