TWELFTH ANNUAL UEPORT 



ON 



COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS, 



Gentlemen : — The expectation expressed in the last annual 

 report C1883) has l)een realized; the cost of agricultural 

 chemicals and of commercial fertilizers has been lower than 

 in the preceding years. Better organizations in the trade, 

 improvements in machinery, progress in the development of 

 resources of manurial substances, and a fair chance for com- 

 l)etition under the control of State laws for the regulation of 

 the trade, are contril)uting to that result. 



The list of compound fertilizers oflered for sale in our 

 markets has ])eep somewhat less than in the previous year. 

 This fact has to be ascribed mainly to the retirement of 

 some New York and Philadelphia manufacturers, who in 

 consequence of business depressions in the Southern States, 

 had temporarily entered our State. 



The consumption has been large and the general charac- 

 ter of the fertilizers sold has been, in the majority of cases, 

 fairly within the stated guaranty of the manufacturers. 

 Some cases have been noticed, Avhere articles had l)een 

 changed l)y careless storing and accidental exposure ; they 

 have been investigated and the supposed injury adjusted to 

 the satisfaction of the parties directly interested. 



Keported attempts of selling fertilizer without comply- 

 ing with the laws of the State have been promptly acted 

 upon by the Secretary of your Board, in whose hands the 

 execution of the laws for the reijulation of the trade in com- 

 mercial fertilizers rests. 



Arrangements have been perfected during the past year, 

 for the introduction of a more uniform mode of analysis of 

 fertilizers throughout the entire country. The rules adopted 



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