6(j STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE 



1. Fertilizers. — One of the most important duties of this department 

 is the collecting and analyzing the commercial fertilizers offered for sale 

 in this State, and giving to the public this information in the form of an 

 annual bulletin. For the current year seventy-five samples of such com- 

 mercial fertilizers have been collected in the opeh market and the manu- 

 script for the bulletin is ready for the printer and will soon be issued. 



Two samples of wood ashes and one each of lime, nitrate of soda, 

 sulphate of potash and bone black, designed for manurial purposes, have 

 been analyzed. 



2. Food Stuffs. — Ten samples of wheat, seven of ensilage, two of oil- 

 meal, two of buckwheat bran, one sample each of corn bran, oat bran and 

 sugar beet pulp, have been analyzed. A sample of so called Acme Stock 

 Food, and one of Pratt's Stock Food, have been analyzed. A specimen of 

 "Lactobutu," ''will sweeten old rancid butter and increase the quantity 

 one-third/' was obtained from the Lacto Butter Co. of Chicago, by the 

 payment of |5.00. This also was analyzed. The great claims of Acme 

 Stock Food as a fodder greatly exceeding in food value oilmeal and other 

 concentrated foods, and the extraordinary claim of Lactobutu to renovate 

 rancid butter and change ten pounds of rancid butter and five pounds of 

 milk into fifteen pounds of good butter as "the milk will all turn butter" 

 — the statements in both cases being of so astounding a nature that it was 

 considered desirable that both these substances should be analyzed and 

 the results given to the public. This was done and a press bulletin pre- 

 pared setting forth the composition of these substances and exposing their 

 pretensions. It is expected that this press bulletin will be issued soon. 



3. Sugar Beet Industry. — In further efforts to i^romote the beet sugar 

 industry in Michigan one hundred seventy samples of sugar beets were 

 analyzed, to show beyond cavil the fitness of our soil and climate to pro- 

 duce beets rich in sugar and well fitted for making sugar in the factory. 



In the same connection a number of samples of water were analyzed to 

 determine their fitness for use in a sugar factory. 



The class of young men twenty-three in number, who took a course of 

 instruction both theoretical and practical in the chemistry and technology 

 of the beet sugar industry under Prof. Wolff, may be mentioned as show- 

 ing the trend of certain lines of work in the Chemical Laboratory. 



4. Miscellaneous. — Various kinds of work are carried on here not easy 

 of classification. Four samples of honey were analyzed and several 

 samples of water to determine their fitness for culinary use. Questions 

 of this kind seem to naturally gravitate to the Chemical Laboratory. 



Most of the analytical work has passed through the hands of "L. S. Mun- 

 son, B. S., the efficient assistant in the Chemical Department. 



The systematic meteorological observations and records begun here in 

 1863 are still carried on and the records given to the public year by year. 

 These become more valuable with everv added vear. 



Eespectfully submitted, 

 E. C. KEDZIE, 



Chemist Experiment Station. 

 FEANK S. KEDZIE, 



Adjunct Professor of Chemistry. 

 Agricultural College, Mich., 

 June 30, 1899. 



