SOILS FERTILIZERS. 631 



Commercial fertilizers. J. S. Bx'rd [I'tilifornia Sta. Riil. l!^!i, iip. .'/.s?/-i'/.?). — 

 The results of exaniiuation of 226 S!iuii)l(.'S of fertilizers suul fertilizing mtiterials 

 inspectetl under tlie State law during tlie half year ended June 30, 1907, are 

 reportetl in this bulletin. This is the fourth year of fei'tilizer inspection in the 

 State, and It is stated that there is much evidence to show " that these system- 

 atic insi)ectioiis have resulted in materially raising the standard of the fertiliz- 

 ers sold in the State." A comjiarison of the results for three years shows a 

 constant and satisfactory decrease in the percentage of ingredients below the 

 guaranteed composition and also in the percentage of samples below the guaran- 

 teed valuation. 



Report on commercial fertilizers, 1907, E. H. Jenkins and J. P. Street 

 (Connecticut kitatc Sta. Rpt. 1907-8, pt. 1, pp. 120). — Analyses of 652 samples 

 of commercial fertilizers and manurial waste products examined during the 

 year are reported and discussed with reference to variation in composition and 

 commercial value. The fertilizers examined are classified as follows: Contain- 

 ing nitrogen as the chief active ingredient, 220 samples ; phosphoric acid. 11 

 samples: i)otash, 23 samples; containing nitrogen and phosphoric acid, 50 

 samples; mixed fertilizers, 264 samples; and miscellaneous fertilizers and 

 manures, 77 samples. A special feature of this report is a discussion of the 

 classification and quality of cotton-seed meal sold in the State, accompanied by 

 analyses of lit!) samples. The rules regarding classification and sampling of 

 cotton-seed meal adopted by the Interstate Cotton Crushers Association in 1007 

 are given. It is stated that more than 5,000 tons of cotton-seed meal, valued at 

 .$155,(X>0. were used as a fertilizer in Connecticut during the past year. 



Analyses of commercial fertilizers and Paris green, ,T. E. Halligan (Loiii- 

 sidini sidK. HiiJ. 97, pp. 117). — Tliis bulletin gives a summaiy of the results of 

 analyses of 4,161 samples of fertilizers and fertilizing materials and 214 

 samples of I'aris green examined under State law during 1906-7. The fertiliz- 

 ing materials examined include among others 486 samples of acid phosphates, 

 206 samples of bone meal. 206 samples of tankage, and S64 samples of cotton- 

 seed meal. 



Of the complete fertilizers examined none fell below the guaranty in all three 

 f)f the essential elements. In the larger number of instances the deficiencies 

 were in the nitrogen content, but when the nitrogen was below the guarantj^ 

 there was generally an excess of phosphoric acid present. The deficiencies are 

 .'ittributed in i)art to poor mixing of materials. 



Of the S64 samples of cotton-seed meal examined 230 fell below their guaran- 

 ties. Only ;i small proportion of the acid phosphates fell below guaranty. Of 

 the 2(K; samples of bone meal 179 met their guaranties in phosphoric acid and 

 nitrogen. 23 fell below in phosphoric acid, and 4 in nitrogen. Out of the 206 

 sanijiles of tankage analyzed IS samples fell below guaranty in nitrogen and 

 I)hosphoric acid, 92 in nitrogen only, and S in phosi)horic acid only. 



Of the 214 samples of Paris green examined all ran above the guai'anty of ."lO 

 r»er cent arsenious oxid required by law. 



Fertilizer inspection, C. I). Woods and .1. M. Rajitlett (Maine ^ta. But. I'ld. 

 pp. .iO.i-i.l'i ) . — This bulletin rejjoi'ts analyses of sami)les collected by the station 

 of about 200 brands of fertilizers licensed in 1!X)7. 



The results show "an increasing tendency to fail to maintain the goods up to 

 their nunimum guaranty. For the most part these are slight and generally in 

 only one constituent. It also usually haiM»ens that the other constituents are in 

 sufficient excess to jireclude any idea of intention on the i)art of the manufac- 

 fiiror not fu live up to the guaranty. I'sually the frouble is due to incomplete 

 mixing."' 



