CONVENTION OF OFFICIAL AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. 507 



of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations on uni- 

 formity in fertilizer laws recommended the adoption of the following 

 as points which should be made uniform in the laws of the several 

 States : 



"(1) All substances containing nitrogen, potash, or phosphoric acid, sold, offered, 

 or exposed for sale for manurial purposes, excepting the dung of domestic animals 

 when sold as such, should be subjected to inspection. 



"(2) Each package of manurial substance as above defined, sold, offered, or 

 exposed for sale, should bear a printed, legible guaranty. 



"(3) The number of net pounds in each package should be stated. 



"(4) Each package should bear the brand, name, or trade-mark and the name 

 and address of the manufacturer. 



"(5) The quantities of manurial ingredients should be expressed in percentages. 



"(6) The guaranteed statements on the packages or forwarded to the inspectors 

 need not be in the form of an affidavit. 



"(7) Sealed samples of fertilizers offered for sale need not be sent by the manu- 

 facturers to the inspectors. 



"(8) In lots of 5 tons or less, samples should be drawn from at least 10 packages, 

 or if less than 10 packages are present, all should be sampled ; in lots of over 5 tons, 

 not less than 20 packages should be sampled. 



" (9) Duplicate samples should be drawn and sealed in the presence of the party 

 or parties in interest, or their representatives, one of the samples to be taken by the 

 collector and the other left with the party whose goods were inspected, subject to 

 the call of the manufacturer. 



"(10) Total nitrogen should be guaranteed in all cases, and nitrogen in the form 

 of nitrates or of ammonium salts should be guaranteed separately, if the manu- 

 facturer desires credit therefor. 



" (11) Total phosphoric acid should be guaranteed in all cases, and soluble, reverted 

 and insoluble separately, if the manufacturer desires credit therefor. 



" (12) Potassium should be guaranteed as potash (potassium oxid) soluble in water. 



"(13) When chlorin is present in fertilizers, manufacturers shall guarantee the 

 maximum percentage thereof. 



" (14) Only statements of the minimum amount of the substances present, except in 

 the case of chlorin, should be made. For example, instead of guaranteeing from 2 

 to 4 per cent of potash, guaranties should read thus: 2 per cent of potash. 



"(15) It should be specified that the methods of the Association of Official Agri 

 cultural Chemists should be used for official work. 



"(16) An imprisonment clause for violation of fertilizer laws should be omitted. 



"(17) Manufacturers should not be obliged to secure bondsmen. 



"(18) Commercial valuations should not be affixed to the published analyses of 

 manurial substances. 



"(19) A definition of the term 'brand' should be inserted wherever a brand tax 

 is assessed. 



" (20) The guaranty" should state the ingredients guaranteed in the following form 

 and order : 



" per cent phosphoric acid soluble in water. 



" per cent phosphoric acid reverted. 



" per cent phosphoric acid insoluble. 



" per cent phosphoric acid total. 



" per cent nitrogen in nitrates. 



" per cent nitrogen as ammonia. 



" per cent nitrogen total. 



" per cent potash soluble in water. 



" per cent chlorin. 



"Ingredients not present should lie omitted from the guaranty, and no other form 

 of statement should be interpolated." 



