257 



are published/- One hundred and twenty-three samples, or 04 per 

 cent of the total number, equal or exceed the mininnnn guarantee 

 claimed by the manufacturer. Only four fail to reach the i>uarantee 

 in all respects, and two were unaccompanied by guarantees. Of 

 the sami)les fallino- below the guarantees in one or more elements, 

 tAventy-three contained a large excess of the other elements over 

 guaraiUee. twenty June an excess of one element, and the same num- 

 ber on]ye<jual the claim made in other re-j)ect^. Two l)!-ands of fer- 

 tilizers are mentioned by name as indicating that comparatively worth- 

 less matt'!-ial< {\\\i\ some buyiT,^ among New Jt-rsey farmers despite 

 the fact that they have been warned in regard to these bi'ands. 



Valve of fertilizer guarantees. — " Guarantees are valuable as a 

 guide in the purchase of fertilizers (1) when they state truly the 

 relatiA'e proportions of the different ingredients in a mixed fertilizer, 

 and (2) Avhen they indicate that a sufHcient amount of actual plant 

 food is present to warrant the selling price." The analyses made in 

 1889 show that the guarantees in many cases do not indicate truly 

 the proportion in which the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash 

 exist in the brands sold, and that the average selling price of the 

 same brands is, in round nimibers, $30 per ton, thus making an aver- 

 age dilference of $10, with a range in individual cases of from $1 

 to $20 per ton. The conditions which make guarantees of most value 

 are therefore not observed by all manufacturers selling in New 

 Jersey. Improvements in the fertilizer trade in these particulars 

 must coujc largely through the influence of the farmers themselves. 

 They nmst know the analyses of the different brands and buy only 

 those articles which fulHll the conditions mentioned. 



Prices of fertilizers. — The Station's valuation of fertilizers is in- 

 tended to represent the retail cost of the fertilizing elements as 

 found in the raw materials before they are mixed. Retail prices 

 at the consumers' depots are also published, and attention is called 

 to the fact that the differences usually existing between these two 

 prices may be due to expenses of mixing and bagging, estimated to 

 average $2.85 per ton; freight rates, which should not exceed $2 per 

 ton throughout the State, commissions, etc. 



To make the trade in fertilizers satisfactory to both buyer and 

 seller, the Station advises that, as far as possible, farmers study the 

 wants of their own soils, and that they club together and buy early 

 in the season, in comparatively lai-ge lots, for cash, and direct from 

 reliable manufacturers. It is exi)lained that because a brand reaches 

 its guarantee in contained plant food, or corresponds closely in esti- 

 mated value to selling price, its superiority to some other brands not 

 reacliing their claims in this respect is not necessarily established. 

 The guarantee should be high enough to warrant the price, and the 

 plant food such as is needed by the soil and crop. As a rule, the 

 fertilizer richest in the needed eh'ments is the cheapest, since the 



