Tht' AduUemtion of Arfificial Fertilizers. 1007 



PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO FURTHER PROTIXT THE FARMER. 



Under the present Manures Act, prosecution in case of fraud is left to the farmer. 

 The farmer's dread of law, however, has, as far as I know, prevented a single action 

 in a court of justice. The farmers of Victoria have, I believe, to thank Mr. Frank 

 Madden for being the first to consider their interests in the matter of artificial 

 fertilizers. He, I am informed, framed the present Act. Changed conditions, ho\ve\er, 

 suggested to Mr. Pearson the advisajjility of certain amendments, and the .Vmending 

 Bill at present before Parliament under instructions from The Hon John Murray is 

 his work, with the exception of certain additions made by myself, which the farmers 

 have nearly everywhere represented as necessary for their better protection. These 

 additions are : — 



Prosecution, in case of fraud, by the Government. 



The reduction to one-third of the original variation in analysis allowed by the 

 old Act. 



A label on every bag stating the chemical composition of ihe manure. 

 The present Bill, which is modelled largely on .Vmerican legislation, makes it com- 

 pulsory for every manure merchant, importer or manufacturer, to send in to the 

 Agricultural Chemist, early in January of each year, samples of the manures he intends 

 offering, together with the prices asked. The chemist is required to analyse these and 

 draw up unit values. On the basis of the.se unit values all the manures offering are 

 x'alued and the information is officially published tor the information and guidance of 

 intending purchasers. Provision is made to collect samples afterwards in the store 

 and on the farm, with the object of discovering whether the material offered to the 

 farmer corresponds to the article furni.shed the Agricultural Chemist. Should there 

 be at any time a wish on the part of the farmer to confirm the results of the Agricultural 

 Chemist by some independent authority, this can be done through official analysts 

 appointed for the purpose outside the Department 



AN EXPLANATION OF UNIT VALUJ<:S. 



It is very important the farmer should buy on analysis rather than on any 

 particular brand or name of a manure, as there is no guarantee that this brand or naune 

 will not at times vary in quality. If, however, liefore purchase the farmer asks to be 

 shown the analysis of the manure offered him, no mistake can be made. With a 

 knowledge of unit values opinions can be readily formed as to whether a fair price is 

 being asked (jr not. The unit value is the retail price of one per cent, of a particular 

 fertilizing ingredient in a ton of manure as calculated trom the a\erage composition of 

 the manures of that class offering and the prices asked. In the place of one per cent 

 in a ton we can take one pound of the fertilizing ingredient as the unit and determine 

 in the same way its market \alue It is a standard to which all manures of that class 

 can be referred for comparative valuation. The unit \alues are determined by the 

 .Vgricultural Chemist. As the superphosphate is principally used we will deal only 

 with this class of manure. The ingredient of fertilizing value in a superjihosphate is 

 phosphoric acid, and this ingredient exists in three forms— the water soluble, citrate 

 soluble and insoluble. Suppose calculation gave as the a\erage cost on the market of 

 one per cent, of water soluble phosphoric, the figure o/O, this would be regarded as the 

 unit value of water soluble phosphoric acid, and so on for the other forms Following 

 out this system we assigned last year the following unit values: — 

 Phosphoric acid, water soluble, ojii 

 citrate ,, 4/(') 



As the small amount of insoluble in a superphosphate can not be regarded as 

 playing an important part in fertilization, no value need he assigned or at least no 

 appreciable value. The question then for the farmer is to find the approximate com- 

 mercial value of the superphosphate he intends buying, analyzing a stated percentage 

 of these two forms. He does this by taking the number of units of the manurial 

 elements in the two forms it contains and multiplying b\- the market value per unit of 

 such element. 



Suppose there are three different superphosphates offered him by three firms : — 



„, c . 1 ■ 1 1B% Water s(jluble phosphoric acid 



The first analysing \ , ,•,; ^■, , f f 



•^ j 1 % Citrate 



„, J I 10% Water soluble phosplioric acid 



The second ,, o,,//--. .. 



} 2 "/, Citrate 



~, ,,. , ) 15'!^, Water soluble phosphoric acid 



T^^^'^'"^ •• [ lo/, Citrate „ 



