no Journal of Agriculture. [8 Feb., 1907. 



becomes " reverted. The rate at which this change proceeds depends on the 

 composition of the soil to which the fertilizer is applied, the reversion being 

 most rapid in soils containing carbonate of lime. 



A special feature of the Victorian Artificial Manures Acts is the require- 

 ment of a label or tag attached to the bags declaring the guaranteed 

 composition by analysis of any manure sold in the State in quantities 

 exceeding 56 lbs. at one sale. This is provided by section 7 of the principal 

 Act, and, as a further measure of protection to farmers, it is made com- 

 pulsory, under section 5, for vendors to deliver to all purchasers of 

 manures, an invoice certificate declaring the guaranteed analysis of the 

 manure sold. No farmer in Victoria should take delivery of manure 

 unless the above conditions of sale are complied with. Substantial assist- 

 ance would be rendered in the enforcement of the Act if farmers would 

 immediately report anv irregularity observed in the sale of manures to 

 the Chemist for Agriculture. Additional control of the sale of manures 

 has been provided by the amended Act, loth October, 1905. Under 

 section 4, sub-section (i). officers of the chemist's branch may collect 

 samples of manures at railway stations and farms throughout the State. 

 The results of the analysis as to the percentage of fertilizing constituents 

 found in a manure, and the percentage claimed by the guarantee on tag 

 and invoice certificate are published side bv side along with the calculated 

 value. These analyses are published in the Government Gazette and in 

 the Journal of the Department of Agriculture from time to time, and 

 should be read by all users of manures. During the past season — 

 (Februarv, 1906, to January, 1907): — 163 samples of fertilizers were 

 collected and the analyses published. It is quite noteworthy that almost 

 without exception the whole of the samples in this large collection of 

 manures were well up to guarantee, and in many instances were in excess 

 of the percentages of fertilizing constituents guaranteed. This may be 

 legarded as a proof of the honest endeavour of manure vendors in this 

 State to comply, in a straightforward manner, with the requirements of 

 the Artificial Manures Acts. 



It is necessary, in order to carry out the Act, for the chemist to 

 occasionally require purchasers of manures to forward copies of the invoice 

 certificates supplied to them for his inspection. It has fre(]uently been 

 found that purchasers do not retain the invoice certificates in their posses- 

 sion. Every purchaser of manure is required by section 24 of the Act 

 to keep any invoice certificate supplied by the vendor of manure for 

 failure to produce the invoice certificate when required to do so by the 

 Chemist for Agriculture, renders purchasers of manures liable to a penaltv 

 not exceeding £\ for the first offence, and not exceeding £^ for any subse- 

 quent offence. An amusing instance of want of knowledge on the part 

 of a farmer of the protective objects of the Manures Acts arose during the 

 past season. A farmer, who was asked to forward the invoice certificate 

 supplied to him in connexion with the sale of a parcel of manure, wrote 

 back:— -"I am not long out from the mother countrv, and what the 

 Artificial Manures Act is I have no idea. It is hard enough to buy 

 manure without being threatened with a fine. M-,- little experience of 

 1 arming in this State has been anything but pleasing, and some of the.se 

 odd days I will set forth my experiences as a warning to intending emicrrants." 

 The protection afforded by the Artificial Manures Acts is now thoroughly 

 appreciated by Victorian agriculturists, and instances such as the above 

 are extreme exceptions. 



