14 
“ VELTHA.” 
‘‘Veltha,” another fungicide, contains— 
Per cent. 
Spa he veYehterhi ooo ee seen oases mors donee tee SbonSoctodoSona: sopsaobossoc 35 
Sulphate of iron (green vitriol or copperas) ......--.----------00-0-05 65 
This latter compound of course has some value as a fungicide, but 
the 35 per cent of sand and carbon only add weight. 
“FIBRO FERRO FEEDER.” 
This is another substance said to be both a fungicide and a plant 
food. An analysis made by the Maryland Agricultural Experiment 
Station (The Analysis of Commercial Fertilizers, 1893) shows that it 
has neither nitrogen, potash, nor phosphoric acid; so of course it is of 
no value as a plant food. An analysis made in this laboratory shows 
that it consists of quite a large amount of organic matter, chloride of 
iron, and sulphate of iron (green vitriol) which has been partly dehy- 
drated and partly oxidized to ferric sulphate. Although the green 
vitriol is of some value as a fungicide and the chloride of iron may 
be of use in certain cases of plant diseases, the same amount of these 
two ingredients as are in the Fibro Ferro Feeder could be bought for 
much less, and unmixed with worthless matter. 
DESIRABILITY OF ASCERTAINING COMPOSITION AND VALUE OF 
COMPOUNDS BEFORE PURCHASING. 
In view of the fact that so many of the above insecticides and fun- 
gicides are either fraudulent or extremely expensive, considering the 
value of the ingredients employed, it would be well for the public to 
be very sure of the composition and value of any such compound before 
purchasing. In many cases this can be done by consulting bulletins 
from the local experiment stations dealing with this subject. In some 
States the data published concerning the composition of insecticides and 
fungicides is extremely meager or entirely lacking. It is to supply 
this want that the Bureau of Chemistry has issued this bulletin, which 
is somewhat of a preliminary report to a bulletin more technical in 
character, which is in course of preparation, giving the exact chemical 
composition of many of these substances, bought on the open market 
in nearly every State of the Union. 
The Bureau of Chemistry will make analyses of samples of insecti- 
cides and fungicides purchased by farmers and others using such 
bodies, if instructions for securing and forwarding these samples are 
obtained from this Bureau. 
