390 Report OF THE INSPECTION WORK OF THE 
age amount of available phosphoric acid found by the Station 
analysis exceeded the average guaranteed amount by 0.83 per ct., 
the guaranteed average being 7.67 per ct. and the average found 
being 8.50 per ct. 
In 330 brands of complete fertilizers, the amount of available 
phosphoric acid found was equal to or above the amount guar- 
anteed, the excess varying from 0.91 to 4.04 per ct., and averaging 
1.04 per ct. 
In 47 brands the available phosphoric acid was below the guar- 
anteed amount, the deficiency varying from 0.02 to 11.94 per 
ct. and averaging 0.85 per ct. In 25 cases the deficiency was 
below 0.5 per ct. 
The amount of water-soluble phosphoric acid varied from 0 to 
11.08 per ct. and averaged 5.40 per ct. 
(4) Potash. The complete fertilizers contained potash varying 
in amount from 0.03 to 13.83 per ct. and averaging 4.78 per ct. 
The average amount of potash found by the Station analysis 
exceeded the average guaranteed amount by 0.23 per ct., the 
euaranteed average being 4.55 per ct., and the average found 
being 4.78 per ct. 
In 275 brands of complete fertilizers, the amount of potash 
found was equal to or above the guaranteed amount, the excess 
varying from 0.01 to 2.79 per ct., and averaging 0.55 per ct. 
In 102 brands, the potash was below the guaranteed amount, 
the deficiency varying from 0.01 to 4.10 per ct. and averaging 0.54 
per ct. In 70 of these cases, the deficiency was less than 0.5 
per et. 
In 62 cases among the 877 brands of complete fertilizers the 
potash was contained in the form of sulphate free from an excess 
of chlorides. 
(5) The retail selling price of the complete fertilizers varied 
from $16 to $60 a ton and averaged $26.60. The retail cost of the 
separate ingredients unmixed averaged $19.64, or $6.96 less than 
the selling price. 
INTRODUCTION. 
NUMBER AND KINDS OF FERTILIZERS COLLECTED. 
During the year 1903, the Station’s collecting agents visited 
203 towns between March 24 and August 28, obtaining 948 sam- 
