New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 25 



It is evidently very generally the purpose of the manufacturers 

 to keep their goods up to the registered standard. In some in- 

 stances the deficiencies in composition constitute a violation of the 

 law, but it is not the purpose of the Director to advise legal ac- 

 tion by the Attorney-General until it is clearly shown that the 

 manufacturers concerned are purposely and persistently trying 

 to sell fertilizers that are poorer than represented. The condi- 

 tions involved, as, for instance, the sampling from a small por- 

 tion of a large output of goods, are such that the application of 

 a penalty for a single deficiency in one ingredient might be very 

 unjust. The rights of both the farmers and the manufacturers 

 will be respected, but there will be no hesitancy in giving prompt 

 attention to an evident attempt at fraud. It should be remem- 

 bered that the figures published in our bulletins constitute more 

 of a menace to the manufacturer who is inclined to dishonesty 

 than does the fear of legal action. 



It was found necessary to call special attention to a fertilizer 

 sold in the state under the name of " Natural Plant Food." This 

 mixture was being sold at a price greatly above the cost of en- 

 tirely similar materials, and the claims made for it were so stated 

 as to seriously mislead farmers. The complaints made by farm- 

 ers who used this fertilizer on hoed crops are justified by the 

 facts discovered. The guarantee was so worded, however, that 

 no ground exists for legal action. 



Dairy investigations. — The data secured by Dr. Van Slyke from 

 a study of the composition and yield of milk during a whole sea- 

 son from fifty herds of cows contain lessons of great importance 

 to the dairyman. 



(1) Aside from furnishing certain useful facts relative to the 

 changes in the composition of milk, the investigation shows that 

 the yield of cheese in June was about forty per cent larger than 

 in August, a result largely due to the insuflScient food supply 

 during the latter month. A careful comparison with a herd that 

 was liberally fed with soiling crops shows that this decrease was 

 mostly unnecessary and certainly unprofitable. 



(2) Further evidence is obtained in proof of the claim that the 

 cheese values of different milks are very closely proportional to 



