FERTILIZER ANALYSES 



Bulletin No. 283 



ANDRE^Y J. PATTEN^ C. F. BARNUM^ E. F. BERGER^ 

 A. L. LEWIS^ M. L. GRETTENBBRGER. 



The inspection and analysis of commercial fertilizers, sold, offered or 

 exposed for sale in Michigan, is made under authority of an act of the 

 Legislature approved March 10th, 1885, and as amended during the ses- 

 sion of 1913. The full text of the law will be sent to any person upon re- 

 quest. 



LICENSED BRANDS, 



During the year 1918, thirty manufacturers and fertilizer companies 

 licensed 323 brand for sale in the State. Attention is called to the fact 

 that the fertilizer law covers only tliose materials which are sold, offered 

 or exposed for sale within the State, the retail price of which is flO.OO or 

 more per ton. Manufacturers residing outside the State may ship direct 

 to the consumer without paying the license fee, but the party making the 

 purchase receives no protection under tlie law. If the sale of fertilizer to 

 be shipped direct to the consumer is made b}- an agent or representative 

 of the manufacturer while in the State, the act is considered as one of 

 actually offering the material itself for sale, and the fertilizer then be- 

 comes subject to the recpiirements of the law just as surely as though the 

 fertilizer were actually brought into the State and then sold. Conse- 

 quently, an agent of a fertilizer company is technically violating the law 

 when he solicits or accepts orders for any unlicensed fertilizer, while in 

 the State. 



COLLECTION OF SAairLES 



The collection of samples was made during tlie spring and fall sliipping 

 seasons by inspectors appointed by the State ]^t)ard of Agriculture. 



All sections of the State in which fertilizers are used to any extent, were 

 visited and 863 samples were secured from stocks being oft'ered for sale by 

 dealers. For this purpose a specially constructed tube is used which 

 permits of securing a core from the entire length of the bag. An official 

 sample consists of the cores taken from not less than five separate sacks of 

 the same brand. The five or more separate cores are mixed together, 

 placed in a stout sack, tied, sealed and forwarded to the laboratory for 

 analysis. 



Much of the fertilizer used in the State is taken directly from the cars 

 by the consumers and it is never possible for the inspectors to secure 

 samples of all the brands registered. It sometimes happens that a manu- 

 facturer fails, for some reason or otlier, to sell any of a particular brand 

 or the sales may be very light and in the latter case it is only by chance 

 that a sample is found. 



During the past year, forty-four registered brands were not found in 

 the State. In several cases it is known that no shipments were made. 



