INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 51 



does not contain at least one half of one per cent of nitrogen, or one half of one 

 per cent of potash soluble in distilled water, or one per cent of phosphoric acid, 

 or five per cent of calcium oxide, or five per cent of magnesium oxide, or which 

 contains its potash, phosphoric acid, calcium or magnesium oxides in forms sub- 

 stantially insoluble by the methods of analysis for commercial fertilizers and 

 agricultural lime products prescribed by the Association of Official Agricultural 

 Chemists of North America, or which does not possess substantial properties as a 

 fertilizer. The director or his authorized deputy may also refuse to issue a cer- 

 tificate for any fertilizer under a name, brand or trade mark which is untrue in 

 any particular, or which, in his opinion, would be misleading or deceptive in any 

 particular, or would tend to mislead or deceive as to the constituents or properties 

 of said fertilizer, and may refuse to issue more than one certificate for any fertilizer 

 under the same name or brand, or to issue a certificate for any fertilizer under a 

 name or brand to the use of which the person seeking it is not lawfully entitled. 

 If a certificate is issued for any fertilizer and it is afterward discovered that the 

 certificate itself, or the granting of it, or the manner of procuring it, was in any 

 respect in violation of any provision of sections two hundred and fifty to two 

 hundred and sixty-one, inclusive, the director or his authorized deputy may 

 cancel the certificate. Whoever sells, offers, or exposes for sale any fertilizer or 

 brand of fertilizer for which no certificate has been issued by the director or his 

 authorized deputy, or the certificate for which has been cancelled, shall be pun- 

 ished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars. 



Annual Analysis. Publication of Reports, etc. Free Analysis. 



Section 257. Each commercial fertilizer and brand of commercial fertilizer 

 sold or offered or exposed for sale shall be subject to analysis by the director or 

 by his duly designated deputy. The said director shall make or cause to be made 

 in each year one or more analyses of each fertilizer and brand of fertilizer sold or 

 offered or exposed for sale in the commonwealth, and shall collect the annual 

 analysis fee provided for by section two hundred and fifty-four; and he, his 

 inspectors and deputies, may enter upon any premises where any commercial 

 fertilizer is sold or offered or exposed for sale to ascertain if sections two hundred 

 and fifty to two hundred and sixty-one, inclusive, are complied with, and to take 

 samples for analysis. The analysis of all fertilizers shall be made by the methods 

 adopted by the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists of North America. 

 The said director may publish or cause to be published in reports, bulletins, 

 special circulars or otherwise, the results obtained by said analyses. Said publi- 

 cations shall also contain such additional information in relation to the character, 

 composition, value and use of the fertilizers analyzed as the director sees fit to 

 include. He may make or cause to be made for any person a free analysis of any 

 commercial fertilizer or brand of commercial fertilizer sold or offered or exposed 

 for sale in the commonwealth, but he shall not be obliged to make such free 

 analysis, or to cause the same to be made, unless the samples therefor are taken 

 and submitted in accordance with the rules and regulations which he prescribes. 

 The results of any analysis made in accordance with the aforesaid sections, except 

 a free analysis as aforesaid, shall be sent by the director to the person named in 

 the printed label of the fertilizer analyzed at least fifteen days before any publi- 

 cation of such results. 



Taking of Samples for Analysis regulated. 



Section 258. Each sample of commercial fertilizer taken for analysis shall 

 be of not less than substantially two pounds in weight, and each sample shall be 

 taken, whenever the circumstances conveniently permit, in the presence of the 



