INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 3 



Samples of the following brands were not drawn as they were not found on 

 display by our samphng agents. 



Brands of Fertilizer Registered but Not Sampled. 



Drawing of Samples. 



Between April 1 and June 15, three samphng agents made a thorough canvass 

 of the state : James T. Howard in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin and Berkshire 

 Counties; G. E. Taylor in Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes 

 Coimties; and C. L. Whiting in Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Worcester Counties. 

 They visited 209 towns, took 1,967 samples, representing 470 brands, from stock 

 in the possession of 598 agents or owners, and called upon 335 agents where no 

 samples were drawn because the agency had been discontinued, the stock was all 

 sold out, or sufficient samples had already been taken of the brands found. They 

 sampled 21,114 sacks, representing 12,305 tons of fertilizer. One ton was sampled 

 to every five and one-seventh tons sold in the state. 



COMPARATIVE COST OF FERTILIZER CHEMICALS AND UNMIXED 

 FERTILIZER PRODUCTS. 



Both ammonium sulfate and sodium nitrate have shown a small but consistent 

 decline in price during the year. Calcium nitrate declined $1.87 per ton in Jan- 

 uary 1935 and since that date has showTi a further dechne of 38 cents per ton. 

 Potassium nitrate has been selling at a steady price, but $3.15 per ton lower than 

 for 1934. This is consistent with the dechne in price of nearly all potash fertilizers. 

 Most of the organic ammoniates have shown an advance in price during the year 

 as compared with the six months' average for 1934; the September 1935 quo- 

 tations for these products, however, show a consistent dechne in price as compared 

 with the six months' average ending March 1, 1935. 



Superphosphate showed a small increase in cost for the six months' average 

 as compared with the average price for the corresponding period in 1934; a decline 

 of 25 cents per ton is noted, however, in the quotations for September 1935. 



The dechne in the price of potash salts noted in the fall of 1934 has held through 

 the season of 1935. 



The results of this brief review of the market would not indicate justification 

 for an advance in the price of mixed fertihzers for 1936. 



The following table gives average quotations taken from the Oil, Paint and 

 Drug Reporter. 



