INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 



INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 

 FOR THE SEASON OF 1928 



By H. D. Haskins, Official Chemist, assisted by H. Robert DeRose and 



M. W. Goodwin. 1 



MANUFACTURERS AND BRANDS. 



For the season of 1928, 105 manufacturers and their subsidiaries, importers 

 and dealers have registered in Massachusetts 350 brands of mixed fertilizer 

 and 231 brands of unmixed fertilizing materials. A better picture may be gained 

 of the general nature of these products from the grouping which follows: 



Complete fertilizers 343 



Ammoniated superphosphates 5 



Superphosphates with potash 2 



Ground bone, tankage and dry ground fish 63 



Fertilizer simples, including organic nitrogen compounds 145 



Pulverized manures 20 



Wood ashes 2 



Stone meal 1 



581 



There was the usual relatively small number of registered brands of both 

 complete fertilizers and fertilizer chemicals that were not found by the sampling 

 agents. There are three principal factors which contribute to this condition. 

 According to the state fertilizer act, fertihzer registrations expire December 31 

 of each year. Most firms renew their registrations in late December or early 

 January and in anticipation of demands for certain brands, register some grades 

 that are not actually sold in the state. Small tonnages of certain brands are 

 distributed and these limited supplies may have been sold, delivered and actually 

 used on the land before the arrival of our sampling agents. Many of the fertihzer 

 simples registered are not sold in the unmixed condition, but are used in special 

 or private formulas and therefore are subject to registration. 



The following registered brands were not sampled in 1928: 



^J. W. Kuzmeski assisted in the nitrogen laboratory about six months, and J. B. Zielinski, Jr., 

 n the phosphoric acid laboratory about three months. 



