INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 

 AND AGRICULTURAL LIME PRODUCTS 

 FOR THE SEASON OF 1941 * 



By Fertilizer Control Service Staff: 



Philip H. Smith, Official Chemist, in Charge James T. Howard, Inspector 



John W. Kuzmeski, Senior Chemist Comfort L. Whiting, Inspector 



H. Robert DeRose, Assistant Chemist Louis A. Graves, Inspector 



Albert F. Spelman, Assistant Chemist Joseph A. Martell, Laboratory Assistant 



Leo V. Crowley, Junior Chemist George E. Taylor, Laboratory Assistant 



Richard H. Jaquith, Junior Chemist Cora B. Grover, Senior Clerk 



CONTENTS 



. Page 



Pertinent facts relating to Massachusetts fertilizer law 3 



Manufacturers and brands 4 



Fertilizer tonnage g 



Mixed fertilizers: 



Deficiency statistics g 



Average variation table 9 



Mixtures showing a commercial shortage of $1 or more per ton 12 



Mixtures substantially complying with guarantees 15 



Chemicals and raw products: 



Summary of results of the inspection 38 



Nitrogen compounds 3g 



Phosphoric acid compounds 42 



Products supplying nitrogen and phosphoric acid 42 



Potash compounds 44 



Pulverized animal manures 45 



Miscellaneous 4g 



Agricultural lime products: 



Manufacturers and brands 4g 



Variations and deficiencies 49 



Hydrated or slaked lime 50 



Pulverized limestone (fine-ground limestone) 52 



Ground limestone (coarse-ground limestone) 53 



Gypsum or land plaster 54 



Directory of manufacturers who registered fertilizers for sale in Massachusetts in 1941 . 54 



INTRODUCTION 



This bulletin presents detailed analytical and statistical data pertaining to the 

 work of the Massachusetts Fertilizer Control Service on mixed and unmixed 

 fertilizers and on liming materials for the season of 1941. 



As in past years, an effort was made to secure a sample of at least one lot of 

 every brand of fertilizer sold in the state. While, for various reasons, it was im- 

 possible to attain this goal entirely, enough brands were sampled to insure a 

 thorough inspection of all but a comparatively few brands which in most instances 

 represent only small tonnages. 



If two or more samples of the same brand were collected, at least two samples 

 were taken for analysis. Whenever the first samples analyzed have shown an 

 appreciable deficiency, one or more other samples of the same brand, if available, 

 have been analyzed. This has been done not only to determine the prevalence of 

 such deficiencies in other lots of the same brand, but also to protect the manu- 

 facturer from unjust criticism and possible condemnation of a particular brand 

 on the strength of one analysis which may conceivably represent the only lot, out 

 of many of that brand, which is deficient. 



Although there are only two samples less than last year in the table of seriously 

 deficient mixed fertilizers, considerable improvement is noted in the number of 

 minor deficiencies. This improvement is reflected somewhat in the table of aver- 

 age variation from guaranteed analysis, which shows five average plant food 

 shortages as compared with nine for 1940. 



