3SO VALUATION AND PURCHASE [chap. 



course, be taken with great care; an official sampler 

 can be called in, and this will be the wisest course to 

 follow when the purchaser has any reason to suspect 

 fraud. When the farmer samples himself he must 

 select a certain number of- bags, two for the first ton in 

 the consignment and one more for each other ton up to 

 ten bags, empty the contents of each on to a clean dry 

 floor, work it up and set aside a spadeful from each, 

 either separately or one after the other. These 

 spadefuls must then be thoroughly mixed, all lumps 

 broken down, and 4 to 6 lb. taken out for the sample 

 for analysis. It is never right merely to open the bags 

 and take out a spadeful from the mouth of each ; most 

 fertilisers, especially heavy powders like basic slag, will 

 show considerable differences between top and bottom 

 of a bag which has been in transit for some time. The 

 sample as soon as taken should be put in a clean dry 

 bottle or jar, and either corked or fastened up with a 

 bladder or other waterproof packing ; it must never be 

 allowed to lie about in a package or tin to gain or lose 

 moisture. 



Now that every farmer in the country can so readily 

 and cheaply obtain an analysis of any fertiliser he 

 purchases, for besides the county agricultural analyst 

 most of the large agricultural societies have retained an 

 analyst for the assistance of their members and the 

 agricultural colleges also undertake analyses for the 

 farmers resident within the area they serve, he ought 

 to get analyses made of every purchase of certain 

 classes of fertiliser, if he has any regard to the 

 economical conduct of his business. While it is true 

 that with very {q^n exceptions the manufacturers and 

 vendors of fertilisers are strictly honest and only wish 

 to supply the farmer with the material they have 

 undertaken to sell, still a great number of fertilisers 



