BEPOPvT 



The demand for Commercial Fertilizers has been, as usual, 

 quite active during the past year. About the same number 

 of manufacturers as in the preceding year (33 to 34) , have 

 sent their goods into our market. Some dealers from more 

 remote localities have not renewed their licenses on account 

 of changes in the charges of freight ; new parties have taken 

 their places. 



The general character of the articles offered for sale has 

 been, on the whole, fairly within the guaranty stated. 



The cost of the different brands of fertilizer has varied 

 but little from that of the previous year, whenever the com- 

 position has been the same. The lower cost of nitrogen in 

 form of ammoniates and nitrates, as compared with that of 

 the preceding jear, has been more than equalized by the 

 hiofher valuation of nitrogen in first-class organic nitrogen- 

 ous matter. 



Judging from present indications, no material changes can 

 be expected in the cost of fertilizers at the opening of the 

 coming season. 



A few subsequent pages contain a tabulated statement of 

 the market prices of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash 

 in their various commercial forms, which have been adopted 

 during the past year (1887), in the commercial valuation of 

 compound fertilizers collected within the State, as prescribed 

 by our laws for the regulation of the trade in fertilizers, and 

 described farther on in this report. 



Some explanations concerning the rules which guide agri- 

 cultural chemists in the valuation of compound commer- 



