182 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



tories to see that they are properly mixed. They buy where 

 the goods are offered to them at the lowest prices. 



I will say that at the present time the experiment stations 

 and the agricultural colleges in this country have taken the 

 ground that the farmers are so much better informed than 

 they used to be in regard to fertilizers that the commercial 

 values may be al)olished. We have pointed it out repeat- 

 edly in our bulletins. 



Attention has been called to phosphoric acid. Had the 

 gentleman read the bulletins, he would have known that the 

 stations have taken the position that they could not tell 

 ever^'thing about it ; that they would tell what they could, 

 and wished they could tell more. We cannot tell many 

 things that we would like to. 



I think the gentleman's argument has entirely' dropped 

 out. We want the laws changed as quickly as we can get 

 them changed. They have been of great good in the past, but 

 are outgrown, and now is the time to take a farther step 

 in advance. 



In reply to the questions : — 



1. The question is not explicit. We have two values for 

 everything. One is the commercial value, — the price in the 

 market ; the other is the agricultural value, — what it is 

 worth to the farmer. You cannot say any particular thing 

 has a definite value. It has a value for one man, and for 

 his neighbor it may have twice the value. That is the agri- 

 cultural value, and no one can fix it. The commercial value 

 is the price offered in the market, and I cannot say as to that 

 value, because they are so variable in composition. I do 

 not think any man can answer that directly. It depends 

 upon the food consumed by the animal. 



2. Grinding increases their value. 



3. No, and the experiment stations have repeatedly 

 pointed that out. 



4. The only thing to do is to give a valuation on the 

 supposition that they are composed of proper materials. 

 The farmers cannot be sure of not beinij defrauded unless 

 they have confidence in the manufacturers. If they have 

 not, let them buy the ingredients at the lowest price and mix 



