1893.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 253 



in case of goods for which we have wholesale quotations. 

 The valuations obtained by use of the above figures will be 

 found to agree fairly with the retail price at the large mar- 

 kets of standard raw materials, such as : — 



Sulphate of ammonia, Dry ground fish, 



Nitrate of soda, Azotin, 



Muriate of potash, Ammonite, 



Sulphate of potash, Castor pomace, 



Dried blood. Bone and tankage. 



Dried ground meat. Plain superphosphates. 



A large percentage of commercial materials consists of 

 refuse matter from various industries. The composition of 

 these substances depends on the mode of manufacture car- 

 ried on. The rapid progress in our manufacturing industries 

 is liable to affect at any time, more or less seriously, the 

 composition of the refuse. To assist the farming community 

 in a clear and intelligent appreciation of the various sub- 

 stances sold for manurial purposes, a frequent examination 

 into the temporary characters of agricultural chemicals and 

 refuse materials offered in our markets for manurial pur- 

 poses is constantly carried on at the laboratory of the station. 



Consumers of commercial manurial substances do well to 

 buy, whenever practicable, on guarantee of composition with 

 reference to their essential constituents, and to see to it that 

 the bill of sale recognizes that point of the bargain. Any 

 mistake or misunderstanding in the transaction may be read- 

 ily adjusted, in that case, between the contending parties. 

 The responsibility of the dealer ends with furnishing an 

 article corresponding in its composition with the lowest 

 stated quantity of each specified essential constituent. 



Our present laws for the regulation of the trade in com- 

 mercial fertilizers include not only the various brands of 

 compound fertilizers, but also all materials, single or com- 

 pound, without reference to source, used for manurial pur- 

 poses when offered for sale in our market at ten dollars or 

 more per ton. Copies of our present laws for the regula- 

 tion of the trade in commercial fertilizers may be had by all 

 interested, on application, at the Massachusetts State Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, Amherst, Mass. 



