110 HATCH EXPEEIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



of knowledge ; namely, that the brand of fertilizer in ques- 

 tion actually contains the guaranteed quantities and qualities 

 of essential articles of plant food at a reasonable cost, and 

 that it contains them in such form and proportions as will 

 best meet under existing circumstances the special wants of 

 soil and crop. 



In some cases it may be only phosphoric acid or nitrogen 

 or potash ; in others, two of them ; and in others again, all 

 three. A remunerative use of commercial fertilizers can 

 only be secured by attending carefully to these considera- 

 tions. 



To assist farmers in selecting their fertilizers with refer- 

 ence to the wants of the crops they wish to cultivate, the 

 writer has for years published in his annual reports a com- 

 pilation of the analyses of farm and garden crops, to serve 

 as a guide to all interested in a rational mode of manuring 

 plants. Copies of these compilations of analyses may be 

 secured by asking for them at the office of the Hatch Experi- 

 ment Station at Amherst, Mass. 



An economical use of manurial substances from any source 

 is only possible after the local condition of the soil under 

 consideration, as well as the special wants of the crops to be 

 raised, have been duly considered. It becomes the business 

 of every progressive farmer to acquire such information as is 

 called for to select intelligently, from the various manurial 

 resources at his disposal, those materials which will meet 

 best his wants for a complete fertilizer. 



In making choice from among the so-called complete fertil- 

 izers^ two points seem to be in particular worth remembering . 

 First, select them loitJi reference to the amount, the quality and 

 the kind of essential constituents they are guaranteed to con- 

 tain, and not merely with reference to cost per ton ; mere trade 

 names are no guarantee of fitness. High-priced articles, ivhen 

 offered by reputable manufacturers, have pi'oved in many in- 

 stances cheaper than low-priced goods. Second, buy your 

 sup2)lies of reputable dealers, and insist tw all cases on a state- 

 ment of guaranteed composition. 



The majority of manufacturers and dealers in commercial 

 fertilizers in Massachusetts have been for years on record, 

 regarding the character of their goods, in the published re- 



