THE FERTILIZER INSPECTION FOR 1915. 



The samples of fertilizer for the 1915 inspection were 

 collected by Mr. A. G. Weeks for the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, Andrew L. Felker. One hundred and fifty- 

 eight samples were taken and analyzed. This is the small- 

 est number of brands sampled for a number of years. This 

 condition is due to the potash situation which caused a 

 curtailment in the number of brands manufactured. 



The amount of potash in many of the brands has been 

 reduced, but for the most part the guaranteed amounts 

 have been found or closely approximated. 



The potash situation does not promise any improvement 

 for another year. Unless shipments can be resumed very 

 shortly, practically no potash can be supplied in next 

 year's goods. The owners of hill lands in Nev/ Hampshire 

 are particularly fortunate at this time because the potash 

 is the least necessary of the fertilizer constituents. 



It might be well to point out here that two brands of 

 fertilizers have been sampled and analyzed this year which 

 do not fall into any class with the other brands. The 

 "New Mineral Plant Food," widely advertised, is not a 

 fertilizer in the commonly accepted sense of the w^ord. It 

 is a ground rock product containing very limited amounts 

 of fertilizer constituents, all of which are practically in- 

 soluble. "Prepared Humus" is another product w^hich 

 sells at a relatively high price and contains relatively small 

 amounts of soluble fertilizer constituents. This product 

 appears to be little more than peat which has been dried 

 and ground. 



The analytical work in this report has been prepared 

 with the assistance of ^Messrs. 'M. J. Broggini, A. J. Grant, 

 J. Barnardi, E. N. Sanders, P. S. Willand and C. B. 

 Tibbitts. 



