50 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



(rt) Fertilizers licensed. 

 Dnring the year, 88 mamifacturers, importers and dealers, 

 including the various branches of the trusts, have secured cer- 

 tificates for the sale of 492 different brands of fertilizer, agri- 

 cultural chemicals and raw ])r()du('ts in the ^fassachusetts 

 markets. Ins])ection fees have l)een paid on 27 more brands 

 than during the previous year. These brands may be classed as 

 follows : — 



Complete fertilizers, ......... 332 



Fertilizers furnishing phosphoric acid and i)otash, .... 10 



Ground bone, tankage and dry ground fish, ..... 53 



Chemicals and organic nitrogen compounds, ..... i)7 



Total, 492 



{h) Fertilizers collected. 



The samples were taken by our regular inspector, Mr. Jas. 

 T. Howard, assisted by Mr. E. C. Hall and Mr. E. L. Winn. 

 An effort has been made in all cases to get representative sam- 

 ples. At least 10 per cent, of the bags found present have been 

 sampled by means of an instrument taking a core the entire 

 length of the bag. In no case has there been less than 10 bags 

 of each brand sampled wherever that number has been found 

 in stock. In case of bulky mixed goods, which might have a 

 tendency to mechanical separation in transit, a sample has been 

 taken from both sides of the bag, so that in case any of the fine 

 heavier chemicals, such as potash salts, had sifted through the 

 more bulky portion, the sample taken would be more representa- 

 tive. 



Whenever ]-)ossible, samples of the same brand have been col- 

 lected in various ])arts of the vState, the object being to samjde 

 as large a proportion of the tonnage shipped into the State as 

 possible. In most cases, where duplicate samples have been 

 drawn, a composite made up of equal weights of the various 

 sam])les served for the analysis. In some instances several 

 analyses have been made of the same brand ; this has been done 

 at the request of large consumers who have bought heavy ship- 

 ments of some special brand. 



