104 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Pabt II. — Report on General Work in the 

 Chemical Laboratory. 



CHARLES A. GOESSMANN. 



1. Analysis of materials sent on for examination. 



2. Notes on wood ashes. 



1. Analysis of Materials sent on for Examination. 



During the season of 1901, 217 samples of fertilizing 

 materials of various description have been received from 

 farmers within our State. The results of our examination 

 of these substances have been published in three bulletins : 

 No. 74, March ; No. 75, July ; and No. 77, November, 1901, 

 of the Hatch Experiment Station of the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College. 



Next in importance to the analysis of licensed commercial 

 fertilizers for inspection purposes is the examination of waste 

 and by-products from different manufacturing industries. It 

 has been the aim of the chemical division to encourao^e the 

 use of different refuse and by-products for manurial purposes 

 wherever the chemical analysis of such material proves them 

 to be of sufBcient value to merit their use. 



The value of our work in this direction may be seen from 

 year to year by the increased number of all kinds of waste 

 products that are being forwarded to this department for 

 investigation. The increased consumption of this class of 

 materials for manurial purposes cannot but exert an import- 

 ant influence in favor of the agriculturalist on the consump- 

 tion of commercial fertilizers. The examination of general 

 fertilizing material is carried on free of charge to the farmers 

 in the State, the material being taken up for analysis in the 

 order of arrival of samples at this office. 



