50 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



(a) FcrtUlzcrs licensed. 

 Diii-iiig the year, 88 manufacturers, importers and dealers, 

 int'hi(lini>' the various branches of the trusts, have secured cer- 

 tificates for the sale of 492 dirt'crent brands of fertilizer, agri- 

 cultural chemicals and raw products in the j\Iassachusetts 

 nuirkets. Ins])ection fees have been paid on 27 more brands 

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

 follows : — 



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



Fertilizers furnishinc: pliosjihoric acid and ]iotash, . . . .10 



Grouiul bone, tankage and dry iiround fish, ..... 5.'? 



Chemicals and organic nitrogen conii)Ounds, ..... 97 



Total, 492 



(h) FcrtUizers collected. 



The samples were taken l)y our regular ins])ector, ]\[r. Jas. 

 T. Howard, assisted by jMr. E. C. Hall and ]\Ir. 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 possible, samples of the same brniid have been col- 

 lected in various parts of the State, the object being to sample 

 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 \^^ of e(]iuil weights of the various 

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

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

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

 ments of some special brand. 



