CONCENTRATED FERTILIZERS. 143 



State of New York ; and they will certainly demoralize all 

 the honest men we have. 



Mr. Root, of Barre. The discussion so far has related merely 

 to those fertilizers which exist upon most every man's ftirm. 

 No allusion, with one exception, I believe, has been made to 

 what we may strictly call commercial fertilizers. In the able' 

 paper, which was presented yesterday by our worthy Secre- 

 tary, you will remember the exorbitant sum which he stated 

 was annually expended in the purchase of commercial fertil- 

 izers. Allusion has also just been made, in the report to 

 which we have listened, to the expenditure of $200 or $300 a 

 year in the purchase ©f commercial fertilizers. We farmers 

 would like to know a little more about these fertilizers. For 

 one, I make but little or no use of them. We cannot procure 

 ashes enough, and we cannot find means at our own hand to 

 make all the manure that we would like to use. We must 

 have fertilizers ; we cannot leap over a year. Now, if there 

 is anything which is worthy of the confidence of the farmers 

 of Massachusetts and New England, we would like to know 

 what it is ; we would like to know more about it. I would 

 like, with your permission, to hear from a gentleman, a grad- 

 uate of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, who, while 

 under the instruction of Prof. Goessmann, gave a good deal 

 of attention to commercial fertilizers, and since he graduated, 

 two years ago, has given a good deal of practical attention to 

 this matter. I refer to Mr. Bowker. I should be very 

 happy for one to hear from him. 



Mr. Bowker. I did not expect to be called upon, and I 

 will tell you at the start, that I am interested in the manufact- 

 ure and sale of commercial fertilizers. I have started the 

 business, in connection with another gentleman, a classmate 

 of mine, with the intention of selling to the farmers an hon- 

 est article. One member of the Board of Agriculture, a good 

 friend of mine, said to me, a year ago, "If you remain hon- 

 est one year, you will do more than any other man who has 

 gone into the business." Gentlemen, I believe my conscience 

 is clear to-day, and I have been in the business one year. 

 How much longer it may be so, I cannot say, but if my name 

 is not advertised as being in the business, you may conclude 



