106 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



own the guano islands from which their supply is derived ; but 

 there is the statement that they are the owners of the Guano 

 Islands I It is not published in ^the Northern papers. I find 

 that statement in Southern papers, and that advertisement cir- 

 culates through a very large part of the Southern press. I 

 merely mention this as a sample of the manner in which they 

 attempt to deceive ignorant farmers. Their claims are such, 

 however, that they deceive the most intelligent farmers, and 

 they have among their recommendations the names of the very 

 first farmers in the country. The first farmers in this State 

 have given their names, in some cases wording their certificates 

 very carefully, in others merely approving what they have 

 bought, but given in such a way that they are used by the 

 vendors, and create very wrong impressions. The only per- 

 fectly safe way for a farmer to do is to give no certificate at 

 all of the practical value of manure. He is no judge, the 

 best farmer in the country is no judge, by one or two experi- 

 ments, of the value of a manure. He knows its value to him- 

 self, upon his own farm ; he knows where he has laid out a 

 dollar he has got back two ; but that is no proof that his neigh- 

 bor, who has a farm of a very different character, will have the 

 same results ; and even if the probabilities are very much in 

 favor of such a result, nevertheless, it is no test of the real 

 value of the manure. The man asks sixty dollars a ton for 

 something which is worth twenty dollars. The farmer applies 

 it, is well satisfied with the results, and he recommends it in 

 such a way that a thousand of the farmers of his State and 

 adjoining States are induced to invest their money in an article 

 which they might buy a great deal cheaper in some other form. 

 That is not right. The great reliance of the dealers in fradu- 

 lent manures, and the honest dealers, also, in good manures, is 

 in the certificates they obtain from distinguishe'd agriculturists. 

 These certificates, as I have said, ought to be given, if at all, 

 with great caution. In the English agricultural papers, and in 

 the circulars of the dealers in fertilizers in England, I have 

 noticed of late very few certificates of that kind. Their certifi- 

 cates are those of well known chemists, and that ought to be 

 the class of certificates depended upon by dealers here. 



I will not trespass further upon your time than to mention 

 this fact. The market for commercial fertilizers is not in New 



