1910.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 49 



than (liiriiiii' iho past season, and the collection and analysis 

 of samples reach the highest nnniber ever attained (hiring the 

 history of fertilizer inspection work in Massachusetts. 



(a) Fertilizers licensed. 

 During the year 431 distinct brands of fertilizers and agri- 

 cultural chemicals have been licensed in Massachusetts. Li- 

 censes have been secured during the year by 78 manufacturers, 

 importers and dealers, counting each branch of the x\merican 

 Agricultural Chemical Company as a separate company. Two 

 more licenses were issued and 22 more brands were licensed than 

 for 1008. The brands licensed this year may be classed as 

 follows : — 



Complete fertilizers, ........ 306 



Fertilizers furnishing- potash and phosphoric acid, . . 9 

 Ground bone, tankage and dry ground fish, ... 51 

 Agricultural chemicals and organic compounds furnish- 

 ing nitrogen, .......•• 6-^ 



Total, 



431 



(h) Fertilizers collected. 

 An effort was made during the season to cover a larger terri- 

 tory than heretofore, and to procure, so far as possible, repre- 

 sentatives of every brand of goods sold in the State. As a 

 general rule, fertilizers cannot be found plentifully in the open 

 markets in ]\Iassachusetts until after April 1. Some of the 

 fertilizer is used on early crops by the 15th or 20th of April, 

 and by May 1 considerable of the fertilizer is in the ground. 

 Our collecting season being relatively short, an extra man was 

 delegated to gather samples during that portion of the season 

 when the fertilizer was found most plentiful. The samples 

 were in all cases taken by an authorized agent from the ex- 

 ])eriment station. Mr. James T. Howard, the assistant usually 

 delegated to this work, assisted by Mr. C. W. Gaskill, covered 

 the eastern portion of the State, while Mr. E. C. TTall looked 

 after the collection in the Connecticut Yalley and the central 

 portion of the State. Samples were taken from over 280 

 different agents, and over 110 different towns were visited. 



