COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS AND WOOD 



ASHES 



BY FRED W. MORSE 



This station has not been accustomed to publish the results of 

 the analyses of fertilizers made under the state laws ; but the 

 figures have been returned to the Secretary of the Board of 

 Agriculture when the examination has been completed. Many 

 requests for the results have been received however, from both 

 buyers and sellers and it has therefore been considered necessary 

 to publish them in a bulletin. 



The samples of fertilizers, the analyses of which are reported 

 in the following pages, were received from the Secretary of the 

 Board of Agriculture, together with the names of the brands 

 I'epresented by the different packages. By agreement with the 

 Secretary, a composite sample was prepared of any brand which 

 was represented by two or more packages, instead of making 

 a separate analysis of each sample. 



The station chemist assumes no responsibility for the samples 

 before their arrival at the laboratory, and in no case was he 

 informed of the guaranteed composition of the different brands. 



The divisiou of I'esponsibillty in the matter of collecting and 

 analyzing samples of fertilizers under the present state laws, 

 is liable to produce results which will be unsatisfactory to both 

 buyer and seller. 



It is the opinion of the station chemist that the fertilizer 

 control in this state should be placed in the hands of the experi- 

 ment station, as is done in all of the neighboring states. 



It seems worth while to call the attention of farmers to 

 several brands with fanciful names which contain very low 

 percentages of nitrogen and potash and whose fertilizing con- 

 stituents are mainly the different forms of phosphoric acid. 

 These brands are probably sold for a lower price than the 

 standard kinds. The buyer will without doubt get the worth 

 of his money in such fertilizers ; but their composition is too 

 one-sided for most of our New Hampshire soils. 



