The fertiliziug value of this material is practically unknown. The 

 same may be said of another leather refuse, known as " Chemically 

 Prepared Leathei Refuse," referred to in some of my previous 

 reports. The latter consists usually of a coarse powder of a more 

 or less dark brown color. Eight to ten samples, which have thus 

 far been tested at the station, show a variation of from 5.0 to 8.8 

 per cent, of nitrogen. Its use as a constituent of commercial com- 

 plete fertilizer, without stating the fact on the package, — is quite 

 properly considered an imposition on the consumer. 



Whilst it is desirable that all suitable refuse materials from our 

 various industries should be tried by interested parties regarding 

 their mauurial value, it is not less important that the incorporation 

 of any kind of material of an unknown rate of disintegration into 

 compound commercial fertilizers ought to be discouraged. 



The best interests of the farmers as well as of the trade in com- 

 mercial fertilizers are most efficiently promoted by that course of 

 action. To meet the varying perzodicaZ wants of the growing plants 

 necessitates at all times a liberal suppl}* of available plant food of 

 all kinds. To comply economically with that essential requirement, 

 for the successful cultivation of any crop renders it necessary to 

 have at least some approximately correct information regarding the 

 behaviour of the various constituents of fertilizers, when brought 

 under the intluence of soil and atmosphere. A disregard of this 

 point on the part of a manufacturer, when compounding his articles 

 for the general market, involves not only serious disappointments to 

 the farmers, who chance to use them, but must ultimately ruin his 

 trade. 



PEAT. (21—23). 



21. Sent on from Harwich, Barnstable Co., Mass. 



22. Sent on from Hudson, Worcester Co., Mass. 



23. Sent on from Holyoke, Hampden Co., Mass. 



Moisture at 100° C. 



Dry Matter, 



Ash constituents in dry matter. 



Nitrogen in wet peat, 



Nitrogen in perfectly dry peat. 



54.28 



45.72 



33.72 



.43 



.94 



