224 LETTER-FILES OF S. W. JOHNSON 



in making and selling this class of goods. The object of the 

 law is to prevent the sale in the State of fraudulent or adul- 

 terated fertilizers, by requiring all who make or import (from 

 foreign countries) to put themselves, their agents and their 

 wares on record. Farmers in and out of the Legislature 

 favored the Act because its result has been elsewhere, and 

 must be here, to diminish the chances of their wasting their 

 money on inferior or worthless fertilizers. Manufacturers 

 and dealers favored it because the exclusion of worthless or 

 adulterated goods settles the market, establishes the confi- 

 dence of purchasers and thus benefits business. 



(S. W. J. TON. M. C.) 



Dec. 6, 1881. 



Dear Sir, — It is a difficult question you have put me — 

 very much like asking the cost of going to housekeeping ! The 

 list of apparatus and its cost — the kind and scale of labora- 

 tory fixtures and arrangements — will depend entirely on the 

 lines of research that it is proposed to undertake and on the 

 working force it is intended to employ. The chemist who is 

 to direct the work alone can foresee what will be wanted after 

 he has carefully considered what branches of investigation 

 shall be attempted. 



The total outfit of the laboratory of this Station could prob- 

 ably be replaced for $2000. But if our means warranted 

 undertaking research in any generous sense $2000 could profit- 

 ably be spent in the arrangements for studying each of many 

 simple problems that are awaiting solution. Yours very truly, 



S. W. Johnson. 



(S. W. J. TO Dr. C. a. Goessmann, Professor op Chemistry 

 IN Massachusetts Agricultural College, and Director 

 OF JMassachusetts Experiment Station.) 



Jan. 6th, 1882. 

 My dear Sir, — Dr. Cook and I would like to agree with you 

 on a scale of prices to use in valuing commercial fertilizers 



