INSPECTION OF FERTILIZERS. 



The Station has examined, since the latter part of March, 1889, 

 ninety-one samples of fertilizers, representing forty-three brands. 

 These samples were collected by an authorized agent of the station, 

 who has visited various places in the State for that purpose, since 

 the shipment of fertilizers for 1889 began. 



The brands offered for sale this year are practicall}^ the same as 

 those sold in 1888, two or three new ones having made their ap- 

 pearance. Each year brings a small increase to the number of 

 commercial manures which are found in Maine markets, and we 

 may believe that the quantity of these goods purchased by our 

 farmers is yearly growing larger. Whether the expenditure of so 

 much money in this way is wise may not properly be discussed in 

 this connection, but it is fair to assume that this expenditure 

 would not be kept up increasingly, year after year, unless it is 

 found to be profitable. 



OBSERVANCE OF THE FERTILIZER LAW. 



In any case the duty of the Station in the character of an in- 

 spector is to show as accurately as can be determined what is the 

 composition and value of the fertilizers sold in the State. This is 

 to be done under the sanction of a state law, the main provisions 

 of which are as follows : 



(1) The "manufacturer, company or person" offering a ferti- 

 lizer for sale in the State shall register "annually, on or before the 

 first day of Maich," in the office of the Maine Agricultural Exper- 

 iment Station, "the name or trade mark under which the fertilizer 

 is sold, the name of the manufacturer and the place of manufac- 

 ture." 



(2) Each package of every fertilizer selling for more than ten 

 dollars per ton shall be marked with the weight of the package the 

 percentages of available nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, and 

 the names of the fertilizer, manufacturer and place of manufacture. 



(3) The Experiment Station is authorized to select each year, 

 from each brand of fertilizer offered for sale in the State at least 

 three samples from three dift'erent places in the State. These 

 samples shall be selected in the presence of some representative of 



