INSPECTIONS. 41 



Station samples. 



Number of samples above guarantee 162 



Number of samples below guarantee 15 



Number of samples .2% below guarantee 11 



POTASH. 



Manufacturer's samples. 



Number of samples above guarantee 126 



Number of samples below guarantee 12 



Number of samples .2% or more below guarantee, 4 



Station samples. 



Number of samples above guarantee 138 



Number of samples below guarantee 32 



Number of samples .2% or more below guarantee, 19 



Comparison of guarantees and station samples for three years. 



It is important for the purchaser of fertilizers to know how 

 the goods have compared with the guarantee, not merely for one 

 year but for several years. Formerly we have printed a table 

 comparing the analysis of the manufacturers' and Station 

 samples for the year with the guarantee. In the table which 

 follows there is given a comparison of the analyses of the samples 

 collected by the Station for the years 1896, 1897 and 1898 with 

 the guarantee of the manufacturers. When the guarantee has 

 been changed in 1898 from that of the previous years the fact 

 is indicated b}' a f, and where more than one analysis of the 

 same brand was made in 1898, this is indicated by a *. 



In studying the table of comparison of guarantees of the 

 Station samples for three years, it will be found that many goods 

 run quite uniform year after year. This is particularly true as 

 regards phosphoric acid and is readily understood when it is 

 remembered that the "superphosphate" is the starting point and 

 that the materials furnishing the nitrogen and potash are added 

 to this. The potash and nitrogen are the more expensive sub- 

 stances in fertilizers and greater variations in composition are 

 found in these constituents. 



