14 MAINli AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMLNT STATION. I9II. 



at the rate of eight cords of manure and 500 pounds of fertilizer 

 to the acre. One of the unfertilized plots will be planted to 

 sweet corn, the other to potatoes. One of the plots manured 

 with Mineral Fertilizer will be planted to sweet corn, the other 

 to potatoes. The plot with 1500 to 1800 pounds of high grade 

 fertilizer will be planted to potatoes, and the one with manure 

 and fertilizer to sweet corn. 



It is only fair to the New England Fertilizer Company that 

 people should not confuse the New England Fertilizer Company 

 which manufactures chemicals of high quality with this New 

 England Mineral Fertilizer and Chemical Company which puts 

 upon the market a brand of so-called fertilizer that is destitute 

 of plant food as ordinarily considered. 



Results oe Inspection. 



There has been little reason for thinking at any time during 

 the past 15 years that commercial fertilizers have been offered 

 in Maine with fraudulent intent. The companies that have been 

 doing business for many years have learned to manufacture 

 commercial fertilizers so that they correspond for the most part 

 quite closely to their professed analysis. A study of the an- 

 alyses here reported will show that such companies as well as 

 some of the newer companies are able to manufacture their 

 goods so that the samples found by the Station representatives 

 agree very closely with their professed analysis. It is perhaps 

 not clearly understood by the user of commercial fertilizers 

 what this means in the way of care on the part of the manu- 

 facturer. 



Usually the sample by the Station representatives is taken at 

 the warehouse from 10 packages. The samples thus taken 

 are carefully mixed and a pint jar filled from the mixture. 

 When the jar is received at the laboratory the goods are again 

 sampled. The amount which is actually used by the chemist 

 is only a small fraction of an ounce. Thus it happens that the 

 very small amount analyzed by the chemist represents many 

 tons. That there is substantial agreement is high testimony not 

 only to the honesty of the fertilizer manufacturer but to the 

 care with which his goods are manufactured. 



The increase of home mixing in the State has brought it about 

 that there are some people now engaged in making fertilizers 



