102 MAINS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1908. 



PRENTISS AROOSTOOK COMPLETE FERTILIZER. 



While. the spring fertilizer bulletin is primarily intended to 

 discuss brands to be offered during the year, there has so much 

 •developed since the publication of the fall bulletin from the 

 standpoint of the makers, the handlers and the users of one 

 brand of fertilizer sold in 1907 that it seems imperative to depart 

 from the usual custom and state at considerable length the situa- 

 tion regarding these goods. 



In 1906 the R. T. Prentiss Company began to sell fertilizers 

 in Maine. That year they licensed two brands bearing their 

 own name, and one brand of the Tuscarora Fertilizer Company. 

 In planning for their business in 1907, they arranged to sell most 

 of their fertilizers on contract, taking their pay in the potatoes 

 grown during the season at a stated price buying their good for 

 this year from the Buffalo Fertilizer Company of Buffalo, N. Y. 



In the spring of 1907 the R. T. Prentiss Company licensed 

 two brands of fertilizers, — The Prentiss Aroostook Complete 

 and the Prentiss Aroostook Standard. Apparently but little of 

 the second brand was sold. The Prentiss Aroostook Complete 

 was guaranteed to carry 3.29 per cent nitrogen, 6 per cent avail- 

 able phosphoric acid, 8 per cent total phosphoric acid and 10 per 

 cent potash. The manufacturer's sample was up to the guaranty 

 in the valuable constituents, carrying 3.53 per cent nitrogen; 

 6.34 per cent available phosphoric acid and 12.89 per cent of 

 potash. The inspector drew two samples at the warehouse in 

 the spring of 1907, — one in Houlton and one in Fort Fairfield. 

 These samples both ran under guaranty, carrying respectively 

 2.36 and 2.42 per cent nitrogen ; 4.48 and 5.52 per cent available 

 phosphoric acid; and 8.18 and 9.48 per cent potash. When the 

 analyses were completed, the results were reported to the Buffalo 

 Fertilizer Company, and to the R. T. Prentiss Company. As a 

 result of the analyses, Mr. Prentiss and the New England man- 

 ager of the Buffalo Fertilizer Company called at the Experiment 

 Station office, expressed surprise at the low analysis, and asked 

 that other samples be taken and said that some of their 1907 

 goods were still in stock at Houlton and Presque Isle. Two other 

 samples were taken. These differ greatly in composition and 

 analyze respectively as f olows : — Nitrogen 2.24 and 3.14 per 

 cent; available phosphoric acid 5.66 and 5.50 per cent; potash 

 6.99 and 10.48 per cent. The fall bulletin was printed prior to 

 the making of these analyses and they were not included therein. 



