242 Fertilisers' Legislation in United States. 



great a decline, the fall being from 60 to 65 per cent. The 

 average rate per bushel, as reported by the New York 

 Produce Exchange, was 2076 cents in 1868 and 7-37 cents in 

 1897 via lake and rail, and 30*49 and 12-32 cents via all rail. 



• Legislation Concerning Fertilisers in the United 



States. 



According to a bulletin issued by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, all the states east of the Missis- 

 sippi River, with Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana (twenty- 

 nine in number), have laws relating to the inspection and sale 

 of commercial fertilisers. This region is the fertiliser- 

 consuming region of the country, the remainder of the states 

 using comparatively insignificant quantities. The occasion 

 for this legislation is stated to have been the fraudulent 

 character of the commercial fertilisers manufactured and 

 offered for sale, the chemical constituents of which were 

 misrepresented or concealed, and were of less value than 

 stated by the manufacturers and dealers. 



The laws of the various states with regard to the sale of 

 fertilisers differ only in minor details, and in general are of 

 the following character. The secretary of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, or some other State official, is authorised to 

 issue licenses for the sale of fertilisers upon the payment of 

 an annual fee for each brand, or for each specified quantity 

 sold, and the licensee must affix to each package of ferti- 

 liser sold a statement of the chemical analysis of the fertiliser, 

 his own name and address, and the net weight of the package 

 • — a copy of the said certificate to be sent to the State official, 

 together with a sample of the fertiliser. The State official 

 employs a chemist to analyse samples of fertilisers, and the 

 results of analyses are published, together with statements of 

 the commercial value of the various brands as shown by the 

 quantities of their various components. A regular analysis 

 of each brand of fertiliser is usually made annually, but the 

 State official may authorise anyone to select from any 



