The Sampling of Manures and Feeding-ski^ s. 
859 
analysis shows any deficiency of quality, he will complain about it, 
though a sample fairly drawn from the whole delivery may prove the 
latter to be, on the whole, quite satisfactory. 
While analysis, therefore, proves a useful and necessary check, it 
should be supplemented by the observance of precautions which make 
it equally fair to both vendor and purchaser. 
It is to aid in arriving at a just conclusion that I append the 
following general directions as to the taking of samples. 
The sampling of manures. — Manures are generally sent to the 
farmer in bags, and if their composition were uniform throughout, 
and the contents of one bag just like those of anothei", it would be 
enough to draw a sample out cf a single bag. But this is seldom 
the case, and it may happen, e.g., with superphosphate, that, though 
practically of the same quality, one part of the delivery has been 
manufactured at a different time to another part. It is only fair, 
therefore, to draw a sample, not from one bag only, but fi'om several. 
If a purchase consists of six or any lesser number of bags, each one 
should be opened and a portion drawn from each bag. If it consist 
of a much larger number, then, a dozen bags, or certainly not less than 
six bags, should be taken out from different parts of the delivery and 
be set aside for the purpose of drawing a sample from them. 
Having set these aside, the very best way with any ordinary 
artificial manure, such as superphosphate, dissolved bones, bone- 
meal, compound manures, nitrate of soda, kainit and other salts 
(anything, in fact, that is in a fairly powdery and uniform condition, 
and not bulky, or matted together like shoddy or similar refuse 
materials), is to provide oneself with a special instrument which we 
may call a " sampler." This is an iron tool about 2 ft. 6 in. long, 
very like a cheese sampler, and fitted wr'th a wooden handle. It is 
made of U-shaped iron, with the end sharpened and the edges 
■rounded, the diameter of the groove being about 1 in. The 
accompanying cut represents such a sampling tool : — 
An instrument like this can be driven down into each of the 
selected bags from top to bottom, and by tilting the bag, giving the 
" sampler " a twist round and then withdrawing it, a section of the 
entire contents of the bag can be obtained. This may be repeated once 
or twice for each bag and other similar sections be taken from the 
other bags. The different lots withdrawn mvast then be thoroughly 
well mixed together. Any lumps should be broken down with a 
shovel, and if the heap is too mucli to form a conveniently sized 
sample for sending for analysis, it should be reduced in amount 
by repeated division and subdivision. This is best done by turning 
over the heap and mixing it up carefully though quickly, flattening 
down any lumps, and then dividing the heap into two halves ; one 
half may be rejected altogether and the remainder again quickly 
