340  Annual  Report  for  1909  of  the  Consulting  Chemist. 
Another  matter  to  which  attention  was  drawn  in  last  years’ 
Report  was  the  difficulty  that  was  impending  as  regards  the 
future  supply  of  kainit  and  other  forms  of  potash  salts  for 
agricultural  use.  It  is  satisfactory,  however,  to  note  that  the 
fears  on  this  account  have  not  been  to  any  considerable  extent 
realised  this  year,  and  though  occasionally  (as  will  be  seen  in 
the  present  Report)  potash  salts  have  been  met  with  which 
were  very  hygroscopic  in  character  and  could  not  be  stored 
without  becoming  very  moist,  yet  purchases  of  kainit  of  good 
quality  have  been  procurable  fairly  throughout  the  year, 
although  the  composition  of  this  has  been  somewhat  different 
to  what  it  used  to  be  in  former  times. 
Speaking  generally,  there  has  been  a decided  improvement 
in  the  quality  of  feeding  materials,  and  little  to  object  to  as 
regards  the  ordinary  fertilisers  used  on  the  farm.  When, 
however,  purchasers  have  been  tempted  by  the  inducement 
of  a low  price  to  buy  manures  with  high-sounding  titles  and 
put  forward  as  possessing  very  particular  advantages,  thei’e 
has  been  the  oft-repeated  need  of  a note  of  warning. 
The  Annual  Report  of  the  working  of  the  “ Fertilisers  and 
Feeding  Stuffs  Act  ” has  lately  been  issued  for  the  year  1908. 
It  shows  an  increase  over  1907  in  the  number  of  samples 
taken  ; this  being  for  England  2,314  as  against  1,933  in 
1907,  but  of  these  only  618  were  “ formal  ” samples,  i.e., 
those  in  respect  of  which  further  steps  could,  if  considered 
desirable,  be  taken.  Out  of  this  number  there  were  46  cases 
which  were  reported  to  the  Board  of  Agriculture.  In  32  of 
these  the  Board  took  no  action,  and  of  the  14  cases  in  which 
prosecutions  ensued,  12  were  successful  and  2 failed.  The 
prosecutions  were  confined  to  five  counties  only.  This  is  not 
a “ great  ” record,  though  better  than  nothing  ; and  it  is  well 
to  note  that  among  the  successful  prosecutions  were  several 
which  had  to  do  with  the  sale  of  sawdust  and  gypsum  as  a 
substitute  for,  or  adulteration  of,  offals,  and  in  the  exposure 
of  which  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England  had 
shown  itself  so  energetic.  So  long,  however,  as  the  great 
objections  to  the  working  of  the  Act  continue,  so  long  will 
it  fail  to  effect  the  objects  of  its  introduction.  Chief  among 
these  objections  are  : (1)  the  time  limit  of  ten  days,  (2)  the 
taking  away  from  County  Councils  of  the  power,  which  they 
formerly  possessed,  of  prosecuting  on  their  own  initiative. 
In  order  to  keep  Members  of  the  Society  cognisant  of  the 
forms  in  which  adulteration  is  practised,  or  to  bring  to  their 
notice  cases  of  inferiority  of  quality  and  the  like,  while  at  the 
same  time  avoiding  the  difficulties  which  might  arise  under 
the  law  of  libel,  the  Council  resolved  a year  ago  to  issue  from 
time  to  time  to  their  Members,  for  the  latter’s  private  in- 
