1008. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
3t>o 
“A FERTILIZER ANALYSIS.” 
Since printing the articles on “A Bag of Fertilizer” 
we have been overrun with requests for further par¬ 
ticulars. We advised farmers to study the station 
bulletins in which analyses of fertilizers are printed. 
We think these records are accurate, that the work of 
analyzing is carefully and conscientiously done, and 
that the figures present the safest guide a farmer 
can have for buying. Suppose that year after year 
for 10 years the station chemists found that the 
goods of certain firms were invariably above —that is, 
there was always more plant food than the manufac¬ 
turer claimed. Suppose another firm was invariably 
below through a term of years and at several different 
stations. No man will deny that with such a show¬ 
ing the firm with the good record would be the safer 
to buy from. 
That is the doctrine we believe, and we urge every 
farmer who uses fertilizer to study out the meaning 
of an analysis and be guided by the station reports. 
An excellent opportunity for studying this is afforded 
by the recent efforts of The Country Gentleman to 
bolster up the claims of the Buffalo Fertilizer Co. 
As we have pointed out, the goods made by this con¬ 
cern have been found very defective at eight different 
stations. In order to satisfy himself, as he says, and 
prove that the fertilizers are reliable Mr. Tucker went 
to the factory and took samples of various brands. 
We shall explain later how fertilizers are mixed and 
sampled—it is enough to state here that these samples 
taken by Mr. Tucker were sent to Prof. Cavanaugh 
at Cornell for analysis. The following result is 
printed in The Country Gentleman: 
V 
P. A. 
Pot. 
1. 
Ideal Wheat and Corn. 
o 
9. 
5. 
F 
2. 
9.05 
5.24 
o 
Farmers’ Choice . 
. .G. 
i. 
8. 
5. 
F. 
1.20 
8.65 
5.50 
o 
Extra Bone and Potash. 
0 . 
10 . 
8. 
F. 
0 . 
9.65 
8.55 
4. 
Celery and Potato. 
•> 
8. 
10 . 
F. 
1.76 
8.02 
9. 
5. 
General Crop . 
0 . 
9. 
3. 
F. 
0 . 
10.23 
4.28 
6. 
Garden Truck . 
8. 
7. 
F. 
3.26 
8.17 
6.40 
7. 
Fish Guano . 
9. 
2 
F. 
1.39 
9.80 
3.17 
8. 
High Grade Manure. 
. .G. 
4. 
7. 
10. 
F. 
3.65 
9.30 
6.96 
9. 
Soluble Bone . 
. .G. 
0. 
14. 
0 . 
F. 
0 . 
16.15 
O. 
19. 
Am. Bone Black. 
8 . 
2.50 
F. 
1.37 
9.44 
5.83 
11. 
Vegetable and Potato. 
8. 
7. 
F. 
3.57 
8.50 
7.53 
12 . 
Bone Meal . 
°2 
0 . 
F. 
3.46 
21.75 
0 . 
Average. 
. .G. 
2.44 
10 . 
5.05 
F. 
2.40 
10.76 
6.25 
Now let us begin our lesson in fertilizer analysis 
by going over these figures. We easily see that six of 
them—Nos. 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, are more or less be¬ 
low the guarantee in at least one element. The worst 
one is No. 8, the “High Grade Manure.” In this 
fertilizer we are guaranteed 80 pounds of nitrogen in 
a ton, while the chemist finds 73. Guaranteed 200 
pounds of potash we get only 138. True, we get 46 
pounds of phosphoric acid more than is guaranteed,' 
but that will not take the place of the missing potash 
or nitrogen. The New York agricultural law states 
(section 176) : 
It sliall be a violation of the provisions of this article 
if the statement required by section one hundred and sev¬ 
enty-five .of this article shall he false in regard to the num¬ 
ber of net pounds of fertilizer in the package sold, offered 
or exposed for sale, or in the name, brand or trademark 
under which the fertilizer is sold, or in the name and 
address of the manufacturer of the fertilizer. It shall also 
he a violation of the provisions of this article if any 
commercial fertilizer or material to he used as a fertilizer 
shall contain a smaller percentage of nitrogen, phosphoric 
acid or potash than is certified in said statement to be con¬ 
tained therein, when such deficiency shall be greater than 
one-tliird of one per centum of nitrogen, or one-half of one 
per centum of available phosphoric acid or one per ceutum 
of total phosphoric acid in the case of undissolved hone or 
one-half of one per centum of potash soluble in distilled 
water. 
We assume that the Buffalo Fertilizer Company will 
not attempt to say that these samples were improparly 
taken, or that the analyses were not accurate. Yet 
anyone who can figure may readily see how many of 
these brands were below the standard required by law. 
This same “High Grade Manure” was analyzed at 
several other stations last year. Let us compare 
these analyses to see how the goods varied. The 
amount of “ammonia” is figured in all, though the law 
requires a statement of the amount of nitrogen. As 
we have already explained, “ammonia” is a combina¬ 
tion of nitrogen and hydrogen—the latter having no 
value as plant food. Apparently, the only reason why 
the manufacturers use the term “ammonia” is because 
it makes a larger showing. In the following table 
G. stands for what the manufacturers guarantee, and 
F. what the chemists found: 
ANALYSES 
OF “high grade manure. 
Nitro- 
Phos. 
Pot- 
gen 
Acid 
ash 
G. 4. 
7. 
10. 
Country Gentleman 
.F. 3.65 
9.30 
6.95 
G. 4. 
7. 
10 . 
Connecticut. 
5.53 
8 43 
G. 4. 
7. 
10 . 
Vermont. 
5.92 
8.01 
G. 4. 
7. 
10 . 
Pennsylvania. 
5.73 
9 50 
G. 4. 
7. 
10 . 
New York . 
.F. 2.16 
6.50 
6.11 
Another sample of this manure taken in New York 
gave a better analysis than the one reported above, 
but was below the guarantee. 
Now here were five chemists working independently. 
See how closely they agree on the amount of nitrogen 
in this fertilizer. All make it below the guarantee. 
The Country Gentleman finds more phosphoric acid 
than the others, but an average of nearly two per 
cent less potash. In no case does this fertilizer give 
the plant food which is guaranteed. The Buffalo 
Fertilizer Company claim that the station reports do 
not do their goods justice. Mr. Tucker says the 
figures are unreliable and that the present system of 
sampling and analyzing is open to grave objection. 
We shall examine this claim carefully, but first we 
might ask what substitute Mr. Tucker offers! He 
offers nothing—his criticism is entirely destructive. 
The firm which he champions offers a plan of private 
analysis. Samples are to be taken, perhaps as Mr. 
Tucker took them, and sent to a private chemist. 
On his report the Buffalo Company say they will pay 
to the purchaser $3 for each per cent or 20 pounds 
of ammonia, and $1 for each per cent of potash and 
phosphoric acid below the guarantee. Should there 
be an excess of phosphoric acid that is to count 
against any shortage in potash. This is not entirely 
fair, because no one can use phosphoric acid in the 
place of potash. However, let us take the figures 
which Mr. Tucker says need no further comment. 
This “High Grade Manure” is short seven pounds 
of ammonia and 62 pounds of phosphoric acid. De¬ 
ducting the 46 pounds surplus phosphoric acid the 
company would pay back $1.80 on each ton. Put in 
another way they would be obliged to give back about 
50 pounds of nitrate of soda and 30 pounds muriate 
of potash. On No. 4 the rebate would be about $1.70 
per ton, and on No. 6 $2.59. Mr. Tucker says in his 
article: 
“If these goods are not zvhat they are represented 
zve zvould not take the advertisement at any price.” 
We point out to him that the analyses of his own 
samples show that farmers who buy at least three of 
those brands have the right to demand rebates or 
penalties of $1.80, $1.70 and $2.59 per ton respectively. 
Mr. Tucker says he has played “no small part” in in¬ 
creasing the sales of these fertilizers from 24,000 to 
60,000 tons last year. Assuming that the sales of 
each of the three mentioned brands amounted to 
5,000 tons each—the just rebates on one would be 
$9,000, on another $8,500 and on another $12,950! 
Does Mr. Tucker realize that his own figures show 
that farmers probably paid $30,450 more than they 
needed to for these three brands alone? It would be 
interesting to see how much of this he is prepared to 
make good! We will continue to discuss “A Fertilizer 
Analysis” next week. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—James Lee of Pittsburg, Pa., who was a 
member of the Pennsylvania Legislature during the early 
days of the petroleum industry, was a witness before Com¬ 
missioner Ferriss at Cleveland, O., March 31, in the Gov¬ 
ernment’s ouster suit against the Standard Oil Company. 
He told of the early efforts of independent refiners to 
obtain from the Pennsylvania Legislature a grant for the 
building of a pipe line for the transportation of oil. lie 
said all such measures were opposed by the Standard Oil 
interests. Lee also told of the failure of the producers 
and Refiners’ Oil Company to export oil to Spain. He said 
the Standard sold oil in Spain at two cents a gallon, and 
tlie independent company could not compete, after spend¬ 
ing hundreds of thousands of dollars for equipment. 
The trial of the land fraud case against Frederick A. 
Hyde, John A. Benson, Henry P. Dimond and .1. 11. 
Schneider, involving au alleged conspiracy to defraud the 
I'nited States out of valuable lands in several Western 
States, was begun at Washington April 1. before Justice 
Stafford. Upward of two hundred witnesses from four¬ 
teen States in the West where the alleged fraudulent ac¬ 
quirement of lands was effected, were there for the trial. 
The indictments against the four men charge a con¬ 
spiracy, hatched in Washington in 1901. to defraud the 
I'nited States out of many thousand acres of public lands 
in the West. It is alleged that these men. operating 
through the names of fictitious persons, acquired school 
lands in Oregon and California by false entries and forged 
signatures. . . . The amended bill in the suit of 
the State of Illinois, brought by Gov. Deneen, against 
the Illinois Central Railroad Company, for back taxes, 
was filed early this mouth. The State says that approxi¬ 
mately $15,000,000 is due tlie State from ‘the Illinois 
Central. The bill originally fixed the sum at $5,000,000. 
The State also maintains that every statement that has 
been made to the executive department of Illinois since 
the Illinois Central Railroad was granted its charter lias 
been false and fraudulent, with the intention of deceiving 
the State. . . . One of the most destructive fires in 
Lynchburg, Va., in twenty years occurred April 3, when 
four factories, three of them tobacco plants, were con¬ 
sumed. with a total loss of $225,000, with insurance of 
$175,000. The factory of the Norfolk and Western 
Overall Company and three tobacco factories occupied by 
W. G. Dunnington of Farmville, in which more than 
1,000,000 pounds of tobacco were stored, were destroyed. 
It is believed the fire was of incendiary origin. Dunning¬ 
ton is a heavy buyer in Kentucky, which gave rise to a 
report that “night riders” might have been concerned. 
. . Fire in the mill at the distillery of Corning & Co., 
at Peoria III., April 3. did damage to the extent of be¬ 
tween $750,000 and $1,000,000. The fire started m the 
fourth story of the mill. 250 feet square, six stories high, 
and built of brick. Flames quickly spread toward the 
tower adjoining the mill. The tower contained 125,000 
gallons of spirits, but it was saved by a fire wall. 
The town of Syracuse, Ind., has a labor war, which 
resulted April 5 in a quantity of dynamite being touched 
oft in the foreign Quarter. A house occupied by thirty- 
five Rumanians, Hungarians and Italians was badly 
damaged and the foreigners were thrown into a heap, 
several being seriously injured. The dynamite outrage 
is the outcome of the importation of 40 foreigners by 
the Sandusky Portland Cement Company and the placing 
of several aliens at the heads of departments of the plant. 
OBITUARY.—Major Edward II. Pratt, president of the 
T. S. Hubbard Nursery Company and a prominent resi¬ 
dent, died at Fredonia, N. Y., April 1. lie was born in 
Dansville. N. Y„ 70 years ago. When the Civil War hroke 
out he organized a company and served with it through 
the early campaign of the Army of the Potomac. Later 
Major Pratt was appointed a member of the staff of Gen¬ 
eral Hooker, and took an active part in the battle of 
Lookout Mountain. He was a member of the State organi¬ 
zation of fruit growers and the National organization of 
nurserymen. 
E. Diliwyn Darlington, for 25 years connected with the 
firm of W. Atlee Burpee & Co., died at his home in Doyles- 
town, I’a., March 26, after a brief illness with pneumonia. 
Mr. Darlington was born in Doylestown in 1858. He 
learned the nursery and florist business with Iloopes Bros. 
& Thomas, at West Chester, Pa., leaving there in 1877 to 
conduct greenhouses in Doylestown, furnishing plants for 
Samuel Wilson, a seed grower of Mechanicsville. It was 
shortly after this that he became associated with the 
firm of W. Atlee Burpee & Co. After the Fordhook Farm, 
in Doylestown township, was started by Burpee & Co., in 
the Spring of 1888, Mr. Darlington acted as manager until 
his health gave out, when he was succeeded by Howard 
M. Earle, and became confidential adviser of the firm, 
taking charge, also, of the trial grounds during the Sum¬ 
mer. Mr. Darlington had a wide knowledge of plant life 
and was a recognized authority on many varieties of vege¬ 
tables and (lowers. Besides writing numerous leaflets and 
books for W. Atlee Burpee & Co., he contributed quite fre¬ 
quently to the different horticultural magazines, including 
The R. N.-Y. lie is survived by a widow and three chil¬ 
dren. 
NEW FRUITS FROM GENEVA.—In its plant breeding 
work the New York Experiment Station at Geneva has 
developed some new varieties of strawberries and rasp¬ 
berries that seem promising. A considerable stock of 
plants has been grown and these are now ready to be dis¬ 
tributed for testing by the fruit growers of the State. The 
conditions governing this distribution are announced, with 
a history and description of each'of the several varieties, 
in Bulletin No. 298. 
3 
’ When 
FRUIT 
THINK_OF THE FUTURE 
Profit or 
Take no chances on the quality of 
stock you plant. Thousands of men are 
now harvesting great crops of choice 
fruits and getting rich from the trees 
they bought from 
HARRISON’S 
NURSERIES 
SAFE DELIVERY TO ALL POINTS 
AND SATISFACTION GUARANTEED 
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large, never so improved, never so per¬ 
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Millions of Apple, Peach, Pear, Plum 
and Cherry Trees; Strawberries, Grapes, 
and Ornamentals. 
Send for Free Catalog, illustrating, de¬ 
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m every class and our own growing of 
Special Leaders. 
Investigate Our Offerings Before 
Buying. 
Harrison’s Nurseries 
Box 29. Berlin, Md. 
The BEST Improved 
1908 
IM PROVED 
CREi 
Separator 
It gives us much pleasure to receive daily the 
good words dairymen are saying, the country over, 
about the 1908 Improved U.S. Cream Separator. 
Why not—YOU—join this army of satisfied users. 
Do get interested and send for general information 
catalogue No. 159, at once. A postal brings it to you. 
Address all letters to 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO., Bellows Falls, Vt. 
Distributing warehouses at: Chicago, Ill., La Crosse, Wis., Minneapolis, Minn., Kansas 
City, Mo., Omaha, Neb., Toledo, O., Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colo., San Fran¬ 
cisco, Cal., Spokane, Wash., Portland, Ore., Buffalo, N. Y., Auburn, Me., Montreal 
and Sherbrooke, Quebec, Winnipeg, Man., Hamilton, Ont., Calgary, Alta. 
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Fruit and Ornamental 
Shrubs 
Evergreens 
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Hardy Plants 
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direct from the grower. We 
have no agents. Beautiful 
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request. 
Ellwanger & Barry 
Nurserymen — Horticulturists 
Mount Hope Nurseries 
Established 1840 Rochester, N. Y. 
