114 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
ing of statements that would be mislead¬ 
ing to the purchaser, is in many respects 
worse than no law at all. 
If I were to state that I used hair or 
wool in a fertilizer, the purchaser, know¬ 
ing the low value of each in its raw or 
untreated state, would think that the fer¬ 
tilizer was inefficient. However, I can 
take the hair off your individual heads 
or the wool off the backs of your sheep 
(with your permission) and, by chemical 
treatment in the fertilizer factory, trans¬ 
form it into material as valuable as, or 
even more valuable than, the best organic 
ammoniate known. After such treatment 
it would certainly no longer be hair; but it 
would consist of a very large number of 
different nitrogenous compounds, many 
of which no chemist could practically 
hope to identify in making a fertilizer 
analysis, and much less determine quan¬ 
titatively. In fact, if, under such circum¬ 
stances, I were to state that hair was 
used, I should be telling you that some¬ 
thing was there which was really not 
there. 
I mention these points merely as illus¬ 
trative of tendencies in connection with 
some recent fertilizer laws to require 
statements which are useless, absurd, 
positively misleading, and contrary to the 
best interests of the user of fertilizer. If 
you wish to know the source of potash in 
a fertilizer, a chlorine test in addition to 
the test for potash will usually tell all 
that is required. If you wish to know the 
real crop-producing value of a fertilizer, 
a determination of the percentage of 
available phosphoric acid and potash, and 
the availability of the nitrogen as shown 
by the most reliable chemical methods 
known, affords the best possible means of 
protection for the purchaser. In those 
states where this plan has now been in 
vogue for several years, the results have 
been most acceptable to the farmers. 
I wish also to say a word about the 
collection of samples of fertilizers. It is 
to be presumed that the object of a fer¬ 
tilizer inspection is to set forth the actual 
facts as to the quality and analysis of the 
fertilizer. This being the case, it is of 
the utmost importance that samples be so 
drawn that they will truly represent the 
fertilizers which are being inspected. 
If you were to make up a fertilizer 
containing bone, tankage, and various 
other materials, including potash salts, 
nitrates, sulphate of ammonia, and simi¬ 
lar materials, you might find, no matter 
how accurately the mixture had been 
made, that some of the lighter materials 
in the mixture would tend to come to the 
top of the bag when shaken up in transit 
or handled in the storehouse. Conse¬ 
quently, the only way that a truly repre¬ 
sentative sample can be secured is to have 
it drawn with a sampling implement 
which extends the entire length of the 
bag. The sampler should not be opened 
until it has been fully inserted. It should 
then be opened throughout the entire 
length, filled, closed, and then with¬ 
drawn. Such sampling-rods are in exist¬ 
ence and are used exclusively in many of 
the states. These secure a true core of 
fertilizer extending the entire length of 
the bag. A perfect mixture of such cores 
will give a true test of the character of 
the goods, if properly handled and an¬ 
alyzed. 
