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216 Report OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE 
There can be no question that the chemist is ‘able to fix a 
perfectly fair valuation upon the nitrogen in either of the 
abeve or in other forms, since he has access 10 the eurrent 
markec quotations for these as for other produ3ts, but it is cficn 
dificult, if not now and then impossible, at the present, for him 
to determine the form in which this element is present in the 
product under analysis. 
“While, therefore, it is easy upon analysis of any given fertilizer 
to calculate the minimum valuation commerciatly of the cunstitu- 
ents present, such valuation would, in the great majority of cases, 
Le obviously unfair to the manufacturer, but it is equally obvious 
that the manufacturer has it in his power to secure full justice 
to himself in this matter of valuation if he will, and in the fol- 
- lowing way: At present, the law, while permitting the sale of 
anything which may be placed upon the market as a fertilizer, — 
trusting to the general intelligence of the purchaser to protect 
him from what is worthless, it specially provides that in cage 
leather or other inert forms of nitrogen compounds are used 
as a constituent of any fertilizer, such fact must }\e deciared hy 
the manufacturer using such material. 
It will be observed that there is no restriction upon the sale of 
leather or other inert forms of nitrogenous matter, nor upon the 
price which may be demanded for the same, and it would appear 
that without in any way attempting to limit the sale or control 
the prices of the other constituents used in the manufacture of 
commercial fertilizers, it might be reasonably demanded that those 
offering such products for sale in the state should be compelled 
to state the character and constituents of their several products, 
since it is notoriously true that of the several nitrogenous com- — 
_ pounds present in fertilizers the nitrogen in some is as fairly worth 
seventeen cents per pound as it is in another form worth seven 
cents per pound, or in certain other forms scarcely worth one 
cent per pound. 
What is true of nitrogen is somewhat true in the case of phos- 
phoric acid and potash, but not to an equal degree; but there ~ 
exists a widespread preference upon the part of the farmers 
for soluble and available phosphoric acid derived from bone 

