156 Report oF THE DrReOTOR OF THE 
this subject is of vast importance financially. Your committee 
was impressed with the fact that no other line of Station work 
has resulted in such an actual and present saving of dollars and 
cents to the farmers of this State as the analysis of commercial 
fertilizers. It enables the farmer to buy intelligently, and no 
manufacturer can long do business whose goods do not come up 
to his analysis when analyzed at the Station.” 
In the report of the Chemist analyses will be found of 235 sam- 
ples of fertilizers, nearly all of different brands, offered for sale 
in this State in the spring of 1894. 
The average composition of these different brands, as found 
upon analysis, and the maximum and minimum amounts guaran- 
teed of each constituent, is given in the following table: 
AVERAGE ComrosiITION OF CoMMERCIAL FerRtTiLizerRs, SPRING OF 
1894. 
Per cent: 
Nitrogen, maximum amount guaranteed...............0.- 3.597 
Nitrogen, minimum amount guaranteed...............006- 2.827 
Nitrogen, amount found by analysis ..............06. oa is it eee 
Available phosphoric acid, maximum amount guaranteed.... 10.149 
Available phosphorie acid, minimum amount guaranteed.... 7.992 
Available phosphoric acid, amount found by analysis ....... 8.334 
Total phosphoric acid, maximum amount guaranteed ....... 13.000 
Total phosphoric acid, minimum amount guaranteed........ 12.825 
Total phosphoric acid, amount found by analysis........... 12.943 
Potash, maximum amount guaranteed ..............+.-e+- 5.° 00 
Potash, mmimum amount guaranteed.................+00- 4.905 
Potash, amount found by analysis...............+-- oe ely, 
The maximum amount guaranteed of the nitrogen and avyail- 
able phosphoric acid is 27 per cent. greater than the minimum 
amounts guaranteed, and the maximum amount of potash is 16 
per cent. greater than the minimum amounts guaranteed. This 
is a very considerable difference ; but, as has been already shown, 
is very misleading to the purchaser, since there really is no guar- 
antee at all above the minimum amount, and yet of the entire 
number of brands analyzed there are but 14 which do not give 
maximum and minimum amounts. This matter will be referred 
to again. 

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