New York AQRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 127 
much more in excess of amount found by analysis than it was 
last year, since then the average excess over the minimum guar- 
antee was 11.8 per cent, while the average maximum guarantee 
last year was but 17 per cent in excess of amount ‘pind: while 
this year it is 27. 
Last year of the 215 sinaias where minimum and maximnm 
amounts were given as guaranteed, the average results were as 
follows : oe 
‘ Available Potash 
Nitrogen, 
pep cent | Nm i een 
Maximum guaranteed............ 1.984 8.446 - 8.044 
Minimum guaranteed ............ 2.960 10.600 3.980 
Hound... .. Free Ra Gave los Me tg CART ote 2.251 9.339 3.371 
2 
Or an excess of 13.4 per cent of nitrogen, of 10.6 per cent of | 
available phosphoric acid, and of 10.7 per cent of potash over 
the minimum amount guaranteed ; while the maximum amounts 
. guaranteed were 19.6 per cent of nitrogen, 13.5 per cent of avail- 
able phosphoric acid and 18 per cent of potash, greater than 
the actual amount of each of these constituents found to be 
present. | 
These facts show the utter absurdity of the system of minimum 
and maximum guarantees since it is evident that the manufacturers 
are so well able to control their processes of manufacture as to 
keep but a narrow margin for safety between the amount for 
which they are actually liable (that is the minimum amount guar- 
anteed) and the amount which analysis shows their products to 
contain, and yet, although as these facts prove the minimum and 
maximum guarantee appears to possess some sort of attraction for 
manufacturers and consumers, since of the 200 brands analyzed 
in the spring there were only eight which did not have both mini- 
mum and maximum guarantees, while of the 130 brands analyzed 
in the fall there was not one which had a simple guarantee. 
So soon as our farmers clearly understand that only the mini- 
mum amount is legally binding upon the agent or manufacturer, 
and that upon an average it very closely represents the amount 
