Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-01-29

OF sweet flowers, and bask in a perpetu
al italian sun, will be doomed to dlsap
pointment. Those who would avert tn
horrors OF consumption, and other lun
and throat diseases, will find the soft
pure. balTny climate of Florida the spo
OF all others on earth best suited 70
them. ButI must close. Yours, .
} a fG H. T. w.
For the SPECTATOR.
To the Senate and House OF Delegates O
70 Virginia.
We wish to call the attention of youl
honorable body to a question of thu
most vital importance as bearing not
only on the prosperity of a large proper.
ton of the citizens of Virginia, but also
on the finances and general prosperity
OF the State. We refer to the trade in
commercial fertilizers as now conducted
in our State. This branch of trade has
attained. such proportions, and offers
such facilities for practicing fraud on
the consumer without any means of de-
lection, that we farmers think the time
has come when the law. of the State
should be invoked to protect us against
the robberies of these human vampires,
many of whom reside out of the State.
That there are enormous frauds in
this traffic there can be no doubt, if we
may judge by the history of the trade
in other States and in Europe.
The State of Connecticut established
an experimental station under the man.
agement of Prof. Atwater, assisted by
Prof. johnson, two of the ablest Agri-
cultural chemists of the age. Besides
conducting experiments in the use of
fertilizers, the feeding of stock. analyz-
ing farm products, manures, &C., it is
made their duty to analyze all the COM
mercial fertilizers offered for sale in the
State. To carry out this system of in
spection, an act.was passed requiring all
manufacturers to have printed on the
packages, containing their goods, a cor
rect analysis of the constituents, and
they were held responsible for any fail
ure to come up to this standard under q
heavy penalty. ttif
Prof. johnson had analyzed some fif-
teen samples some years past. and before
the establishment of this control system,
and published the analyses, only two of
them approximating what they were
represented to be and showing most
outrageous fraud in some fertilizers
that had been largely used. Some of
them that were sold fron forty to fifty
dollars, analYyed showed not to be
worth over eight dollars per ton.
1--WE will here state that Nitrogen,
Potash. and PhOsphoric acid are really
the ingredients that give value to any
manure.
J, At q meeting of the farmers, sonven-
tion of Connecticut, held in December,
1875, a report Gf the Arst years work of
the stEtion was read.
This report included the analysia of
thirty-five samples of fertilizers sold be-
fore the establishment of this control
system, and a5veBty-seven samples sold
under its supervision. From this report
we learn that these three valuable con
stituents cost before the establishment
OF the control system Nitrogen, per ID,
SO cts; Soluble Phosphoric acid, l9 cts !;
Insoluble Phosphoric acid, 2l cts. After
establishment of control system; Nitro
gen. per ID, "a cts; Soluble Phosphoric
acid, Is cts; Insoluble Phosphoric acid,
5 cts.
Here we see b1 iloonssowertable evil
dence that the bringing the fertilizer
trade under this system of inspection
has reduced the cost to the farmer more
than one. or, in other words, the
fertilizers are worth more than twice as
much.
In Prussia and Saxony, where this
system of inspectioR was first tried.
their experience was the same as in
Connecticut.
At meeting of the Connecticut Board
of Agriculture, held In 1879, it was
shown that the farmers of this country
were paying from sixty to seventy per
cent. more for the valuable constituents
in their fertilizers than their brethren
on the other side of the ATLANTIC after
their control system was in vague, the
raw material being cheaper here than
there.
FroE johnson says: "The same stu
pendous frauds were committed there "a
as here before the establishment of their
stations, and we have great reason to be-
lieve are still practiced in this county j;
hat the control system in Connecticut
has perfectly cured and Toated out this
evil,
"rhs experimental station in Germa-
ny 10 prepared to furnish the farmer with
an analysis of any fertilizer he proposes
to buy at sm' II or no cost. The farmers
there avail themselves of this aid. They
will buy no fertilizer without an exact
statement of its constituents, holding the
seller responsible.
"Under these circumstances. manu-
facturers can sell nothing that is not
what it claims to be. The fertilizer mar.
ket In Prussia and Saxony is just as set
tied and satisfactory as any other branch
of trade, and the farmers there buy fer
tilizers with as much security of fail
dealing as we can feel in the purchase
of sugar or nails"
Contrast this state of things wi:h ours.
We have not the slightsst doubt that
the farmers Of Virginia are paying twice
as much for fertilizers as they are worth
or ought to be sold for. ..,
I have no data at hand by which to
estimate the amount of money expend
ed annually in our State for fertilizers
but judging by my own county TAU.
gusta) it must be enormous.
The little State of Connecticut spends
from $500. 900 to 81, 900, 900, and sup
pose Virginia spends more than twic,
as much, one half of which might b.
saved to the farmers of the State, if W,
may Judge by the showing we hav'
made ON the very highest authority.
If we could get fertilizers at half tht
present cost, we could profitahly use ar
unlimited quantity, and add millions t.
our products, and in q few years, if judi
cialIy used, double the productive ca
pacity of our farms and their taxable
value. We would then hear less about
readjustment and reputation. Virgins
could pay her debt and get rich at tn
same time. s,.,l
| 1 can think Of DO way in which
we could spend few thousand dollar
to better advantage, even If we had t.
levy special tax for the purpose. W.
would not need to have a station so com
plere as those l have referred to- Their
are now 10 of these stations in Europ
{ and one in Connecticut, the results o
their Investigations being published
II "a iii forroora uho rood tho o,,rrnp