The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-30

of constgnOr ami cOlIslglee, and name
OF brand sh'pp 81. anu u G erect record
for each line l. kept IN TINS office.
Samples OF these fertilizers. taken
by an agent employed for that pur-
pose. have been analyZ.d bs DIR
Ledoux. and the analyses published
rom time to time. Uu farmer, are
learning To rely very greatly on The
work OF our Chemist as a guide IN
their purchases anu | shall cause all
the analyses made by him G be again
cOmmOdatiOn.
For Il detai'ed statement of the Op
eratio"s of that brarch OF the depart
ment SO ably and efficiently conducted
by him, you are respectfully referred
to the interesting report Of DR.. Le-
dOux. herewith submitted.
That the wisdom Of the Legislature
in imposing This tax is strongly en-
dorsed BY the farmers OF the State. |
beg to call your attenti n to the fol-
lowing official report, recently made
by a committee OF ia merS appointed
by the North Carolina State Agrlcul-
turai Society, at its recent meeting. to
investigate public sentiment III the
State in regard to this ak. 1t is
strongly corrobor ,ted by not only the
Press OF the State, but by hundreds of
letters received at this office, and com
ing as it does, from gentlemen living
in the different sections, and whose
well known high character for intelli>
gence and integrity is its best COM
mendation, | beg to submit it entire,
as being vel worthy your respectful
cOnSid, ration.
lion. 1Ios. VI. HoH. President y. G.
Agricultural Society:
SIR The committee to whom was
referred by your honorable body the
following +, solution, viz -
ReSOloed. that d committee of five
Farmers be appointed to gather lnfor-
nation from the farmers of the Stat
in regard TO the working Of the tax on
fertilizers. and that such committee
be instructed to report 10 u EXecu
tive Committee b fore h first of
December next such report to be
furnished the = ess of the State for
puDlicatlO l.
respectfully report that they have
maize extensive inquiries among n
repr sci t4tiye farmers OF all parts OF
the State. and find the almost unani-
nous opinion To be, that the tax on
fertilizers has been productive OF great
DcIIclt 10 UIe dSIlCuituI dI SliSStS III
several particulars
lst. The analysis OF h fertilizers
used III the State. and the publication
of the results of such analysis, enable
farmers to form a more intelligent
opinion as TO what fertilizers are need
ed for their crops and what elements
are needed for th. ir crops and what
elements are needed by their land.
2d. These analyses have checked
frauds in the manufacture Of fertlii-
zers. Inev lave improved the quality
of those imported into the State
many say as much as 20 or 20 per
cent.
Sd. They have exposed gross frauds
in some instances n email ei farmers
10 avoid being cheated by them.
18th. Such publications and the very
interesting reports OF the Commls-
sioner of Agriculture have, in No tn
Carolina, as liz Germany, France,
England and oeVeial States OF this
Union. been the means of creating all
intelligent interest in questions OF
agricultural chemistry: and spreading /
information about them among the
people.
Farmers do not now buy fertilizers
blindly at h~aphazard, but like they
buy cloth, shoes, &c, with reference
to the real value of the articles and
their suitability to their needs. They
try experiments more than formerly, !
O, serving more accurately the effects
on this crops.
9TH The home manufacture of fer
~tilizers has been stimulated. Many
farmers do not buy the manufactured
article at all, but they purchase the
at first hand from impOr-
tiers and manufacture and NIX for
themselves, producing a mixture
highly profitable, as they claim at
much less cost.
9Th. The tax on fertilizers is pro-
Lounc d to be the best mode Of sus-
tanning the Department of Agriculture
a, d its work, including not only the
ana ysis or fertilizers. but all the i'm
portant subjects which it has in charge
under the able conduct of the Board Of
Agriculture. Abundant evidence il at
hand to prove that the price OF fertlli-
GERS has not been raised by The tax.
Companies are able to sell he e at the
same rate as in other States, and they
sell an article OF known value.
9TH. At the same time the committee
report that the dissatisfaction at first
expressed by some OF the manufacture
ers has mostly di, d out. Many OF them
like the plan of having analyses made,
as it saves them from the competition
OF dishonest and inferior articles The
only injury the best grades have
suffered has been from the Increased
home mixture of chemicals, by the
farmers Bus this the committee think
d de sirable thing for our State.
The committee sincerely hope that
SO far from abnlishing the tax, the