The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-03-05

t. II. HosKrNs. Newport. VT. Editor.
The Connecticut Experiment Stations
Report for 1888.


in season for the farmers to study and
ponder the array of important facts and
deductions 80 clearly, though briefly, pre-
sented in its well.ordered pages. As our
Vermont farmers cannot generally expect
to have access to this document, and as
the subject of fertilizers is one in which
the interest is visibly increasing. we in
tend to respond to the call that has been
made upon us for pretty full review of
this Connecticut report. Perhaps such a
review may help to convince our farmers
that it would pay them well to invest a
few annual thousands, out of the tens of
thousands they are now saving under our
new system of taxation, upon an expert
ment station of their own.
This first of American agricultural ex-
pertinent stations began its work in 1878.
Its work has been SO useful and satisfac-
tory to the hard-handed and close-fsted
yeomanry of the Nutmeg state" (where
shall we find greater y that, under lib
eral appropriations, it has now suitable,
though economical, buildings of its own,
costing about $4,000, and receives an an
nual sum of $4,000 for carrying on its
work. The state of Connecticut is more
a manufacturing than an agricultural
commonwealth, having only two-ffths the
area of Vermont, with an inferior and
more exhausted soil. The value of its
live stock is less than two.thirds that of
Vermont, its yield of potatoes and hay is
about half, value of farm implements
about three.ffths, its wool.clip only one
tenth, and its butter and cheese onethird.
Yet we may see what it is doing for the
promotion of its agricultural interests.
The law in Connecticut requires all fer
tilizers offered for sale in the state at over
ten dollars ton to be submitted to the
analysis and control of the experiment
station, and there can be no! particle of
doubt that in this way great many
times the cost of the station is saved an
nually to the farmers of the state. In
accordance with this, over thirty makers
and dealers have been controlled during
the past year, and two hundred and nine
teen analyses have been made. In addi-
ton, fifteen analyses of milk, three of
butter and twenty of folders we're made,
one case of horse-poisoning settled, and
one hundred and twenty-one tests of seeds
made. Fertilizer analyses are made for
farmers without charge, and printed d.
rections are sent out as to the proper
method of taking and sending samples to
the stations.
The station, in printing its analyses of
fertilizers, gives an estimated value -
based upon the " market price }" of the
valuable constituents, and in an adjoining
column gives the selling price of the fer.
tilizer. For the last four years the aver
age cost to users, and the average diff
ference between cost and estimated
value" have been as follows:
1880. 1884, 1882. 1888
Average COST. SjS.uU SljUO S4O.5S Sil,f
Average difference......... 800 400 ls9 6.5C
This, it must be borne in mind, is an
average of all the fertilizers examined. A
few were sold at less, and some at COZ.
siderable less, than the estimated value
while many were sold more than twenty.
five per cent higher than this "value. u
10 tho{ L
anything near as low as the real cost
otherwise the goods could not have been
sold (probably at a good proft) in some
cases at more than $40 ton less. But
while this was being done by several deal
ers, other dealers were charging and get
ting big profit over the large profit al
lowed in the experiment stations "esti
mated value" Thus the Quinnipiac Com
panys phosphate was estimated to be
worth $33 80, but was sold at $40; Bowker't
dissolved bone, estimated at $30.34, sole
at $36; Bowker's fish and potash, esti
mated at $27.79, sold at $50; Bowker'i
hill and drill phosphate, estimated a
$3.50, sold at $40 In this last instanc,
the price charged to the consumer by tn,
ton was $ll.20 more than fair price
according to the experiment station
estimate" which we think we can SHOW
to be itself far too high. When a fertil
izer.maker can sell his fertilizer for from
thirty to forty per cent more than such
very liberal estimated value" it is evi
dent that the work of the station is by nj
means completed. 1t must not be sur
posed that the Quinnipiac and Bowke
companies are the only offenders in tn
matter of overcharging customers. Onl
three out of sixty-three brands examine
were found to be sold at rates less tina
estimated value" Half of these owe
charged at rate exceeding S. on tor
Among them was the Bradley Company
superphosphate, sold at $42, estimate
value, $36S8. Bradley's " XII" does ne
seem to be sold in Connecticut.
This estimated value" FUSED not on
by the Connecticut station, but also /
those of New Jersey and Massachusetts
is not really deceptive, because all IL