Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-04-30
The Fertilizer Bill.

we reprint ELSEWHERE IN today paper,
in advance of the official publication of
the laws, a synopsis of the bill regulating
the manufacture and sale in this State of
commercial fertilizers, which was passed
at the recent session of the Legislature.
The law seems to be quite thorough N
its provisions and to afford a pretty etfsc-
tive remedy to the evils in this trade
which have been heretofore pointed out
in the TIMES. Heretofore the statute re-
gulations on the subject. while requiring
the manufacturer to atfix label showing
the chief iertilizing ingredients of his
manure and the proportienate parts OF
each upon every package sold and fixing
some penalty for the neglect or fraudulent
comp lance with this requirement, failed
nevertheless TO provide any means where
by the farmer and consumer could dstect
and expose fraudulent practices in this
connection.
This palpable omission gave practical
immunity to the dishonest manufacturer
from the requirements and penalties OF
the law on the subject, and, instead of af-
fording protection to the farmer as it was
intended to do, the act served to put a
premium upon dishonesty among the man
neacturers Of fertilizers. These poins and
the necessity of properly regulating SO i'm
4
commercial fertilizers were discussed in
the TIMES in the early part of last year,
this paper we believe taking the initiative
in the movement in the State Our arti-
cles were quoted approvingly in other
leading rural papers of the Sta'e, and the
result was public opinion which effected
the passage of the supplementary law
above referred to.
The act seems to be a proper supple
ment to the rreexisting law and gives
promise of securing honesty and fair deal
ing in that extensive trads of so much i'm
portance to the farmer. The first section
re- enacts substantially and With some i'm
provements the provisions of the preexist-
ing law on the subject. The second sec
tion requires the manufacturer or dealer
to obtain license from the State for the
sale of his fertilizer. thus putting his
brand upon record. The third section
gives effect and vitality to the provisions
of the frst section, which have heretofore
been dead letter, by giving every farmer
in the State the privilege of having sam
Piles of tho commercial fertilizers buys
gratuitously analysed by the Agricu tural
College chemist.
The practical aud easy means thus al
fordsd the farmer of detec ing and expos
ing any false representations made on the
label required to be put on packages OF
commercial manurss, and the larger pen
alties imposed for such = fraud, will IN
b'edIy have the effect of making the
manufacturer careful and honest in the
composition of his manures and cause the
label TO show truthful analysis of the
contents of the fertilizer. When this is
effected the farmer will be enabled to buy
his commercial fertilizer with the same
intelligent understanding of its vaue that
he can exercise in the purchase of other
commodities and the veil of ohscurity.
which has heretofore oyerhung this most
important trade snd brought ruin upon
so many farmers, will be removed
Some objection was raised 10 the Legis-
lature by representatives, of the agricultu.
ral interests to the provision that a sam
pie for analysis should not contain less
than 25 pounds 1t wss aptly centended
that a smaller quantity would be quite
sufficient for the purpose Of analysis and
would be saving to the farmer but the
objection was not raised until so late that
such an amendment would have jeopar-
died the fual passage of the bill, aud it
was thought best to let it go When it il
remembered that. of the most expensive
kind of fertilizer, the required sample will
only be about so cents in value, tie OBJ
jectioa will be seen to be of nor very great
importance. The bill as passed will he
OF incalcula BILE advantage to the asricul-
tural interests of the State