The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-04-23
Fertilizer duatrOE.

o Utc -ultOi o. the fLORlDiAN:
Permit me, through your valuable paper 10
call attention to TWO or three important points
in IT gald Ia fertilizer control.
Que Of these points j. the matter of taking
samples. l! the samples are not propeIly taken
and pot nlo the hands OF the chemist in good
shape, everything else is vain. While it is all
very well for farmers to have the night to draw
samples and have ihem analyZed, it is utter lollv
to depend on thai. Bui | will not consume
space with discussion OF that special phase OF
the subject. The samples should be drawn here
and there and everywhere in the State after the
fertilizers have LETT the manufactures. The
system Of samphng should be 50 complete hat
samples OF every separate brand OF fertilizers
offered for sale in the State shall he
taken a leas' once year and anayZrd.
1t is Absurd for IA law, as do some OF the bills
now before the Legislature, I" merely say this
may be done: II must provide the means OF
doing it. As To how much OF task thc COZ
lectipg nf samples is | q0otc ~" following from
phse Is o! lne icp0rt o! .hc Commissioner II
Agriculture OF South Carolina tor the year 1882
" We enCcavurell during the season To procure
samples q: all tbe icrIlzers sold in The Stale for
analysis An agent "i The Department AHs
kelU regularly travelling over thc State from
February 10 june inclusive. and. IN addition,
,cver;l gentlemen kindiy v'lpntcered IAcir
,i.iance 20 the dep rjmrul in this very lmp0rl-
An} matter: but with All lheSt efforts We only
>UccccGcl ia obtaining s:lnpl u about ono
h4ii OF ihr number t.lnItet t" sale in le State.
The 4, parlntnl has no more imperative Gu,
tlia!4 the analysis OF teiiiiiZcrs and every bgan
offered 10 HE farmers in South Carolina >hund
he sampled It VIII he impo->. bic to accomplish
tins tlile@e ~nlneW hat diil rent mcihod lroInl al
pursued in the pas; adopted, and II i Tc~pcct-
uliy suggested that a least one agent OF the l"
i,arfnleiu should be appointed in each Congress
siou;l distinct, 20 serve from December or Jan.
uary 10 May OF june whose Guly ii should be
to i,rocure samples ol all fertilizers 0f,icA for
sale in his Ili,tIicl, to report AL viola ions II Jaw,
and otherwise assist the Commissioner in thi>
part OF his work" In HE report OF ihc next
wear (lSS3l, page ,, l. this: The chemical cA-
animation of commelca manuIes fred for
sale being OF such vital importance To the farmers
OF The State ii was determined To submit every
brand on the market. if possible, 10 this lest
With this object III view, three agents Were
appointed for The purpose of drawing samples OF
fertilizers Tor auaiySis.
An uniuubted Nuisance in connection with
the manufacture OF fertilizers Is The useless mul
,iplication OF brands. A STATE chemist once said
10 me on that subccl: "Tbe same article is
sold in the same town under half dozen names,
and the flImer is generally 50 confused on the
subject ahal he takes an thing thai j. offered to
him, without regard 20 lis analysis. Tins evl
can be checked, when IA tax IS lcVled, by levylng
The tax al 50 much 6fdnd, rather than al so
much II ton The brapd tax system has other
material advantages over tie TOD tax system
They viii be pointed out below.
7 wis, 10 emphasize other point. II
makes no difference how sllct a law the Legs
laiure NAV pass, It vii! be Il dead le'l"r unless
means ot meeting HE expenses necesStIy I" lis
thorough execution provided. III the cA-
annie Of our ncig igh50rng States cooul Tor any
thing il is folly ior lis 10 shut o'ir eyes Ia the
EcI Ihat the execution Oi Il fertilizer ltW lhai
has anv backbone to ii, viii cost from i've
,n six thousand dollars "A year. Unless the Stat"
i wltliGg IT, raise som" such sum a iha' hy di
recl taxation i'll ,he USuai way, II VIII be- nee
essary To raise il BY taxing itrililzerS. hat
arr. tue objections t. levy lng II TeasOnahIr lax
ON teriii.Z,.re? Two urged first, that IT
tbrotlics enterprise; secondly, that 1t FaseS The
cost Of fertilizers to the tariaer. Neither OF these
objections have any foundation in fact Where
tbe conditions for fertilizer manufacture exist,
there they are manufactured, tax or 40 tax.
Wines South CarOnn, Georgia ana North
Ca-oliua with their tax al twenty nVe cents Il
ton fifty cents II ton ard $500 brand respect
ivrIv As 10 III" second objection, suppose II
tnt Suppose % 10 80 cents ton more must
he paid-ihc buyer gets Qaid pro Quo many
times oyer--the standard oi fertilizer Is raised
and fraud checked. I'VE believe, ana think The
evidence conclusive" says the Commissioners oi
Agriculture Of South Carolina, that ''lhe official
control OF commercial manures IN South Cao
lima. prevents imposition upon the farmer, rails
es the standard OF fertilizers, drives out spurious
grades, and, in short, "compes manufacturers
10 state what they sell and 10 sell what they
state" But as a matter OF fact, do not believe
that tax on fertilizers would effect Their
nrice at all in Florida. Georgia and South Caro-
Ina impose q tax, Florida does not.
Do Georgia and South Carolina manufactures
make a deduction, IN consequence OF