The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-12-20
FINER FERrILIzERs.
Fcwcr Samples Found Deficient This
Year Than I'm Any Year Previous.


The eighth annual report of the South
Carolina experimental station, which
shows very fully the improvements
made In the grades of fertilizers fur
.nished during the past year. and shows
the income derived by the State from
the fertilizer tax:
INSPECTION OF FERTILIzERs.
Owing to the ereat depression in the
fertilizer trade the past year the ship.
ping season did not open as early as
usual, consequently our inspectors were
not started to work till about Feb. l,
and therefore had only about two
months in which to work. However,
they made o thorough canvass OF the
State and visited most of the shipping
points several times during the season.
Three hundred and forty samples OF
fertilizers, representing 206 brands OF
goods, were collected. All of these,
except the duplicate samples, were ana
lyzed and reported in bulletin No. 20
of the South Carolina experimental
station, 10000 copies of which were
distributed throughout the State. Com.
paratively few cases of Irregularities
were discovered. The greatest difficulty
we have to contend with in carrying
ont tho law Of the State is the coilec.
ton of the privilege tax on cotton seed
meal. This continues to give us
trouble. Under the law, az construed
by this department, we tax the meal
when il is sold as fertilizer, and We
regard it all as fertilizer unless it is
branded as stock food, but in many
cases it is bought by farmers nnd deal
ers in carload lots, frequently from
mills in other States, without stating,
and perhaps not knowing for what pur-
pose it is to be used, and is shipped
and distributed free of the tax, when
doubtless large portion of it is used
as fertilizer. AS the law now stands,
persons who are disposed to disregard
at can easily do so and have a loophole
of escape from it's penalties. In view
of the difficulty of enforcing the pres
ent law. and since cotton seed meal hns
come into such general use as COM
mercial fertilizer, / would recommend
that the legislature be asked to place it
on the same footing IA other CONNER
cial fertilizers and make it liable to
the privilege tax in all cases. The
State of Georgia has had snch law In
operation for several years, and feel
confident that it would be to the inter
est of the farmers to have the law 80
amended and that the manufacturers
themselves would not object to it. l
think it but Just to state in this con-
nection that believe most mills In the
State try to comply with the law as 1T
is, and some of them even pay the tax
on all meal they sell now rather than
run the risk ofviolating the State laws.
GUARANTEES.
It is gratifying to report that fewer
have been found below the
guarantees, than in any
year since the organization of this de-
Under the act of 1894,
which allows limit of B per cent.
below commercial values, only two
brands of goods were found deficient.
FARMERS SAMPLES.
A greater number of farmers samples
have been received this year than last,
and all of those collected according to
the prescribed rules of the department
have been analyzed and reported to the
persons sending them.
Instructions for collecting and
forwarding these samples are always
furnished on application to the fer
tilizer department and it is important
that farmers comply strictly with these
rules, rs they have been adopted solely
for their benefit.
The following table shows the work
of the department this season, also for
comparison the corresponding figures
of 1894 are given;
Privilege tax collected, 1895, $780,
O77.93; 1894, Si3, 400. 06. Amount of
fertilizers sold in the State, (tons)
1895, 120,3ll; 1894, 1926. Num-
Der of samples collected by inspectors,
1895, $40; 1894, 500. Number of sam
pies anulyzed, 1895, 2O6; 1894, 234.
Number of samples below guarantee,
1895. +23; 1894, A. Per cent. of
samples below guarantee, 1895, Ill;
1894. IS.
-Under the present law, which re-
qnires that the commercial value based
upon tn actual analysis shall not fall
. per cent. below the commcrcinl value
based Iron guarantees. only two
branGs we're .uUnd deficient.
The following statement shows the
total expense of the department for
the past year:
Salaries Of chemists anu secretary -. I2i %
Ch"mi al supplies and iuci. ....... I62 .66
Postage. stationary. ."tc............. G3.72
Freight nni expenses. .-...... ....... 81 81
Prlutln: tax ta,-. -................... 900. 90
Services Of vot"rinurp surG"on.... $40
Salaries and railroad fare of inspec-
lOTS . .......... iIU.Sl