Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-01-30
TO REMEDY DEFECTS
IN FERTILIZER LAW
A New Bill To Be Handled in the
House by Judge Rowel and in
the Senate by Senator Astin.

Dr. G. S. Traps, state chemist OF
Texas at A. & NJ. college, who is vest.
ed With the administration OF the state
fertilizer law, hopes to have a new
law passed by the present Legislature.
He says the present fertilizer law is
defective in several respects.
l. 1t does not provide sufficient
penalties to protect the consumer or
honest manufacturer.
2. 1t requires the state chemist to
make a number of analyses which
have very little value. A large number
of the samples of fertilizer which are
analysed half of them-are sent
in by the manufacturers, and the law
compels the chemist to analyZe them
Most of those samples do not repre-
sent portions of goods actually shipped
into the state, but are made up in
small quantities to meet the require
ments Of the Texas law. Hence these
analyses are not Of great value. IF the
proposed law is passed, the state in.
spectors can collect twice as many
samples as they did last year, and
yet involve mo greater expense for
analyses. One inspectors sample, in
the opinion of DR.. Traps, has greater
value than three manufacturers sam
pies.
3. 1t interferes with the expert
mental use OF fertilizers. A tax of SIS
per brand practically prohibits the
mixing of a few tons of fertilizer ac-
cording to some special formula. A
few tons for experimental purposes is
often desired, but such has either to
be mixed by the farmer himself or he
has to pay a very high price for it, or
he has to go without it.
A. II often causes delay. The pres
ent law requires the state chemist to
print a different tag for each brand
of fertilizer. The goods can not be
shipped without the tag. 1t takes time
to print and deliver the tags The
printer sometimes gets behind; the
tags are delayed in transit. The farm
er wants to plant and he wants the
fertilizer in a hurry Planting time is
short, and all the business is concen-
trated in few months.
A new bill has heen prepared and
will be handled in the house by Judge
T. p. Rowell and in the senate by Mr..
Astin.
In preparation Of the law Dr.. Traps
first secured copies of the laws from
all the states. Requests were made
for suggestions to various quarters. A
draft of bill was then made which
would contain all the provisions which
past experience with the Texas fertil-
izer and feed laws and knowledge of
the operation Of the fertilizer laws ap-
pear to make necessary. Copies of
this draft we're submitted to Dr. H. H.
Harrington, director of the experiment
station, who has had considerable ex-
perience with the fertilizer and feed
laws, and great and wide knowledge
OF Texas conditions, and to a number
of the companies doing business in
the state. All suggestions received
were given caerful consideration. At
the request of some of the fertilizer
manufacturers DR.. Traps met a num-
Der of them at Houston on November
II. The draft of the proposed bill was
gone over section by section, and all
criticisms or suggestions were dis
cussed. No objection was made to any
of the main features of the bill. The
suggestions made were mostly toward
some of the details of the proposed
law, whose change appeared desirable
or necessary from the point of view of
the operation of the law and the man.
ufacturer of fertilizer.
Over two hundred circular letters
were sent out to dealers or consumers
of fertilizers in all parts of the state
calling attention to the proposed
changes which would affect them and