The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-13
INSPECTION OF FERTILIZER.
Shef lnsucctOr Gives Details That
are OF Interest to All Users OF
Fertilizers.

Columbia. April 9.-Sometime sine.
you kindly invited me to write an ar
ticle for publication. explaining with
some detail the inspection and analy-
sis of commercial fertilizers as is car
ried on by Clemson College. l very
much appreciate the invitation. and
trust what Is given below will prove
Of some value in making understood
very important work, about which
there Is great deal Of misinforma-
tion.
The laws governing the inspec-
tion, sale and analysis of fertilizers
are made by the representatives Of
the people in the General Assembly,
and not oy Clemson College, as we Of
ten hear. If there are imperfections
In the laws, the college Is certainly
not responsible. 1t Is the duty Of
the college to enforce the laws and
not to make them. Now for the
purpose of enforcing these laws the
Fertilizer Board has provided a Sc
cretary, who has General supervis-
ion Of everything pertaining to the
inspection and analysis of the ferti-
lizers sold in the State. There is
maintained at the college, a COM
plete and modern laboratory in
which the work is carried on. There
are a number Of expert fertilizer
chemists employed. and all are un-
der the direct supervision Of the col
leee's chief chemist.
The work In the laboratory is di.
vided into three divisions. One di-
vision makes the analysis for phos-
phoric acid. another for ammonia, and
another for potash. each entirely
Independent Of the other and with
no knowledge whatsoever Of what
percentage Of plant food has Been
guaranteed by the manufacturers.
The Fertilizer Board annually
elects a force Of competent men for
different sections of the State
twelve this year-whose duty it Is
to take samples Of every brand Of
fertilizer offered for sale in the State,
to see that the proper label is on the
sack, and that the package weigh
what 1t is guaranteed to weigh. In
order to do this. every depot and sid
ing in the State is visited from two
to five times during the season. The
inspector carries with him a steel
trier. about the length of the sack
With, this he draws samples from
one-tenth OF the lot he finds, and af-
ter thoroughly mixing. places in a
bottle holding abut a quart. seals and
atiixes his name, and the number If
the sample on the outside of bottle.
lie then makes a complete transcript
In duplicate of the labelling on the
sack. This transcript Of manufacture
er's guarantee, goes to the Secretary
Of the Board. but the sample itself
goes TO the laboratory for analysis
Mind all of the samplng, mixing
sealing and the making Of the trans
cript Is done in the presence of a
witness who signs a statement to that
effect. The manufacturers guarantee
Is held in the office Of the Secretary
and when the analysis has been
made, the results are held with it,
then once week during the sea-
son. both the guarantee and what
Is found. are written into bulletin
and thousands of copies mailed to
farmers throughout the State. But
sornebody says that the analysis Is
the chemists are i'm collusion to de-
fraud the consumers. To do this.
II would he necessary to corrupt
practically everybody connected with
the Department. number almost
equal to legal South Carolina
jury. But the State has made il
possible for those who care To do SO.
to take samples of his own fcrtili-
Ter send them to the college. have
them analyzcd and get returns on
them without anybody connected
with the college i'm any capacity,
knowing. or having an opportunity
to know who made it, where it was
m 10 rI,1t e.,
do this though. the law SAYS II must
b" done in certain way and unless
the sample is drawn i'm accordance
with the law, the college has no
right to analyzc samc. Thc law
prescribing Just how this must bc
don" is contained In Section -.
Vets 1909, and Section !. Acts f911.
The essentials To Doc observed are as