BASIC SLAG CASE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 272, 10 August 1908, Page 3

BASIC SLAG CASE.

MERCHANTS' FINED. A Mastorton Press Association messago states that an important, case was heard at tho Masterton .Court, on Saturday, when several' merchants wore summoned for selling . basic slag-containing a less percentage of phosphoric acid than required. by the Gov- ... eminent regulation. ' Defendants - had all / sold on. a certificate issued at Home to the importers, and there was no alternative but to plead guilty, when a. fine of £1 each was imposed.. It*was stated that' it was the first caso of tho kind in the Dominion. The Govcnimout. expert stated that the vendors could not have ascertained by ordinary examination that the fertiliser was. not equal to the . required standard of. strength. .In . future: importers, as[; a precautionary moasuro, will havo importations tested in New Zealand' by the Agricultural. Department, and will obtain a certificate as to quality be- " sides -the'one. issued], to tho, importers by tho Homo''manufacturers. '" .

: Our special Wairarapa 1 correspondent telegraphs:—The lecont S.M. Court., prosecutions will draw attention to', tho necessity for all importers to'dbtfiin l an analysis, of tho material before, it is/actually shipped, from the Europeans ports. . Basic slag-is rapidly becoming a most popular 'fertiliser v for topdressing pastures. In tho Nortli Island experiments conducted by the Department havo shown'that slag has increased the' yield of , grass in .one case twcntyfold where applied in one application at the rate of half a ton per acre, the. experiments, extending over. . • threeyears.,., Hence, basic slag .is likely to '' provo " : amost valuable ally to the" dairy farmer... No amount of legal .machinery can, • of course, : guard against a purchaser's own igIt is therefore advisable to state that purchasers /should: insist that Thomas

phosphates or, basic slag should contain at' least 15,-per cent, of phosphoric acid, each per ■ cent, of which (in a ton;weight) at the pro-' cent is not worth more than'six shillings.'. In iEe decent-proceedings/ taken against several, vendors .of fertilisers': by the . Agri-' cultural.; Department, the following- particulars' qfv extreme interest to farmers were Made t known: —Four vendors were ■ pro-ceeded-'against in; the Magistrate's • Court, Ma-sterton, • at; -the instigation of the Agri-. cultural. Department, for. selling fertiliser basic .-slag- ; (Thomasphosphate) which, on analysis, proved to bo at variance with tho guarantee to the extent of from 2 to 4 • per cent,- and,. therefore, deficient in ••'. value. from 10s. ,toi24s. per ton. Counsel appear- ' ing for: three of the vendors, in pleading guilty, asserted in;extenuation that samples of the same shipment had been analysed 'and found to'be, up to the guarantee/ Mr.- A. R. Bunny, 'representing ;■ tho v Department, thereupon produced a letter, written by Messrs. Murray, Roberts, and Co. (the original importers of the slag), .to . the Secretary for \ Agriculture,'..stating that "immediately on hearing '. 1 of * the*; 'discrepancy .we • sent samples to' Professor.Bickerton, who practically confirms tho results obtained by your officers." ilr. B. C. Aston; chief chemist to tho Department, and; an'analyst under the Fertilisers Act, at the request/of. the Bench' gave evidence '.that the' information . at his disposal: negatived- the suggestion;, of de- ' fendants' counsel/ Basic slag - was an article whoso -approximate'quality .could in ;no wise be ascertained ;by . mere inspection, and although other fertilisers, such, as bone , dust, might . often show r somo abnormality in appearance and thus_ arouse the suspicions, of . the purchaser, basic slag, on tho, contrary, might'bol adulterated with 80 to 90 per cent. ■ of furnace slag or.:sand and pass muster on . inspection.. It . would then tako:"an analyst ' some' hours' working, in a to;de- • tect the adulteration. Basic.'slag did not appreciably 'nhder normal conditions.- I'urther charges against. two of the defendants, for failing. to register. . their In.anies, ■ addresses, and. particulars, of. . their wares ;.with tho Secretary :forAgriculture, were withdrawn'by of th<s : Bench,- tho defendants. having since complied ! with tho statute. A third defendant was convicted for not registering. Defendants, who all pleaded guilty, were each fined 20s. and costs.

What the Law Recuircs. i V - • There is. no law to prevent a. person, or -irm from selling.-low-grade manure, nor ,is there any need for'any : such law so long as ■ho sells .it at. its true value. What tho law demands ;is that a certificate of ' analysis shall be supplied with' each sa}o of half a ton ~and ; over, : setting ; forth .' the . minimum . percentages of >.. tho chief • manurial ■ ingredients, so that tho purchaser may know how much phosphoric acid, potash, and nitrogen' ho is getting for his money; It is quite, legal, to sell dirt as manure, so'long as the information supplied as to its contents is. accurate.; It is, 'however, .exceedingly important that the farmers shall ; purchase only such fertilisers as will givo good results, and that they shall possess "full weight" of the essential matters. In basio slag, extreme fineness is as important , as. analysis. In tho Dominion of May 20, ..there''.were published two typical, analysis to- show farmers what to expect in good; average ;basic slags. These' are'here reproduced in view of the increased interest in tho question:— Two Good Avcrago Basic Slags. Sample A. Sample B. Lime, per cent. .... . 50 55 Phosphorio Acid, ■' < . per cent.' 18" 17 Oxide of iron, etc., per.-cent.' ' ... 22 >. 12 1 Silica, per cent." 1\ , '— Magnesia, per - cent. ... ... 3 _