SALE OF FERTILISERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16365, 2 March 1921, Page 2

SALE OF FERTILISERS.

BREACHES OF THE ACT, The New Zealand Farmers* Co-oper-ative Association was proceeded against at the Magistrate’s C'onrt yesterday before Mr S. E M’Cartny. S.AL, on charges of . selling fertiliser in packages nor clearly branded : selling fertiliser before depositing particulars of the ingredients with the Secretary for Agriculture, and selling bonedust not tip to warrant. There were eight charges altogether The defendants were represented bv Mr Walton, and pleaded guilty. Mr A. T. Donnelly appeared for the prosecution. Mr Walton «aid that the association had been out of stocks of onion manure, and bad made up a special mixture. The purchasers knew what they were buying and were Tint. rler-civCd. The stewk of fertiliser bags bad also become exhausted, and the association used other bag« for the purpose, temporarily. M»- Donnelly said that the deficiency in the bonedust sold was equal to 19s a lon. For the defence it wa.« contended that there was an excess of phosphate which more than counter-balanced the deficiency in nitrogen. Before the guarantee was given samples were taken from a large uumber of bags and submitted to the Government analyst in Christchurch Ho certified the presence of over 1 per cent of nitrogen. The Government inspector found 3.1(i per cent nitrogen. A subsequent lest bv the local Government analyst disclosed +he presence of 4.2 Per cent nitrogen. The di.fljereneo in the results apparently lay in the method of testing. The Government inspector took liis samples from the top parts of ten bage. The association’s sampling was done with a trier on a large number of bars. In Eng. land the method of sampling was stipulated by the Art dealing ' with the matter. Hie contents of bags being tested had to be tipped out and tboroucdily mixed before the test ras taken. The Magistrate said that the charge relating to the '■ale of bonedust .was the most important, and on this the defendants would l>e fined £•*>. On the

other charges thev would be convicted Hud ordered to nnv costs.