Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-09-01
The Manufacture Of Fertilizers.
THE PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER or THE BUSINESS

1t may be SAID, in general sense, that profes.
siona occupation differs from the ordinary pursuits
which engage the enterprise and attention OF men,
in the fact that the former contempates and requires
an antecedent special tuition to degree and extent
which is not required in the ordinary business and
occupations OF life.
It is said that man Is a "bartering animal No
doubt this saying has passed into proyerb from the
readiness with which men generally tall into the
ordinary pursuits of trade and speculation. Those
pursuits which are embraced ia the general terms
"trade, business, &C., require no special, antecedent
tuition The practical matter OF ordinary trade is
limited to the exercise of judgment as to those quail
tiles which sensible, or of which an opinion can
be formed from the evidence of the senses-sight
touch, &c. Hence, no other tuition is required to
judge of the value Of ordinary merchandise, than
that afforded by practice After practice to cultivate
Judgment the exercise of discretion, to buy low and
sell at profit, constitutes an element OF success
which is intustace Degrees of excellence in these
pursuits developed by diligence in the study of
the laws of supply and demand.
The business of the Manufacture of Fertilizers
which has become of so great magnitude and I'M
portance IN this country and Europe, can not pro-
perly be cassed with those pursuits which are en-
braced in the general terms, trade barter, &c, DC
To be pursued intelgently, and with safety to the
public there must be antecedent fitness acquired by
special tuition. An intelligent pursuit of this bust
ness requires knowledge of the science Of Chemis-
try, especially applied to agriculture; knowledge
of the physiology of plants their vital forces their
structure and organism knowledge OF the
constituent elements Of vegetable nutritious OF their
natural of supply to whether they be OF Or
ganic or inorganic origin acknowledge constitu-
ents of the atmosphere and their relations to cult
waited plants OF the nature of soils and the condi
tons in which the elements OF fertility may exist;
knowledge of the nature and character OF the ele-
ments winch should enter into the composition of q
concentrated Fertilizer, their relative proportions
&c. knowledge of the difference in eal1e and
quality of certain elements which professional chem
lists cali by the same names; for example, Phosphate
of Lime whether mineral or organic, is called Phos
plate of Lime; Potash, whether supplied from fel-
spar or IN soluble form, is called Potash. In making
report of analyses chemists are not expected and DO
not make note of these important differences. They
take no note of the fact as to whether ammonia in
Fertilizer be in the form of salts or be generated
from animal organic matter; hence, published analyses
may not give correct basis of value, for all these
questions enter in the consideration =
knowledge of all these subjects and matters is
necessary to an intelligent manufacture Of Fertilizers,
which necessarily implies special tuition; hence we
say this business properly pursued, partakes OF the
nature of profession. ......rt tR 3
If the business be pursued without these proper
qualifications it becomes the subject of quackery as
is the case in other professions. quack is he who
pursues profession under the guidance Of rules and
examples, without knowledge OF TAGS or pTsncepns,
and is therefore liable to constant plumbers and mis-
takes No business partaking OF the nature OF Q
profession has been subject to the ntrusons OF
Fertilizers hence it is that so many Fertilizers have
been placed upon the markets which have proved SO
nearly worthless on the one hand to lnvolVe loss
of money and time to the consumer, and on the
other to create distrust in their minds, OF those
articles which are brought into market by parties
possessing all the requisite qualifications as. 10
knowledge of principles involved and the facilities
afforded by ample material resources.
From this very cause grew up the prejudice which
formerly existed and still exists to some extent,
against Fertilizers prepared for market 1t was be-
lieved that no Fertilizer was safe but PERUVIAN
Guano because it was applied as imported from the
islands. We say this was preudce, arising in great
measure from want of knowledge in the manufac-
ture of Fertilizers, and possibly to some extent,
from causes less excusable. ..Lte.
No doubt now exists that with the crude elements
of fertility furnished by nature, a better fertilizer
can be prepared than Peruvian Guano was, but a
koaoledge Of principles above indicated, with skill
and ample material resources, are necessary cods-
tSons If this were not true, the immense stores OF the
crude elements Of fertility which are found aggre-
gated in nature, would be entirely useless and
would not testify as they do, to the infinite aoisdoa,
goodness and oacer of the Supreme Girer Of all good
1t is fact that the vast deposits OF phosphoric
scid, and other elements of fertility, which have
been brought to light within the past quarter oil
century, exist in crude forms and conditions, utterly
unavailable for use; and, by little reflection, it
will be that they could not possibly exist IN any
other form. ......-. .,........
There will be recognized in these facts con-
formity to what may be called law OF nature.
Nearly ALL if not all, the material gifts of Provi-
dence to man are found in some sense, to exist in
crude forms. Gold, "copper" zinc, gutta percha, and
long list of similar natural products adapted to
innumerable uses for the benefit and convenience or
mankind are all furnished by the hand of nature in
crude forms, in which condition they are Of no
value. The deposits of the elements Of fertility stored
up through all the past ages for the use of mankind
in these last days. form exception to this general
law. Providence demands an equivalent for the use
of these great gifts in the exercise of the intelligence