The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-12-30
The Manufacture of Fertilizers.
THE PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER or THE BUSINESS


which engage the enterprise and attention of men,
in the fact that the former contemplates and requires
an antecedent special tuition to degree and extent
which is not required in the ordinary business and
occupations of life.
1t is said that man "bartering animal No
doubt this saying has passed into proverb from the
readiness with which men generally fall into the
ordinary pursuits of trade and speculation. Those
pursuits which are embraced in the general terms
"trade business, &C., require special antecedent
tuition The practical matter of ordinary trade is
limited to the exercise of judgment to those quail
tiles which are sensible or OF which opinion can
be formed from the evidence Of the Senses-sght,
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
phcb is fntustsre. 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, &c.
To be pursued inteligenty, 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 Chems-
try, especially as opplsed to Agrcultunay knowledge
of the physiology of plants their vital forces their
structure and organism: knowledge of the
constituent elements Of vegetable nutrion of their
natural sources of supply to whether they be of Or
ganic or inorganic origin knowledge 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 which should enter into the composition of a
concentrated Fertilizer their relative proportions
&c. q knowledge of the difference in oalue and
Quatsty of certain clements which professional chem
lists cali by the same names for example, Phosphate
of Lime whether mineral organic, is called Phos
phate of Lime; Potash, whether supplied from fell
spar III soluble FORM is called Potash. In making
report of analyses chemists not expected and do
not make note of these important differences. They
Fertilizer be i'll 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 intelligent manufacture Of Fertsssrs
which necessarily implies special tuition hence we
say this business, properly pursued partakes of the
nature of profession.
if the business be pursued without these proper
qualifications 1t 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 laos or principles
and is therefore liable to constant bunders and mis-
takes. No business partaking Of the nature OF q
profession has been subject to the intrusions OF
quackery than this very business of manufacturing
Fertilizers hence is that many Fertilizers have
been placed upon the markets which have proved 30
nearly worthless as on the one hand to involve loss
other to create distrust in their minds, of those
articles which are brought into market by parties
possessing all the requisite qualifications as to
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-
leved that Fertilizer was safe but Peruvian
Guano because it was applied as imported from the
islands. We say this prejudice arising in great
measure from want of knowledge in the manufac-
ture Of Fertilizers, and possibly, to some extent
from causes less excusable.
No doubt now exists that with the crude clements
of fertility furnished by nature better fertilizer
can be prepared than Peruvian Guano was but
knowledge Of principles as above indicated with skill
and ample material resources are necessary c0nds-
TONS If this not true the immense stores OF the
crude elements Of fertility, which found aggre-
gated in nature, would be entirely useless, and
would not testify, as they do to the sAnste ossdo,
goodness and o,cer of the Supreme Gtoer 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 OF a
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 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 Of
mankind, 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
conferred upon man by the same great author OF al