The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-18

games of swindling, that of the manufac-
turing of commercial fertilizers are the easi-
est played. Our State authorities have made
all imperfect effort to protect the farmers
from this imposition, by appointing State
inspector of fertilizers. Now, if the inspector
were to carry out the work in the rigid man
ner'that his duty requires him, much good
might be done, but from our observation in
materials coming from under tags with his
signature on them, leads us to have loud
suspicion that something is wrong some
where.
The strength or quality of fertilizer cam
not be told by either the color or smell.
The color comes from the absorbent used
sulphate of lime, allumina and carbon are
the ones commonly used. Sulphate of lime,
common plaster, leaves it in its natural
color; allumina, common red clay color;
carbon and charcoal dust leaves it black. If
sulphuric acid be used in the manufacture
to properly dissolve the bone, it leaves or
forms residue of sulphatc of lime in q
sufficient quantity to absorb all, or at least
three per cent, of ammonia. So, if We adj
nit this. I can see no use of buying these
other materials, and paying Mt the rate of
$40 or $50 per ton for them, when we have
them lying around loose on all our farms.
Allumina is nothing moro than common
clay; carbon can be had from charcoal,
woods earth or any decaycd vegetable mat
ter. All these are good things for the sol,
also good absorbents of both ammonia and
water, but the ammonia is in more volatile
form in the shape of carbonate than sui
phate. This is one reason why the dark
articles generally smell stronger than the
others. The prime object of using what
some call absorbents, is to absorb money
out of the farmers pocket.
1t is very easy matter to take mari, plas-
ter, red clay and charcoal, or either of these
with charcoal, with the addition Of few
dead rats, cats or something else and make
fertilizer equal in smell or rich looks as q
high grade fertilizer. So it will be seen that
buying guano is very much like buying
sausage. You don't know how many pups
or cats are in the sausage; so it is in buying
guano. See that you buy from good, rcli-
able firm or factory, with a sufficient guar
antec to operate upon if necessary. If we
can so manage as to have our fertilizers tes-
ted i'll our county, the above precautions are
| not necessary.
We farmers are partly i'll fault in getting
swindled with guano-we ask for something
cheap and we get it. We may 60 into a
store to buy pair of pants; the clerk will
price them to us from 50 to So, but in this
case we know why they are higher, but in
the case of the fertilizers we are slow to
learn. There is nothing like knowing what
you want first, and then buying it as cheap
as you can, but be sure you get it. If a
company or factory send out good article
| this season, it is no guarantee that they will
do so next, unless they are strictly relia-
BILE firm. I have noticed that some firms in
praising their fertilizer, speak of its doing
as much if not more good the second and
even the third year than the first. This
shows that the article is in low state of
solub;lity, and will not become of. use to the
plant until the acids of the earth have de-
composed it or made it in an available form,
fit for the use of plants. Bone meal'will
show on land for five years for the same
reason. When this is the case it lacks sui
phuric acid, which would dissolve it and
make it all, or nearly so, OF use to the plant
at once. Again, I have heard them say
guano was made from pure South american
Ut SUIlle Oluef Oty OUHC ldl dhu uy AAoAAt
Now, bone or bone phosphate of lime is
the same thing in South Carolina as it is in
South America.
will now say to my fellow farmers that
am with you in all efforts to do good in
buying guano as cheap as it can be had, and
preserve its quality, but if the reckless. ef-
forts in buying cheap stuff, disregarding
quality, continues we will soon run it into
a genuine article of mari, or something
worse, and thereby injure if not break down
the more honorable factories, and ct the
same time do great injury to ourselves, the
agriculturist. the great driving wheel of all
the civilized world.
am very truly yours.
P. H. D. S.
P.S. You don't know what P. H. D. S. is,
ha? An old fashioned farmer would call it
pumpkin head digger of the SOIL :" but the
modern scientific farmer would call it Pa
tron of Hnsbandry doctor of the SOIL"