The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-20

were useless to the farmer. vou NAV
depend upon It manure dealers woaIsl
MAKE 10 opposition 20 the chsuascal
examination uf their productions. II
i Just for the reason that the tricks ~
the anu trade can onfv b. saacc.~~
fully exposed by a thorough chemical
examination. that certain mannfartu.
Ters II are - bitter acAInxt
analytical tests.
In the ours of tire year I make
1000 analyses 10 various fertilizers Tor
bonn nd farmers. and = atlIi larger
number Tor manufacturers and deal
ers. n hav" don. ~ tog = good many
years pasta pretty gc-~i pfac:icAl
proof II tho value II chemical tnAIs -
II both parties
Yours faithfully.
AUoC>Tt> \oTL NEE-
DR- THoNAS L Ll.NKp.
If that does not ~ IT,. matter II
rest a. far - Or. }oeiker = concerned.
what more can We DO Dur ~iaTuaers
can Judge for themselves whether
Mr.. Ledoux Il or Is ncr sustained hv
the most distinguished authority the
world. Or. Noelcker Col. OF MAY
say that \ oelcker has gone baCk IN
his previously expressed opinions. lte
that A. il may. his opinion published
above i the latest news from head
quarters. and If he has changed hls
views he must have had reason for
doing 50. and the above statement i
all the more weightr. II II j. the final
conclusion OF a Judge - eminent n
DIR. N~oelcker.
Turning 10 this country no one ~ill
deny that Prof. :. W. Johnson. author
of How Crops Grow, How Crops
Feed. &c. &c, stands IL the head ef
u American agricultural chemists.
Again Col. OFT agrees a. To the high
authority of Prof. Johnson lie speaks
of him rs the one who more than
II other scientific man in this coun-
try has devoted his attention 10 the
examination OF our industrial crops,
and we deem ourselves happy IN being
able To present to our friends n paper
from 50 distinguished a
source"
Let us see what Prof. Johnson says:
Plaster. lime. stable and
nearly all of the less expensive fertlIl-
Zers have quite variable prices, which
bear no close relation 10 their chemical
composition, but gnano, superphos-
pilates, ald other fertilizers. for which
$50 to $50 per ton are paid. depend
chiefly for their trade value on the
three substances, nitrogen, phoSphoric
acid and potash, which are compare
lively costly and quite steady IN price.
The money-value per pound of the
ingredients is easily estimated from
the market prices OF the standard ar
ticle5 which furnish them t. COM
merce."
These estimated values" are not
fixed. but vary with the state of the
market. and are from time to time
subject to revision. They are not
exact to the ent or its fractions be
cause the same article sells cheaper at
commercial or manufacturing centers
than IN country towns. cheaper III
large lots han IN small, cheaper for
cash than on time. These values are
high enough to do no injustice TO the
dealer. and accurate enough to serve
the object of the consumer"
by multiplying the per cen of Nj
trogen, &c, by the trade-yalue per
pound, and then by 20, we get the
value per ton of the several ingredi-
ents, and adding the latter together
we obtain the total estimated value
per tom
THE uses Of the Valuation are first
to show whether a given lot or brand
of fertilizer is worth, as a commodity
of trade, what it costs. If the selling
price is no higher than the estimated
value, the purchaser may be quite
sure that the price is reasonable. 1t
the selling price is but 50 to 81 per
ton more than the estimated value IT
may still be a fair price, but If the cost
per ton is 50 or more over the eStima-
ted value, it would be well to look
further. I'd. Comparisons of the esti-
mated values, and selling price of
number of fertilizers will generally in
dictate fairly which is the best for the
money
THE Agricultural value of a ~fertili-
ger is measured by the benefit re-
ceived from its use, and depends upon
its fertiliz,ng effect, or crop-producing
power. As a broad general rule it is
true that Peruvian guano, superphos-
pilates, fish scraps, dried blood, pot
ash, salts, plaster, &c, have a high
agricultural value, which is related TO
their trade value, and to a degree de
termines the latter value"
Furthermore Prof. Johnson, in a
private letter of January 10Th, -, in
speaking of the method of fertilizer
control employed in Connecticut and
in North Carolina, a
1.-THE subject does not need discus
sion here (in Ct as dealers and far
mers appear to be perfectly satisfied
that the method of valuation is correct
in principle and equitable in practice,
or if favoring either party favoring
dealers rather than | am
certain that although the valuation
system may not always hare been
justly applied 1t Arrays may be, and
that cannot spare It.
Is there any need TO 20 further?
Col. OFT raises a great many points
which cannot touch upon, az | have
already dwelt too long upon the sub
ject-
/ regret sincerely that a gentleman
Of Col. Otis high character and recog-
nized ability should have placed him
self upon the wrong side of this ques-