Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-02-05
For the SPECTATOR.
Commercial Fertilizers.

In the SPECTATOR of the Goth instant
l addressed communication to the
Legislature calling their attention to
the frauds practiced by some manufac-
turers of fertilizers in other States where
they have now established inspec-
ton stations and detected these frauds
by analysis, with the rational inference
that If these frauds have been practiced
everywhere else, where fer. ilizers are
sold without inspection, that they are
extensively practiced here, and l now
wish to say word to the farmers of
Virginia on this most important subject.
l will here say, that whilst we have
some honest men engaged in this busi-
ness, we have reason to believe that a
majority of them are taking the farmers
money without rendering an equiva-
lent. We do not intend these structures
for honest men, but for those Shylocks
who are drawing the life-blood from the
farmers.
When farmer takes load of flour
or hogshead of tobacco to market,
it must be Inspected according to law
and at the farmers expense, for the
protection of the dealer or purchaser,
or if be takes load of wheat. corn or
oats, it is sampled and graded and sells
49, wi I" h@C thou RdltlCQldl RlduO Is
worth, but when we buy ton of fertil-
iZer, where it is impossible to Judge by
its appearance whether it is good or
worthless article, we have to take the
sellers statement alone.
Now we claim that farmers are as
honest as any class, but how many pro-
duce-dealers would be willing to buy
Hour. wheat, corn, oats, tobacco, &c,
lndlscflmlnately, without an eNainina-
ton or any means of determining wheth-
er 1t was what it was represented to be, or
a bag or barrel of sand.
This is substantially the condition of
the fertilizer market among us.
In my communication in the SPEC
TATOR of the 18th, TO referred several
eases of fraud where they were sold at
more than twice their real value. will
now refer to one more case among many
Others that have beep detected by the
experimental station in Connecticut by
Prof. Atwater and by Prof. Johnson,
Chemists for the State Board of Agri-
culture of same State To make these
comparisons clear and Ineligible to
these who have given but little attention
to the science of Agricultural chemistry,
1t is necessary to say here that whilst
our cultivated crops are composed of
quite number of elementary censtitu-
ents, viz: Nitrogen, Potash, Phosphoric
acid, Carbon, Lime, Magnesia, Silica,
Suiphurlc acid, end trace of Chlorine,
Soda, and Iron, of these, only three
Nitrogen, PhosphOric acid and Potash
need be taken into account Ia estimating
the value of a manure--the rest being
usually supplied in abundance by the
soil, water And the atmosphere.
/ no faciI the estimate s,f ., ,uanuro
az ricultural chemis have established a
standard Of values for these three ele-
nients; Nitrogen, 20 cents per pound
soluble Phosphoric acid, Is cents insoI.
uhle, cents; Potash, 6 cents per Id.
Prof. Atwater analyzed, in Pursuance
of his duties at the staticR, ave samples
of fertilizers, cue OF which, a super,
phes phste OF high grade, manufactured
In England, Was worth by the above
| standard $50 So; selling price, $62.
Another sample made in this country
was worth S. q, and had been selling to
the poor farmers at sos per ton In the
English sample, the Nitrogen cost the
farmer 10 cents per pound. In the
American sample, it cost the buyer 81. 81
per pound, instead of 20 cents, It's actual
value.
trof. Atws ter, in commenting on
these analyses, says: IF man were
to pay SIG yard for cloth, when an.
other equally as cord could be bought
for 20 cents, we could not find words to
express his folly, and hundreds of
shrewd, careful farmers in this good
tcountry of ours are buying Nitrogen
and Phosphoric acid at from 35 to 800
peg cent more than they need to pay
In a ton of this fertilizer he had to haul
end handle Qs3 pounds of sand"
These instances stand on record, with
| hundreds of others, as established facts.
Now | want to ask my brother farm
Are you in favor of letting this thing
our Legislature that they promptly and
this great evil? The agricultural inter-
est is the basis of our prosperity, and is
entitled TO the fostering care Of tue State.
We do sincerely hope the Legislature
WILL at this session, make some provis.
ion to meet this want, by making q
small appropriation to pay competent
chemist TO analyZe all the fertilizers on
the market before we put out our wheat
crop this coming Fail, and / can assure
them that it will be the most popular
measure they could adopt. l hope the
press of the State will call attention to
this subject, and that the people thro'-
out the State will, without delay, hold
meetings on their court days and urge
Immediate action, for if it is not done this
session it must lay over two years. Let
Augusta lead off and have a meeting at
our February Court, and take some ac-
ton in this matter. III. GEEDING.
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