The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-17

From the Southern Home.]
Letter From Dr.. LedOux.

some queries about the Agricultural
Rurrau." which appeared in a late
number of your paper over the familiar
n;rnature. sR. /. Med" So far as the
limited space, which a newspaper artl-
clio can occupy will allow, | Will
answer some of his queries:
The first one is From an inspec-
tion of these figures representing the
commercial values of a number OF fer
,iIizersI the question will be asked,
how can these fertilizers be sold at
thasa nrices. most of which are sold at
f,r,reS If and below what the chemist
80 their commercial ingredients cost
IN the market 2" The figures used IN
North Carolina to determine the COM
r,nrcial values of fertilizers, are
s NiIF3Ssq F;nospnorlc Acid, 5Ss
Reeve ted, s. q.
~InSoluble, 1. q. s..
Potash,
The following example will show
how we arrive at them /: 10 arrive at
the value of Nitrogen, We enquire at
what price it can be obtained in its
most efficient form, i. e., in that form
or forms which experience shows to
have given the best results IN the soil;
and we find for instance, that in Peru
Wan Guano, blood, &c. s., where it IS
universally acknowledge that the nj
frozen exists in the fittest shape for
pIant food, it is sold at a retail price,
nowhere lin this country above %
cents per pound. We consequently
say: Since Nitrogen can be purchased
in excellent form for manurial purposes
at % cents per pound, that may be
taken as its market value, and there is
no reason why the farmer should pay
more for it."
The above is from a circular of the
Experiment Station. The figures used
are retail figures. A manufacturer
buying his ingredients by the 100, or
often BY the l, 600 tons, docs not pay
% cents for his Nitrogen, for example,
and these figures are high enough to
allow any manufacturer to sell at the
valuation which we arrive at from APP
nlving these figures and make a clear
profit of from 80 to 80 per cent We
thus see how many manufacturers can
afford to sell their goods for less than
nv valuation. They are simply willing
to receive less than 40 per cent. profit
and make up the difference by in
creased sales. If we wish to take into
consideration actual cost we can best
illustrate by an example. Let US sup
pose that a manufacturer wishes to
make a Superphosphate similar to some
which have been sold in the State.
He may take as follows:
1l57 lbs bone at "a cts per Ib. san
Grinding at ) per ton, go
tU2 lbs : lph. Acid at - els. l. 05
IS" Water, 600
2o47 lbs Labor and bags, SO
Il " Loss i'll grass,
2,0rI lbs. i toni Total cost. s374l
\ Superphosphate of this compost
ton would analyze as follows
soluble Phosphoric Acid, Is 20 per cent
Equiv. to Bone Phosphate, So 81 per cent
I%uSoluhle P~hosphoric Acid, none.
reverted none.
Nitrogen, 265 per cent
Equiv. to Ammonia. 3.6 per cent
Calculating the pounds per ton, and
applying North Carolina valuation fl
CURES, we have as follows
"a lbs Sol. Phos. Acid at
Esz cents per pound, 40 50
" Io9ol nitrogen at z2 cts. II 81
tom. value per ton of 2.tOl
POUNDS. 52m
HE manufacturers of such a Super
phosphate could sell it at the figures
which our valuation indicates, and
clear over $l5 per ton.
II has been asserted by DR.. Ellzey,
OIL Blacksburg, Va, that the articles
Soid IN North Carolina, have been
made on a cheaper formula than those
SOFA IN adjoining States. This | denv
positively. My experience in analy-
Mh8 fertilizers is cot limited to the
t"o years which have spent in North
aroma, and before | came here, |
was familiar with the larger number
o. tie forty odd brands sold in the
I'"'e' assert that lot only has there
a''u no change in the ingredients used
III most OF them, but that if there IS
Hs 0iherence at all, some of them
t''e! nave improved. The forty odd
nu'llzerS sold in North Carolina have
%"onS them the best that are sold in
wL; United States. Many fertilizers
mn nave for years been used with
"isiactlon IN Massachusetts. Connec-
bsro New Jersey, and on Long Island
wa, O'lle into this State since the tax
Iaa IMPOSED, competition with worth
ont 81 ot"l having previously kept them
tba y asserted that the farmer paws
l." ' tertIllzer tax in the end. This can
H'>Pfoved. If the tax was imnosed
the an, Eto'lSion made for controlling
verr s'!' the manufacturer would
farmer "oh get back his money from the
the for, 1ut the moment the price of
Iower ,e5'iIIzer is raised or it's quality
G%;Gtled' the analysis of the station ey.
-.1.ls lhe difference Thoro 10 49,.