The Portland daily press., 1881-05-30
Shall We Buy Fertilizers or Cattle Fooaq

Shall We Buy Fertilizers or Cattle Food?
Every progressive farmer admits that it is
profitable to increase his supply of manures
for use on the farm. Whether it is more
profitable to do this by the purchase of ma
nures and commercial fertilizers or by pur-
chasing feeding stuffs for the farm stock.is a
question OF practical Importance for everv
farmer to decide for himself.
There is difference of opinion whether
or not it is advisable for farmer to pur-
chase commercial fertilizers to any consider
able extent. Many good farmers, while ad
uniting that they have to pay more for them
than they are actually worth, yet think that
it is more profitable TO purchase moderate
amount than to get along without them.
When commercial fertilizers can be obtained
at their value, then it is generally admitted
that it will pay to purchase them to a linn
tied extent. 1t never pays, however, to al
low barn manures to be wasted, and pur-
chase fertilizers to make up the loss. 1t
would be much better to save all home.
made manures and be content with them,
The analyses of commercial fertilizers
made at the Connecticut Experiment Sta
ton have shown that the actual value of the
superphosphates, even of standard brands. is
considerably less than their market price, SO
that the farmer who purchases them paws
more than the market value for the
elements OF plant food which they contain,
Analyses of several leading fertilizers
showed an actual value of from 121 to 29a
per cent less than the prices at which thew
We're sold in the market. These were ali
first class commercial fertilizers and gener
ally regarded as among the the best if not
the best in the market, and yet it will be
seen that the farmer who purchases the IN
has to pay more for them than the element
OF plant food which they contain are actual
ly worth. Evidently it will not be profita-
BILE for farmer to purchase very exte, sive-
ly such fertilizers. He must endeavor to
expend his money for that which possesses a
value equivalent to the price paid
In purchasing commercial fertilizers. it is
the elements of plant food which they con-
tain that the farmer wishes to secure. IF he
can purchase these same elements in solu-
BILE condition in some other form at less
cost, then 1T will be for his interest to do so.
Ii he can purchase cattle food at a reduced
cost, then it is for his interest to purchase
the cattle food. Cotton seed meal and
wheat bran are valuable feeding stuffs for
cows and other farm Stock and very rich in
plant food. According to the table prepared
by Or. j. b. Laws OF Rothamstead, England,
the manure made from one ton of decolti-
ated cotton seed meal, is worth $27.S6. whiel
the market price of the meal is seldom as
high as that in this country. 1t may be OBJ
jected that Laws estimate is too high. and
it probably is. yet it is, perhaps, not higher
proportionately than the market price of
most OF the commercial fertilizers. Cotton
seed meal, at its market price, is estimated
by some to be the cheapest fertilizer in the
market for direct application to the land;
but it is sufficiently evident that it would be
made more profitable to feed it to farm stock
and carefully save the manure for use on
the land; then the gain on the stock would
be obtained, greatly reducing the cost of the
fertilizing elements. In feeding cotton seed
meal to cows giving milk the full cost of the
meal would be returned in milk, and the
iertilizng elements would actually cost very
little II anything. The manure made from
wheat bran is estimated by Laws to be worth
S14.66 per ton. The bran is generally re-
sarded by dairymen as worth its full value
Tor increasing milk.-Auburn Me- Corr N.
E. Farmer.