The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-03-05

| waste products.
The Connecticut report has in previous
years taken twelve and one.half cents as
the standard upon which to estimate the
value of "phosphoric acid soluble in
WATER" in the fertilizers it examines. For
| 1883 it reduces this to eleven cents, but
its own pages show this to be far too
high. Even in an experiment on small
scale, at making homemade superphos.
phate," it says (page thirty "soluble
phosphoric acid was got at SO per one
hundred pounds" And in the analyses of
plain superphosphates, on page twenty
nine. it shows that the soluble phosphoric
acid in phosphates, bought in the open
market at ton rates, cost the buyer in two
cases only so SO and $957 per one hum
bred pounds. Why, then, allow these
makers eleven cents, when they are salts
fed with nine and one-half cents at retail2
And the report itself says, in its review Of
the fertilizer market (p,ge seventy-three):
"In plain superphosphates, containing
over ten per cent of soluble phosphoric
acid, the latter has cost 80 so per one hun
bred pounds, at retail for cash, bought of
the manufacturers. No allowance is
made for reverted and insoluble phos-
phoric acid. Such an allowance would
make the soluble acid cost still less"
Why, then, does the station allow eleven
cents as the value of this component of
fertilizers If soluble phosphoric acid
can be made on a small scale to cost only
eight cents pound, and it can be bought
at retail to cost only $3.50 with no allow
ance for from one to two dollars worth of
reverted and insoluble phosphoric acid in
the same fertilizer), it seems to be very I'M
| Just to the farmer to make eleven cents
the standard price, by which the values of
fertilizers in the market are to be judged.
We have shown that even by this stand
ard some of the leading brands are found
to be sold from twenty-five to forty per
cent too high. If we should take eight
instead of eleven cents per pound as the
standard, it would be found that many
makers are getting more than fifty per
cent too much for their goods.
But let us look little further into this
matter. Insoluble phosphoric acid in
fine ground rock phosphate cost, in 1888
according to the table of Trade Val
ues," on page twenty.fve), two and a
quarter cents pound at ton rates. The
unground rock is quoted at IS so to SO
per ton by the cargo. This contains from
five hundred to seven hundred pounds of
phosphoric acid, and the cost of grinding,
to the manufacturer, probably does not
exceed 81 30 per ton, or say $11 ton
ground, which would make the cost of the
insoluble phosphoric acid in it about two
cents pound. Now in order to make
this insoluble phosphoric acid soluble, one
hundred parts by weight of the ground
rock are spread in mortar bed and wet
with forty-two parts of water, fifty-five
parts of strong oil of vitriol {" sixty.de-
grees acid y are then added, and the whole
thoroughly mixed with hoes. Heat
enough is produced by the action of the
acid to dry out the surplus water, leaving
the now soluble phosphate ready for use,
either directly, as "plain superphos-
phate," or to be mixed with certain pro.
portions of heterogeneous and potassic ma
terials, to form a complete fertilizer.
Now we see that the whole process in the
factory consists in mixing insoluble phos-
phate rock, in pulverized form, with
forty.two per cent of water, costing moth
ing, and fifty-five per cent of oil of vitriol,
costing (see page seventy-three) from one
and three-eighths to one and one-half
cents pound from the dealers (Which
includes cost of putting up in carboys and
the makers profD. The phosphate-mak.
ers manufacture their own acid, at cost
of not over one cent a pound. Now, max.
ing the most liberal allowances for labor,
interest on capital, and other expenses, it
woull be very difficult to show that solu.
BILE phosphoric acid in any fertilizer in
the market can cost the maker over four
cents a pound, and why the experiment
stations, by their tables and estimates, al
low them from eleven to twelve and one
half cents as fair selling price, is very
difficult to understand. As will be seer
;, by reference TO the price-!ist of fertilizers
and fertilizer materials, recently printed
by us February 2O, plain superphos
\ phate, fifteen to sixteen per cent soluble
: phosphoric acid, can be bought in Boston
} at $40 per ton, or say six and one-hal
: cents per pound for its soluble phosphori
r acid. If the dealers and makers are salts
9 fed to sell at this rate, why, in the nam
Y of common sense, should the stations con
tinue to allow them nearly twice tina
n price in estimating "trade values" L
= this last estimate of six and one.half cent
|. pound no allowance is made for any r,
8 verted or insoluble phosphate in the arti
d Gle sold, which, under any analysis W
It have ever seen, would reduce the actui
cost to less than six cents pound for tn