The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-03-24

the Buffalo Superphosphate, Soluble
Pacific Guano Co.'s, and several others,
not sold in this state. Among the
ground-bone brands, five ranged in value
from S11.04 to $20.23 under the selling
price. Now we confess to finding it
very hard of belief that all these vari-
ations and deficiencies in value are
chargeable to the fault and foolishness
of the farmer in not buying by the car
load for cash. For here we note, in
fertilizers all sold by the same system,
q variation between extremes on COM
plete fertilizers of 1927. per ton and
on ground bone of 1924 per ton. 1t
would seem to be plain that some of
these makers are not dealing as men
ought to deal, even with customers who
buy on time and have to be induced to
buy under the solicitation of high
salaried agents.
But there is still another point over
looked in this matter, and very inn
portant one it is, too. Hardly a single
one of these dealers whose goods show
low valuation offer their fertilizers by
the carload for cash to farmers at dis
count which will bring them down to
this valuation. We are always ready to
take every advantage of this kind, and
could easily get neighbors to join with
us, if such opportunities were offered
us. In New York, where according to
these analyses) much higher grades are
made than in New England, it may be
different. But no Boston makers will
do it, so far as we know
Still again, as we have before shown
to our readers, the prices upon which
these station valuations are made are
not strictly wholesale prices. AT the
best they are only jobbing prices for
small lots, and the actual cost to the
fertilizer-makers is often from twenty
to thirty per cent less. Now that is
an immense margin for goods of this
sort. Fertilizers ought to be, and can
be, sold for cash with less margin
than flour, because the cost of manu-
facture is less, and transportation is no
higher. To show how very much the
prices of this class of goods in the
United States are in excess, we have
only to quote the rates for the same
goods in foreign markets, as illustrated
by the following advertisement taken
from a recent English journal:
Mark Finch & Co., Victoria Docks,
London, E. Superphosphates, contain
ing twenty-six per cent of soluble phos-
phate, 60 II 6 per ton 2,240), free on
rails here. We guarantee the analysis
of all our manures; customers draw
their own samples, when they receive
the bulk, and if DR.. Voelcker, Mr..
Bernard Dyer, or Mr.. John Hughes,
certifies that the sample is of less value
than the money which has been paid
for the manure, then we return the
difference"
Now 90 II 6 per gross ton equals
SLIGO per our ton; and for this price
the English farmer gets the best goods
(made from American phosphate rockD,
while here we pay never less than
double the price for much inferior
goods. 1t should be understood that
this English superphosphate is what we
call "plain" superphosphate-that
is, it contains nothing of value but the
phosphoric acid, but it contains sixteen
per cent of this, or three hundred
twenty pounds in atom of two thousand
pounds, and it is curious to note that
while this superphosphate is sold in
England for SLIGO per ton, it is worth,
at the valuation of soluble phosphoric
acid by our experiment stations, $1,000!
Now see the difference to the farmer
who is acquainted with the facts of the
case. Suppose that instead of paying
Bowker & Co. S25 for plain superphos-
phate containing only twelve per cent
of soluble and reverted phosphoric acid
(see Connecticut Experiment Station
Report, 1884, page 33) we could get as
good an article as the English for
SLIGO. Then let the well-posted
farmer buy the other necessary ingre-
dients to make complete fertilizer,
and mix them as follows:
6lOO lbs plain superphosphate at sll6O..,... s35 3s
1000 lbs suphate ammonia, at 31sc..........,. IS 90
700 lbs murate potash at 3sc ............... "a so
5000 lbs of materials, costing in Boston ..... s94 SO
Add freight on four tons at Ss...........,. so 90
Total S26 50
Which will give you a complete fertil-
izer that will analyze better than any
now sold in Vermont, delivered at your
station, for S3l.72 ton, or, if bought
in carload lots, for S2S.72. The pur-
chaser will of course have the trouble
of mixing the ingredients thoroughly
together, which need not cost over
twenty-five cents ton. 1t seems to
us that in this article we have demon
strated that we do pay too much for our
fertilizers, and that we ought, by cor
recting our mistakes in this matter, to
save good deal of money. These
calculations are based entirely on first
! class - Solubla - fartilizar without ,af