The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-29
FERTILIZERS IN DEMAND.
MANUFACTURERS CLOSING THE
SEASON FOR 1893

The Increased Price Of Cotton Causes
an Active Demand Throughout the
South-A Prospect That the Supply
| VIII Fall Many Thousand Tons
Short-Prices Increasing in Conse-
ouence-Savannah's Product This
Year 10000 Tons.
| The fertilizer manufacturers are now
closing up their contracts for this seasons
business. About half the product has been
shipped out and the remainder is going out
steadily. Taken altogether it has been a
very good season with the manufacturers.
In tact they are now confronted with a
rather unusual state of affairs; the demand
is greater than the supply. The discovery
Of this fact has advanced prices consider
ably since the beginning OF the year.
The manufacturers usually begin making
contracts for the years business about Nov.
| l. closing about Feb. l. The shipping sea-
son begins in January and closes in March.
The present season opened with very bad
! prospects, The cotton crop had resulted
very poorly in this section, and the market
was in very bad way.
THE FIRST OUTLOOK.
Us OuLlOOk tue u5Ab aodbOu was TdEuoF
! gloomy, and the manufacturers began max
| ing contracts with the expectation
OF having 20 scramble for the business.
The rapid Improvements OF the cotton
market in December, together with a
brighter outlook for the country generally,
caused an immediate increase in the de-
mand for fertilizers At the same time
there was an advance in the prices Of ma
terial used for manufacturing purposes.
Ammoniating material was found to be
scarce and very high, the amount in ton Of
fertiliZer goods costing about 81 80 more
than it did last year. There was a decrease
In the price of phosphate rock, however,
amounting 70 rs cents on a ton OF manu-.
featured goods. This made the net cost Of
the goods to the manufacturer 81 80 more
than last year.
THE PRICE ADVANCED.
When all these facts were taken into con-
sideration the prices of manufactured good8
we're advanced at once and the average price
per ton is now slightly in excess Of that
charged last year. The manufacturers
would be glad to sell a considerable amount
Of their goods at present prices, but the
trouble is they have already sold about all
they can turn out by the end of the season.
Il Is estimated that the total amount Of
fertilizers which it is possible for the south
ern manufacturers to make from now to
April l will only be sufficient to supply last
years demand, which was 30 per cent. less
than that of the year previous, aud will fail
to supply this years demand in the south by
100, 900 tons. The northern manufacturers
will help out the supply, but still there will
be great many people who will have 10 90
without guano this year.
CHOOSING THEIR CUSTOMERS.
The manufacturers and wholesale dealers
are already getting very particular as to
their contracts and are making their own
selection of customers.
A Savannah firm sent out circular 20
their customers on Jan. 81, in which the
following paragraph was included:
The high price OF cotton has stimulated
the demand to such point that rs per cent
of the total amount of fertilizers made and
TO be made has already been sold by the
manufacturers. Our sales and shipments
this year have been larger to date than IN any
previous year Of our business, and we can
now see clearly that we shall be unable to
supply the demand, and must therefore
state that We can only receive orders in ex-
cess OF the quantity named in the contracts
subject both to advance in price and our
ability to ship the goods"
The dealers report that many people are
anxious 10 get fertilizers who have not the
credit.
sAvANNAH's PRODUCT.
Savaunah's manufacturers, including the
Baldwin Fertilizer Company, whose works
are at Port Royal. will ship about 90, 600
tons this year as against $1,000 tons last
year. This will about equal the output of
1890 and 1891. Other dealers not manu-
facturers will handle about 10000 tons
more from Savannah.
The outlook is that the farmers encouraged
by the high price Of cotton and the brighter
financial outlook. have gone to work with
the intention of making large crops this
year. More Investigation of crops than in
past seasons is expected. The trade of the
truck growers in itself has become a very
nice thing to the manufacturers.
There has been no trouble about trauspor-
tation facilities, SO far, but the railroads
will be rushed with shipments next month,
that being the heaviest shipping month.