The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1893-11-30

cottonSeed is also .. valuable cattle 700 /
Nitrate of soda is also a very concel
trated form OF nitrogen. It can be
bought containing nitrogen equivalent tc
over Is per cent of ammonia. Perfectly
pure nitrate of soda contains nitrogen
equivalent to only between 10 and 20 per
cent eff ammonia.
Perfectly pure nitrogen and ammonia
are both gases and for fertilizing purpo-
ses must be fixed by combination with
some other body. Ammonia gas is now
sold in liquid form compressed by
heavy pressure into iron cylinders for
the manufacture of ice. Such liquified
ammonia gas it is, of course, impractical
to use. Sulphate of ammonia is ammo
mia gas combined with sulphuric acid,
which holds it. Pure sulphate of am
monia contains over 25 per cent of act
ual ammonia.
KANT is an impure potash mineral.
only containing about IL per cent of pot
ash, muriate of potash containing 90
per cent of actual potash. 1t can be
bought at very low figures.
considering its contents Of potash. The
sulphate can be bought at little higher
figures, containing also about so per
cent of potash. If we consider "acid
phosphate in ansunadulterated state as
containing Is per cent of available phos.
phor1c acid and cotton seed meal as con-
tanning nitrogen equivalent to s 1-9 per
cent OF ammoniaSand Kainit as carry
ing II per cent of potash, fertilizers can
not be made to run very high from such
materials in their crude form. For in
stance, TO pounds of 10 per cent acid
11hnQTNh o 70 op,1foiY,o q
bic phosphoric acid (that is, it contains
6-10 of 10 pounds), % pounds of cotton
seed meal contains IA of the s 1-2
pounds OF nitrogen equivalent to ammo
MIA in 100 pounds of cotton seed meal.
which will be about 2 12-100 per cent,
10 pounds of Kaipit will contain $40
pounds OF potash-as Is pounds is 15-10O
Of the 100 pounds of Kainit containing
12pounds of potash per 100 pounds.
by using greater or smaller proper
tons of'each ingredient the percentages
can be varied, but such formula cannot
be expected to contain more than 10 or
IA per cent of plant food.
Ii Is per cent blood or Is per cent
nitrate of soda is used all the percent
ages can be increased if desired. By the
use OF such material as the high grade
acid phosphates, which can be bought
running as high as IL per cent available
phosphoric acid, sulphate of ammonia
containing over "a per cent of ammonia
and of sulphate or muriate of potash
running over 80 per cent of potash. very
much higher grades of fertilizers can be
produced than the ordinary average of
those on the market. Fifty pounds of
an Is per cent "acid phosphate" would
give 8 per cent available phosphoric
acid, 20 pounds of "a per cent sulphate
of ammonia would give 6 per cent of
ammonia, and 20 pounds of sulphate or
mur1ate OF potash containing so per cent
of potash would give 10 IL per cent of
potash. The demand, however, is for
low-priced goods, and many buyers do
not stop to consider the quantity of plant
food in fertilizer, but think the cheaper
they buy ton the better the bargain.
If one desires to buy gold ring of GER
tain size, he finds they become cheaper
and cheaper as they contain less gold,
though to the eye they appear equally
well at first. One has to take the lew
eler's word or go to chemist to decide
the matter. A farmer has to either
take the manufacturers word or 60 to
chemist also. Some may think they can
tell the quality by the smell, taste or
color. They are badly mistaken.
A fertilizer running 8 per cent availa-
BILE phosphoric acid, 8 per cent of am
mOnia and - 1-2 per cent of potash
costs manufacturer $7.20 for the phos-
phoric acid, $3.50 for the ammonia and
SO for the potash, and $500 for mixing,
sacking, inspecting, etc. This will be
$3.50. Such goods can be purchased if
desired. If low percentage goods are
not desired one should not buy them, as
higher percentage fertilizers can be Sc
cured if one is willing to pay for them.
Where freights are high considerable
money can be saved by using high grade
goods. To increase the standard would
be to lessen the use of cotton seed meal
and the lower grades of phosphate rock
in manufactured fertilizers. This would.
of course, make fertilizers proportions
ately somewhat higher in price.
Pure phosphoric acid and pure potash
quickly take up water from the air, md
they would be difficult to manage as fer
tilizers. They could not be kept pure
unless scale. air and water tight. Pure
ammonia is gas under ordinary condi-
tons, and, of course, would be unman-
ageable in such form. These bodies,
however, can be combined with each
other and thus be handled more readily.
Phosphate of potash can be made from
phosphoric acid and potash, and phos-
plate of ammonia from phosphoric acid
and ammonia. These two white sub
stances would look very dissimilar from
the ordinary "guanoss'' blackened with
lampblack, and even if there was no in
creased cost in Kidding the crude mate
rial of their impurities, the market
value would be very high. At the low
valuation of cents a pound for availa-
BILE phosphoric acid ton of pure phos-
phosphoric acid would be worth $50. A
ton of pure potash valued at 4 cents
a pound would be $50, and a ton of pure
ammonia at only - cents pound would
be $3.50. The freight ON such chemicals
would be portionately low according
to their concentration, but they are, of
course, out OF the question, as they can
not at present be manufactured except
at considerable additional cost per pound
of plant food.
At equal prices per pound for plant
food high grade fertilizer is cheaper
than a low priced one, as the freight is
less, it does not take so much bagging,
and it takes less work to handle it. Far
mers should buy their goods on analysis,
nc tho mann f n ot11 rarc 10 %l,o;., Al