Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-09-28
l-,,I77-I1 ~ y =
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
How Consumers May Calculate the Real
Values of the Material They Buy.

How Consumers May Calculate the Real
Values of the Material They Buy.
When it is considered that millions
of dollars are paid annually for fertili-
zers, it is astonishing what little interest
is taken by the consumers in the real
values Of the material they buy. If one
dealer charges $50 per ton for ''phos-
phate' and another charges $50, it is
usually considered that the one costing
$50 is the most economical to buy. Some
farmers, however, think that because
the one costs $40 more than the other
1t must be better. The fact is that
neither of these suppositions is necessa-
rily correct. In order to arrive at cor
rect idea of the value of fertilizer an
intelligent study of its contents, as
shown by the analysis, must be made.
When buying fertilizers, we should con-
slider how to get the largest amount of
phosphoric acid, nitrogen and potash in
the most available form for our money.
The manufacturers usually print on
the bag containing their fertilizers a
statement as to the amount of ammonia
(nitrogen), phOsphoric acid and potash
the fertilizer contains These state
ments are usually correct, as there is a
heavy fine for making false statements.
1t is therefore easy to judge what a GER
tain fertilizer is worth. Take, for in
stance, a fertilizer whose analysis is as
follows, which is about tho average
Ammonia IN H3), 2 to per cent;
phosphoric acid (P2 O5), soluble, s to
3. /, { , 70 4
cent. The lowest figures are the only
ones that can be depended upon. In the
case of ammonia the amount must be re-
duced to the nitrogen it contains, as
nitrogen is what we want, and not am
mOnia, which is a compound of hydro
gen and nitrogen in the proportion, by
weight of 3 parts of the former to /
of the latter. Therefore per cent of
ammonia is only equal to 50 per cent
of nitrogen. The amount should always
be expressed as nitrogen, but as it sounds
larger as ammonia the manufacturers
express it in that way. A ton of ferti-
lizer Analysing as above would contain
33 pounds nitrogen, 100 pounds phos-
phoric acid and 60 pounds potash.
To get at the value of each of these
fertilizer Ingredients we must consider
what we can buy them for i'll other
forms equally good. We can buy nj
trogen in nitrate of soda at 3 cents
per pound, phosphoric acid in plain SUI
perphosphate or bonemeal for . cents
per pound. Potash in muriate of pot
ash costs 4 . cents per pound. Apply
/ ing these values to the amount of plant
food contained in the fertilizer, whose
value we are estimating, we have the
following result
80 pounds nitrogen at 10 cents per pound. 81 o.
100 pounds phosphoric acid at cents per
7 pound. .,...,..,........ .........''......
60 pounds potash at AZ cents per pound. 4
Total value per TOM. ..Sl5 ii
Such fertilizer ordinarily sells al
from S25 to $50 per ton, or from 50. B;
to $14. 30 more than it is really worth
as the mixing costs but little. 1t il
probable, writes the author of the fore
going in American Agriculturist, tina
one can often obtain the same amour
of plant food and get as good results a
less cost by buying the fertilizing ma
terials unmiXed.