The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-10-19
TEE UsR OF GUANO-FRRTILI-
ZRRS.

ZRRS
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
In your Issue OF 0cto0er 9Th, on first
page, appears set of resolutions rela
tive to guano. / wans to say at the
outset that it is unwiss and rnislead.
ing in the statements contained there
In, and that this is not what should
come from any Alliance, to go 60
other farmers and Alliances, for many
people will suppose these resolutions
all right, because they would not know
otherwise, and hence would take is for
granted that es an Alliance had
endorsed it, that they knew it was
correct, befoTe they would do SO, when
as fact they only inferred it to be
correcs.
The whereas" to these resolutions is
correct and good as far as it goes. The
frat resolution. in regard to the reia
tive value OF the fertilizers of to day
and ten years ago, is very incorrect,
and is not q good statement TO go out
for correctness. Especially is this true
of the grades sold in our Ssate-for In
stead of there being a shrinkage in the
quality of the fertilizers sold here to
day and ten years ego, they are rather
better. The fact that they are 30 de
ceptive in value ia due TO the wholesale
use that is made of them with 90 little
re-dlfferent> methods give different
results in the use of fertilizers, just as
it dose in anything else, brother.
Resolution ia also bad, and hardly
in kespiDg with Alliance influence.
Now is it not fact, q say it if) that
since the Alliance organized in North
Carolina and established a standard
grade brand of fertilizer, i 8 per cent
phosphoric acid, q per cent. ammonia, 8
per cent. potauh and contracted through
our State Trade Agent to supply guano
of that grade at $50 to $24 per ton, that
the prices of all other guanos of like
grade and proportionately go, drop to
about same price as cur Alliance guano;
that is for standard grade, dropped
from $25 and $50 per ton to $50 to $24
per tons And these facts have been pub
lished and cenvassed by our Alliance
papers and officials as a reason for
maintaining our Order.
Resolution is rather eff also, for it
depends on the knowledge and tacs in
the use Of fertilizer; that is to under
stand the quality OF your soil, the need
Of the crop you are to grow and many
other things just as important, in point
Of success, as bad seasons are, to make
money by the use of fertilizers.
Resolution 4 is worse than all the
rest, as it would constitute special
legislation and force people to buy
what they did not want, and in many
cases not the most profitable; it would
not be equal rights to all ard special
privileges to none," for it would be
special privilege to such as needed that
high grade fertilizer only to get it, but
would prevent others who needed a
lower grade from getting it and force
them to take what was best for scme
quick growing CROP, to use where they
needed better grade, that is a lower
grade, for their slow growing crop or
go without any. And I want to go on
record here and now as saying, that no
one can farm prof1tably at the low
price Of soil products, without the use
of fertilizers in the majority parts of
North Carolina, and thaS 10 is the men
who use from ], 900 to 8. 600 pounds of
fertilizers on their special crops that
make the most clear money out of
farming.
Resolution 5-first part of it Is all o.
z. the latter part is true in many
cases, but is also offset by as many
other cases, where it pays we'll end
people will not quit the use of it-can't
afford to.
Now, brethren, I have written what
l have above simply to point out the
fact that many people don't see things
as you do, and again that the expsri
ence of all are different, too, and also
on reviewing your resolutions and
reading my review of them that you
may see how it put us as an order Of
farmers to have an Alliance publish a
set of resolutions along line that is
admissible, so many objections to.
admire the spirit and united inter
est which think prompted these reso-
Iutions, but we should be more careful,
| think.
What the farmer needs In the fertili
Eer matter is to better understand how