The Southern herald., 1898-03-25
FARMERAND PLANTER.
THE CHEAPEST FERTILIZER.


Time fer Farmers 10 be Thinking What
They Are Going TO Feed Their Land.
The time of year is at hand when
farmers begin to think about spring
crops and determine how and where
they can procure such festilizers as
they may need for the least money.
After three years experience IN trying
the necessary chemicals and mate
rials, and doing my own mixing,
know that have saved considerable
money in my outlay for fertilizers, and
there is no reason why farmers who use
fertilizers to any considerable extent
can't do likewise. A saving Of from
tive TO eight dollars per ton can be
made by home-mixing, If care is
taken in securing the necessary
materials. Most manufacturers Of
fertilizers will not sell materi-
ais for mixing at prices so that it will
be economy for the farmer to buy, be-
cause they would thereby injure their
established trade. They even tell US
that they can supply ready-mixed fer
tilizers cheaper than the farmer can
mix, as they possess the necessary ma
ehinery to do the work eheaply and can
do 1t more thoroughly than it can pos
sibly be done with shovels and screens,
as the farmer has to do the work. A
farmer can mix a ton of fertilizer on
the barn floor in couple of hours, and
for all practical purposes the work
thus done with shovel is Just as thor
ough as If done by a machine in a
fertilizer factory. But the cost Of
mixing is but one small item in the
manufacture of ready-mixed fertilizers.
There are extra freights opay, officers
salaries and laborers' bills amount to
good deal, the expense of a travelling
salesman runs from one to two dollars
ton, to say nothing of local agents
commissions, which are two to five dol
lars a ton. So in home-miEing the farm
er may save from fourth to third of
his annual expenditure for the item of
commercial fertilizers. Many farmers
will say: | would like TO save this
money, but doit know what to buy or
where TO get 1t.
A good, complete fertilizer should
contain from 40 to ]? per cent. of avail
able phosphoric acid. 2 TO per cent. of
ammonia and Ito Of potash Tobacco,
potatoes and most garden crops need
more potash than corn on wheat. The
cheapest form in which you can buy the
necessary phosphoric acid for your mix
ture is the rock of acid phosphate. II
may be bought in car lots cheaply now,
and laid down at your railroad station
should not cost exceeding SIS per ton,
perhaps considerably less. The material
that l prefer for giving ammonia to
home-mixed goods is cotton-seed meal.
1t is not so readily soluble as the
nitrate of soda, and gives excellent re-
suits. 1t will cost from S1s to $50 per
ton. The mdriate of potash is worth
S45 per ton. Now if you will procure
a table of analyses Of these ingredients
you can very easily calculate just how
much of each of the above you must
use to get just such fertilizer as you
want. Twelve hundred pounds of acid
carrying Is per cent. of
available phosphoric acid 600 punds of
cotton meal and 200 pounds of muriate
of potash viii make a most excellent
fertilizer, and should not cost
you more than Sl6 to Sl7 per ton. The
same grade of fertilizer, if purchased |
ready-mixed, will cost you from S22 to
s24.
Some might ask: How am | to get
these materials at wholesale prices
when / only need ton or two for my
own use? You must cooperate with
your neighbor and make up carload.
Farmers must learn that they, like !
men in all other trades and professions,
must come together organize for
mutual benefit and protection-and |
whenever you are in shape to use a car
load of fertilizing material there will |
be little trouble in finding a good man
nfacturer with whom you can place
your order. Farmers, don't longer throw
your money away on ready-mixed fer
tilizers when you can so easily save %
per cent. of your usual outlay by home
mixing. w. w. Stevens, in Farmers
Home Journal.