The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-02-07

large expenditures for the salaries and
travelling expenses of general agents,
for commissions to local dealers, for in,
terest on credit sales, which probably
comprise the greater proportion OF all
sales made at present, and which lead
to heavy losses from bad debts, and it
is no doubt true that no large margin
of profits is left to any one of the sew
eral hands through which the ton Of
factory mixed fertilizers must pass be-
| fore it reaches the farmer. .
ALI these items must be provided for
IN fixing the price OF the fertilizers;
especially must the interest Of the gen.
eral and local agents be looked after,
and therefore the price of the fertilizer
in the branded sack cannot be reduced
below a point which covers these in
terests; but in buying the fertilizing
materials at first hands all these inter
mediate expenses are avoided. Both
tankage aad acid phosphate may be
bought direct from original manufac-
turers whose business stands on the
bapis of direct sales to cash buyers.
1t is claimed that the special ma
chinery employed in the large scale
mixing of fertilizers produces more
perfect mixture than can be made with
so simple an outfit as a shovel on a
bara, floor, and this is probably true.
1t g also true that however thoroughly
Those materials are mixed together,
wien they are transported long dis
tai ces after mixing, the finer and
he vier particles will settle to the bot
tol1, and by the time the fertilizer sack
he J reached the field it's contents are
Lib ely to be in not more perfect state
of mixture than when mixed in the
faJ mer's barn. There are those who
claim that the highest perfection in
N king is only attained by what is
Ca led "wet mixing" a process in
W aich the materials are treated with
acid and allowed to lie for some time
BEFORE the final grinding and sacking.
Aide from the fact that very few, if
e5$y, manufacturers are now using this
| jER@.aod, it must be remembered that
lSShen the material becomes dry enough
to use in the fertilizer drill it will be
dry enough to separate in traneporta
tion, and the finer and heavier rock
will tend to settle and the coarser and
lighter tankage will rise. The farmer,
therefore, need have no fear that he
La Sn1r 70
GENTLY for practical purposes if the
work be done with reasonable thor
oughness.
On this point, however, the testi
mony of actual experience is better
than any theory. The experiment
stations of Connecticut, New Jersey
and Rhode Island have for years been
pointing out to the farmers of their
States the possible saving by home,
mixing, and those who have followed
their advice report great reduction
in cost of fertilizers, with equal results
in the crop while the New Jersey sta
tion has made special examination Of a
large number of such mixtures and
found their mechanical condition in
every respect equal to that of the best
brands of factory mixed fertilizers on
the market.
Another objection against home
mixing is it's cost, which has been
greatly magnified. On this point we
have the testimony Of the company Of
Ohio farmers already referred to, who
mixed six carloads for themselves last
August, and who state that one man
can mix three tons per day. The
Rhode Island Experiment Station, in
its bulletin No. "a, illustrates a home,
made mixing machine, similar to a
large revolving churn, with which fer
tilizers of all kinds had been mixed for
four years in perfect freedom from
dust and at cost of only so cents per
| ton.
It should be distinctly understood,
however, that there are but two OBJ
iects to be attained in the mixture of
fertilizers. One is to get particles of
each kind of plant food (nitrogen, phos
phoric acid and potash) offered within
reach of the roots of every plant, and
the other is to cave labor in the appi
cation. Indeed, it is usually better to
apply superphosphate and muriate of
potash in the fall, sowing them with
the fertilizer drill and then apply the
nitrate of soda or other form Of nitro
gen in the spring. What the growing
plant wants is an abundant supply of
all kinds of food placed within it's