The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-11-21
FARM AFFAIRS.
NITROGEN, PHOSPaORIC ACID
AND POTASH IN FERTILIZER
CONS STITURNTS.-AS SIMPLR
EXPLA FOR
FAF MFRS.

mean by saying that nitrogen in fer
tilizers should be figured at about IA
cents a pound, and phosphoric acid
and potash at 43 cents. His rea sons
are that he can buy nitrate of soda SO
per cent. pure in New York at Q cents
per pound, muriate of potash, 80 to 85
per cent. pure at cents per pound,
dissolved bone black Is to II per cent.
at $19 ton, and dissolved rock, Is to
IL per cent, at $14 These are prices
in New York city. He also asks
whether he can do better than pay
these prices, and whether he would
better buy bone black or rock to get
the phosphoric acid.
Probsbly nine farmers out of ten do
not fully understand these points, and
they lose money because they do not
I am going to try and make some of
them plain to you. Nitrate of soda is
a combination Of nitric acid aud coda.
Metric acid is a combination of nitro
gen and oxygen One hundred pounds
Of chemically pure nitrate of soda con.
tains about 16f pounds of nitrogen,
663 pounds of oxygen and % pounds of
sodium. One hundred pounds of your
SO per cent pure nitrate OF soda you
see would contain about 16 pounds of
nitrogen. This nitrogen at Il cents q
pound would come to 81 d You get
the 100 pound of nitrate of soda for 50,
and it gives you 90 d worth of nitro
gen, according to my previous figures
It is safe to figure on about 16 pounds
Of nitrogen in 100 pounds Of nitrate Of
soda, although it would fall little
ehort in q SO per cent. pure article,
which is the usual basis en- which it is
sold. The price named for nitrate of
soda by the bag % cents a pound) is
fair. 1t could be bought for much less,
or course, by the car load.
5 Now, les US teke your muriafe #
potash that is 80 to IS per cent. pure.
You can cross out the IS first. The
lowest figure, 80, is all that counts, all
that is guaranteed. 1t is usually sod
on this basis OF 80 per cent. pure, that
is 80 per cent. muriate of potash. The
rest is mostly common salt One hun
dred pounds of this muriate Of potash
contains about sol pounds Of actual
potash This at At cents pound would
be worth 81 q. The 100 pounds of
muriate that furnishes iG costs you 81
in New York city. In round numbers
you can figure on so pounds of potash
in each 100 pounds OF 30 per cent. mu-
riate.
Next we will consider the dissolved
rock, that is rock treated with sui
phuric acid, which is called acid phos
phate. The usual grade found on the
market is guaranteed, as remem Der,
to contain IA per cent. available phos
phoric acid. That means that in each
100 pounds there are IA pounds that
are available for your crops. The rock
mentioned above is Is per mt. avail
able. Calling this all soluble and 6gur.
ing the 16 pounds at Al cents pound,
100 pounds would be worth 81 cents,
and one ton SI3 40 You pay $14.
While you are buying nitrate OF soda
and muriate Of potash at fair price In
a small way, you are paying rather
high for acid. This is no fault Of New
York dealers, but because you are not
buying in the right market. And I
believe the price Of acid phosphate has
declined some since figured the value
at II cents, which makes the price you
paid still more above what it should be.
The Baltimore market supplies the
North with phcsphoric acid from rock
to large extent. Probably your New
York dealer received his supply from
there, and must add freight and com
missions. Dealers in Baltimore, am
told on the best of authority, have been
selling IA per cent. acid phosp hate for
$40 per ton in a small way, and as low
as 81. so by the car load in bulk. do
not know the names of these dealers,
but these are the prices some farmers
are getting acid phospate. This buying
the constituents of fertilizers at first
hands has come to stay, and thousands
of readers want to know where to get
them.
If the dissolved bone black contains
Is per cent. of available phosphoric
acid it furnishes you just one pound
more in each hundred than the acid
phosphate does, difference of about 80
cents a ton in favor of the bone black.
Soluble phosDhoric acid in one is just as
Oood es in the other, So il you bought