The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-12
FERTILIZER SALES SMALL.
,,,-~Ts MONTH TO SIX
WEEKS BEHIND LAST YEARS.

, Vbot the Fertilizer Out
,xiu BE only One-Half of That
~ Last Year-The FAN OF the De
I'll Due TO Poor Financial Con-
,..,,r of the Farmers and TO the
-, weather Which Has Made
nv Roads impossible and
n.Iovcd the Planting senson-Late
r,a,ting and Smaller Crops Pre-
,,ot.d on This Account.
.-,.- outnut of fertilizers from Savannah
,,.or, the southern factories generally,
:. ,a,slv 10 be less this season than for
-,..,her of years Several fertilizer men
-.ho were seen yesterday agreed that ship
&c are fully a month to six weeks be
a., Tho hest evidence that such is the
.,ss they said, is that the railroads which
,..,oeoro have always been taxed to their
'-tn,,st q supply cars to the fertilizer trade
t-o,, Ian. 90 to March /, have had no
.,,., demand made upon them so far. Fer
,irzer shipments have been very light Sc
Car and there does not seem to be any
nrospect of any immediate large increase
rbcro are two reasons for this condition
,fofairs. one is the continuous bad wealth
sr which mas prevailed throughout all the
southeastern section of country during
tba last several weeks, and with no pres
ont nrospect of letting up, and the other
l. the inability of a large percentage of
The farmers to obtain advances of fertiliz-
ers from their country merchants.
The low price received for the last crop
Of cotton, together with the great dam
age done by the September storm IN this
territory have resulted in leaving hundreds
of farmers in this section in financial
straits. Most of them win be satisfied to
secure advances of supplies from the coun-
try merchants and some, it is said, will
moi be able to secure even this much. Even
in Bulloch county, known as the garden
SPOT Of Lower Middle Georgia, it is report
ed that there is considerable distress in
some sections among the farming popula-
ton.
well-knoWn merchant from Bulloch
county, who handled l 100 tons of fertilizer
last year stated to the firm with which
he does business here that he has not even
seen any Of the stuff this year. Another
well-to-do country merchant from another
county, who handled ] 600 tons of fertilizer
fast year, stated that he had handled only
50 tons so far this year.
The travelling representatives of the fer
tilizer companies report that even where
merchants are making contracts they do
not wish goods shipped out to them be-
cause of the bad condition of the country
roads, which makes it impossible for those
farmers who are able to buy fertilizers to
haul the goods away.
"rhn Olftpuf would y1o tt1ra 1l1r ba1yo boo,,
greatly reduced this year anyway" said
well-knoWn manufacturer, because of
the poor financial condition of the farm
ers and the unwllingness of the mer-
chants to make the advances which they
have made in former years. On account
Of the late season the farmers have been
unable 10 prepare their lands and get
them in readiness for this years crops
They are already over a month behind in
their work, with the prospect of still
further delay. This means a very late
planting and considerable decrease in the
crop as We'll as in the use of fertilizers
Even those farmers who are able to buy
fertilizers will not be able to use as much
as in former years, because they will be
so badly behind in their planting"
Another manufacturer estimated that
the output this year will be about one
half that of last year Even the solvent
farmers, he said, viii not use as much
fertilizers as they did last year, owing to
the lateness of the planting season and the
condition Of the road, and also to a gem
eral disposition to economize.
The manufacturers do not object to a
decreased consumption of fertilizers" said
one of them, ''as it tends to a decrease in
the crop of cotton and a corresponding
Increase In the price in which latter event
we are assured of getting the money for
the amount which we have sold.'N
The general opinion among fertilizer
manufacturers and cotton factors is that
there viii be a large decrease in the use
OF fertilizers for the reasons named. in
the whole Southeastern section. with a
corresponding decrease in the cotton crop.