The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-17
WHY FERTILIZERS ARE HIGHER,
Advances in Raw Material Force Adj
vances in Manufactured Products.
(From Atlanta Constitution


To the Editor: That the advance in
the. price of fertilizers this year is justi-
fable, we think, cannot be disputed by
anyone acquainted with the situation.
For example, we are today paying in
Charleston, s. c., where the largest
output of fertilizers is had, forty pei
cent more for rock than at this TINE
last year. We are paying for Tennessee
rock fully 100 per cent above what we
had to pay for it at this time last year.
and for the high-grade Florida icck
We are paying from 40 to 60 per ctET.
depending on the grade, more than We
paid last year.
Now we are in no way responsible fer
this advance in the price of rock. The
truth of the situation is that the price
at which the rock has been sold for
several years was so low that a number
Of miners we're forced to go out Of the
business, and the European demand nav
ing increased enormously, it was found
chat not enough rock was mined TO SUP
ply the foreign and domestic demands.
1t Is not our interest to have the
price of the rock high, as we are buy
ers of more than 100000 tons year or
this material, and we would ne GLAD to
see it at the same price as last year. as
the lower we can get our materials, he
cheaper we can manufacture our goods,
and the less money we win demand for
them from the consumer
The price we are forced to pay this
season for cotton seed meal, which Is
the principal ammoniate used in the
State Of Georgia is 30 per cent higher
than last season. We certainly cannot
be blamed for this, as we have M IN
terest in any cotton seed mill whatever
Western ammoniates, such as blood
and tankage, are from % to 40 per ceny
per unit higher than at this period last
year. We have no control over ,his alar-
ter whatever; but are forced 10 20 or
the market and buy these goods the
same as anyone else.
Nitrate of soda and sulphatc CT .m-
m0nia, the two sources of mineral am
moniates, are very much higher than
last year-sulphate of ammonia now
costing more than $50 per ton as
against from $40 to $50 last year. Most
of the sulDhate of ammonia is of fer
eign production, and all of the nitrate
Of soda, of course, is Of foreign proiue-
ton
The only article entering into the
manufacture Of fertilizers that has not
materially advanced is potash, and the
only reason why potash salts have nor
advanced Is because the potash syndicate
in Germany forces the American buyer
to make a contract for his material
twelve months III advance. In other
words, we had to buy early last spring
all the potash we We're to use FOR the
following twelve months-the German
syndicate agreeing to deliver the goods
at a specific price. They have got rath-
er the worst of the situation caused by
the high ocean freight rates which have
governed for the last few months; but
for contracts not already in hand it looks
as il potash salts on account of the
ocean freights this way must necessari
ly be higher.
The advance in sulphur or pyrites,
from which source 80 per cent of the
snlphuric acid used in the South for fer
tilizing purposes is produced, makes
the price materially higher than at this
season last year-a ton Of pyrites now
selling from - per cent to 40 per
cent more than at this time last year.
The increase iii the item of bags alone
causes the goods to cost 20 per cent
Per ton more than last seasom-the ma
terial from which the bags are made
being produced in foreign countries, and
Of course not being controlled by us.
I'm addition to these advances in the
actual materials entering into the man
ufacture of fertilizers, I will further
state that all structural materials have
made sharp advance during the pasr
several months. We are large users Of
coal, lumber, iron, lead and brick and all
these commodities as the public web
knows, have advanced from % to 100
per cent.
From the foregoing you win observe
that the cost to us this season Is In