The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-06
FERTILIZERS HIGHER
Ali The Crude Materials Have
Materially Advanced.
President Morgan. Of The Wrg aia-Cafoliea
Chemical Company Says The cling
Price Is Lower Than Cos of Ma
seriaIs Warrant.

Il1ilgllblL1. Al Il -. 4 49,
To the Editor: My attention has been
called 10 4 communication an thc News
and Observer. published under date 81
Wednesday. january 3l>t. 1850, in refer
cnc.. - the advance in the pric" az fer
liliZerS. wherein ii il stated thai Ia"
farmers OF Pitt count North Carolina.
propose 10 organize and fight the advance
In the prices of fertilizers. and hy IA
sinultion our Company i ccn>urcd ~ tn"
cause of this advance.
| desire 10 make 4 PLAIN statement
OF factS and conditions as low obtained
i'll TIA" fertilizer trade. and u slow L"
tfle ,ieeaierS ana consumers of fer'iiZCrS
that the advance in the price of miind-
featured fertilizers is not only Just ami
warranted but is absolutely necessary.
and that the manufacturers of fertilizers
could not afford TO sell Them at the price
ruling last year unless they did - IT I
very heavy loss.
Now TO get down To facts and figures:
we will see what has really caused the
price OF fertilizers to be advanced tins
year over last:
Acid Phosphate being one Of the prin-
cipal ingredients in all complete fertilizers.
| desire to show here how much this ar
ticle costs to make in excess OF the cost
price for the same thing last year. The
advance in pyrite>. from which Sulphuric
acid is made, is more than 5000 per ton
over last year. The advance in Nitrate of
Soda, which is a necessary ingredient in
the Manufacture of Sulphuric acid, is full
~ $500 per ton more than last year.
Phosphate Rock has advanced Il mini
mum Of $1.75 per ton at the mines. and in
some grades OF rock the advance is more
than $500 per ton. These three articles
constitute what is necessary 10 made
Acid Phosphate. Put them together in
the proper proportion and n ton of .Ac.1
Phosphate will cost. $2.07 per ton more
than it did last year.
Bags are costing us 2Oc. per ton mOl'
than they did last year, 50 tnat I'll" crude
material going into Il ton nf AcId IhGS-
plate is costing auroximatcly S221
more than it did a year ago.
Every piece of factory supplies and
machinery. coal, and everything nece>-
sary 10 operate a factory. j. from - 10
100 per cent. higher than it was 4 year
ago. This will add certainly an addition
al lOc. 10 the cost Of 4 ton of fertilizer.
ma king III The most conservative and
reasonable estimate possible Il ton of Il
per cent Acid Phosphate. haggcd and
ready for shipment. cost the manufacture
CT S2.'I more than it did twelve months
ago.
Now let rs look at complete ammoni-
ated fertilizers: We will take what is
commonly known as standard grade OF
complete fertilizer. running. say. 2l2 per
cent OF ammonia. s per cent Of available
phospoIric acid. and | per cent Of
potash. As | have above demonstrated.
acid phosphate costs $o.O1 more than last
year. This is equivalent tC q little more
than 1uc. per 100 pounds. In making
the 21la. $ and l fertilizers. 300 pounds
OF acid phosphate would he necessary. SO
IT Zoe. additional cost per 100 pounds.
the additional cost for acid Phosphate /!
would he $40.
If COTTON seed meal was used for the
ammonia. il would take approximately |
!tH pounds. and cotton seed meal is now
worth 5000 per ton more than last year.
which is equivalent to 3Nc. per 100
pounds. and 200 pounds would cost $40
more than it did last year. Now add zoe
for extra cost for the bags ana YOU
have 500 per ION more for the materials
than We paid for these Same materials
last year.
If tanka-c or blood was used for the
source Of ammonia instead of cotton !,
seed meal. the advanced cost over last
year would BE- $50 per Ton. as am
monia from tankaer or blood j. now .apc
Fer uni; higher than last year. 50 for 30
per cent Of ammonia the extra eos over
l;iSt Year would be S1.SD.
ulDhate OF ammonia is the only ether
source of amlnnnia commonly used in the
manufacture Of fertilizers. Twelve
n&}1tf!> AGO this article was selling at
about 1880 per ton. We paid for it
this week So. 90 per ton.
-<ow | assert that the price Of f~eriili-
ZtrS has not advanced nearly so much
as IN" price Of raw materials going into
them. Let rs see who is to blame #
any one. fCr the advance Ct these crude
materials. Take Pyrites: We buy from
SPAN more than t~hrcc-fourths Of all we
use. Nitrate Of Soda: We buy entirely
from south America. Potash Salts: We
BUY entirely from Germany. 50 il can
not be said that orr company controls or
Is IN amy wise Responsible for the advance
est Whatever III any 81 these properties.
"ililer directly or Indirectly.
lakr phosphate rock: We 10 mine
q small proportion Of our wants OF phoo-
liiair rock. !iut We mine nonr FOR sale
ana We buy from other mines more than
fWn-thirdS Of what we con.tnr. 50 no
one will suppose thai We wcr. anxious
/" pm mp The price Of phc>l2latr rock.
Is for cotton seed gneai we have no
interest either directly or Indirectly in
any Gotten seed oil mill. - We are not
Responsible for the advance liz this article
Blood and tankaGr are m:rlp nv Tho
packers in the West. and We have