The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-05
SHORTAGE IN FERTILIZERS.
THE OUTPUT SAID TO BE sUUCR
BELOW NORMAL.

Many Factories Shut Down FOR Re-
pairs in the Summer and Were
Late in Resuming 0perations-A
Heavy Demand From Tennessee
and Kentucky for Grain Fertili-
Heavy Consumer for the same
Purpose - Manufacturers Claim
That the Advance In Price Is Not
Proportionnte with the Increased
Cost of Materials.
The tendency upon the part of the far
rners 10 use largely of fertilizers in plant
ing the coming cotton crop because OF the
present high prices of cotton is likely to
he checked by the shortage in the supply.
This information comes from authoritative
sources.
One of the best posted men in the fer
tilizer business, in talking over the situa
ton yesterday called over the names of
a number of mills in this state, which are
either shut down entirely or have been
shut down for a large part OF the previous
year because of accident or for the pur
pose of making repairs to machinery be-
sides naming other mills whose output will
be much smaller than usual because re-
pairs to machinery have proven unsais-
factory. Because of the number of mills
whose output has been cut short in this
manner the manufacturer predicted that
the shortage would be seriously felt.
There are other factors which must
also be considered, isaid the fertilizer
man. There has been an unusually heavy
nessee and Kentucky and the North
Georgia factories have largely disposed of
their output in that direction. Besides this
there is a heavy demand for grain fertiliz-
erse in the West and the factories in Vir
GINA and the East are selling practically
their whole output either 30 the West or
to the local truck growers. Consequently
they will have little to send Sohrhr North
Carolina is also sehding considerable fer
tiliZers West, and che deficiency in that
stale will have 10 be supplied from South
CarOiCa, which will leave our sister state
less to ship into Georgia, Florida and Ala
bama. There is no supply in sight by
which these deficiencies are to be made up
and l predict that the consequence will be
a considerable shortage. This viii not be
realized until The last moment, and then
the interior dealers will be tumbling over
present they are kicking because of the
advance in prices over last season"
The reduction in output, the gentleman
said, was not due in any degree to the
fact of the increased cost of the materials
entering into the product Thes5Srevious
years business had been 50 unsatisfac-
tory, he said that many of the manufac-
turers had selected last summer as a good
time to close down for repairs. The very
rapid advance in the cost of machinery
and everything else entering into m IL
| equipment had delayed the work of re-
pairing somewhat and caused the mills to
be later in resuming work than they had
anticipated. Besides, as stated, the re-
pairs to some of the mills he'd proven I'M
satisfactory and good results were not be-
ing obtained
THE manufacturers said the gentle
man, have been unjustly criticised be-
cause of the advance in prices this sea-
son, and as a matter of oourse il is all
being charged to the trust. The fact that
the manufacturers who are still indie
pendent have all advanced their scale OF
prices does not prevent the whole move
ment being charged to the trust, which,
by the way, Is not trust at all, bur sim
ply one large corporation which has
bought out a number of other factories for
cash and which has not as yet made any
move to water its stock We have given
figures showing the heavy advance in
everything which enters into the manu-
facture of fertilizers. All the world knows
how the prices of phosphate have gone
from 80 to 100 per cent beyond what they
were year ago. Sulphuric acid has al
vanced about 90 per cent. and the cost
of all mill machinery and supplies has
advanced from 30 to 100 per cent. To
expect the manufacturers to adhere to
the low prices of a year ago is prepos-
ferrous. AS a matter of fact, the adj
vance in prices has not been in keeping
with the increased cost of materials aud
supplies. The moderation of the manu-
facturers in not making more decided
advance in prices is undoubtedly due 10
the fact that because of the recent pur-
chase of number Of factories by one
concern any heavy advance In prices would
undoubtedly be attributed to the consoi-
detion and the cry of trust would at once
be raised, whether well founded or not"
The advance in the cost of fertilizers is
about $15O TO 81 per ton above last sea-
sons prices"
The heavy shipments of fertilizers TO
the interior have not begun as yet The
travelling men report good demand and
large sales, however, and the indications
are that the farmers will take all the fer
tilizers they can get