The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-01-23
OoEoLUDED FROM PAGE Il

~ 49,
Of the Bulletins The New Jersey Sta
ton Gays that home mixing has been
carried on IN that State with entire
satisfaction by a steadily Increasing
Rumber Of faF msrs for years psf. The
station has encouraged their Efforts as
OF value to the individuals themselves,
and has studied their products, belLev
ing the results to be of value Go che
general farming public, Tnis Station
gives a long series Of formulas and
their analyses. At the Maine 51stiOo
in the case Of Ga brands OF fertil zars
examined the average selling price was
&S4 OS while the valuation was $l0isss
than 5nis, the valuation being based on
the price at which the ingredients can
be bought for on the open market. In
Massachusetts the law prohibits the
station from giving comparative valua
tions Of ferGIliz re- sold, but the station
has always offered to help the farmers
In getting the fair market price for the
ingredients to be used. The Vermont
Station reports the average se,lius
price $29 19 and the valuation $19 AZ
and states that the home mix .ures
made by the farmers and examined a
the station compared favor ably in
chemical comp sition and mechanical
condition with the better class of mixed
goods on the mar ket. The New YORK
Geneva Station says that when q
farmer once tries this msShOd, he
rarely purchases a ready mixed COM
plete fertll Ear after that" Toe aver
age retail price Of a ton Of mixed fer
tiliz9rs is from So co SO above the mar
ket value of it's unmlXsd ingredients "
the Georgia Station says 'but farmers,
as a rule, ought to buy the raw mate
rails and mix them at hom5. Any in
telllgen5 farmer, provided he knows
what materials 20 buy, and in what
proportion to mix them, can make Just
as coed q fertil z3r as the very best
ready made Rusno on the market"
In Farmers Bulletin No. IS from the
Agricultural Department at Washing
ton it is said lit has been clearly shown
that when farmers combine together
and purchase their supplies in large
quantities. for cash and make their o wp
mixtures, they secure their fertilizers
at greatly reduced cost. = > The
farmer can no longer Uf5rd to use fer
tilizers blindly and solely on the state
ment OF some one else. He must study
the principles underlying the use OF
fertilizers and determine by experiment
the kinds and amounts suited to hie
OWn peculiar needs" Another import
ant point is made by the Ohio Station.
This is that the bagged fertilizers fee
quently change In their composition IN
freighEIug go that one part Of a baR
will d IF r from che rest, and the fac
tory mixed fertil zsr is in a condition
to be mlXad over again by the time il
has r6a;hed the farm. 10 t Vo samples
Of the same brand for which there was
elaine per toU 20 pounds Of ammoEis.
100 p u1ds ct paosp1oric aid and 90
pou d ot potash, the analysis Of ore
sample showed 80 pounds of ammonia
IFS pluLds or phosphoric acid and s
pour ds Of potash, while q second
sample OF the same showed so pounds |
Of ammonia 22O pounds of pnosphoric
acid and 2 pounds OF potash. It would, !
as the bulletin we'll says, take an awk-
ward farm hand indeed to make q
poorer mix ure of the ingredients Il
Is evio en5, then, that the factory made
fertilizers produce no better crops than
the home mixed goods Of equivalent
Composirinn while their cost ia from 80
cent. TO 80 per cent. greater. This Is
the verdIc5 Ct all the experiment sta
tions tha5 have investigated the sub
jec5, and they show that the factory
mixing is not any more perfect than
the h ms mix ng. If, as stated, HON
mixing would save to the farmers Of
Ohio from $500 coo to $4OO 600 a year
in fertile rs, what would be the saving
to some OF the Southern States where
these fertilizers are used to the extent
Of 81, 900 600 per annum2