The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-02-14
AS TO FERTILIZERS.
What the President Of the Virginia
Carolina Chemical Says
GIVES FACTS AND FIGURES
All the Crude Materials Have Ad-
vanced, and the Selling Price
is Lower Than Gond!-
tions Warrant.
tions Warrant.

is Lower Than Gondi-
tions Warrant.
From the News and Observer, Raleigh
n. c.
Richmond, Va, Feb. l, 1900.
To the Editor: My attention has
been called to a communication in The
News and Observer, published under
date of Wednesday January 3lst, 1900,
in reference to the advance in the
price of fertilizers, wherein it is stated
that the farmers of Pitt county, North
Carolina, propose to organize and fight
the advance in the prices Of fertilizers,
and by insinuation our company is cen
sured as the cause Of this advance.
desire to make plain statement OF
facts and conditions as now obtained
in the fertilizer trade, ard to show to
the dealers and consumers Of fertilizers
that the advance in the price of manu-
facturcd fertilizers is not only just and
warranted but is absolutely necessary,
and that the manufacturers Of fertlli-
GERS could not afford to sell them at
the price ruling last year unless they
did so at a very heavy loss.
Now, to get doSn to facts and figures
We will see what has really caused the
price of fertilizers to be advanced this
year over last:
Acid Phosphate being one Of the
principal Ingredients in all complete
fertilizers, l desire to show here how
much this article costs to make in ex-
cess of the cost pricefor the same thing
last year. The advance in pyrites,
from which ulphuric acid is made, is
more than 50 90 per ton over last year.
The advance in Nitrate of Soda, which
is necessary ingredient in the manu-
facture of sulphuric acid, is fully IS 90
per ton more than last year. Phos-
phate Rock has advanced a minimum
of Sl.75 per ton at the mines, and in
some grades Of rock, the advance is
more than So 90 per ton. These three
articles constitute what is necessary tc
make Acid Phosphate Put them to-
gether in the proper proportion and a
ton Of Acid Phosphate will cost 81 01
per ton more than it did last year.
Bags are costing US zoe. per ton
more than they did last year, SO that
the crude material going into a ton OF
Acid Phosphate is costirs'approxlmate-
ly 50 q more than it did year ago.
Every piece Of factory supplies and
machinery, coal and everything neces-
sary to operate factory is from 25 to
100 per cent. higher than it was year
ago. This will add certainly an add.
tional l0c. to the cost of a ton Of fer
tilizer, making in the most conserva,
tive and reasonable estimate possible
ton of l3 per cest. Acid Phosphate,
bagged and ready for shipment, cost
the manufacturer 81 81 moro than il
did twelve months ago.
Now, let US look at complete ammo
mated fertilizers: We will take what
is commonly known as standard grade
of complete fertilizers, running, say
81 per cent. Of ammonia, S per cent. Of
available phosphoric acid, and l pei
cent. Of potash. As | have above dem
onstrated, acid phosphate costs 50 OI
more than last year. This is equiva
lent to little more than 10c. per l0(
pounds. In making the p, S and
fertilizers, 1900 pounds OF acid phos
phate would be necessary, so at l0c
additional cost for acid phosphate
would be Sl.20.
IF cotton seed meal was used for the
ammonia, it would take approximately
700 pounds, and cotton seed meal is
now worth S6 90 per ton more thar
]ast year, which is equivalent to 30c
per 100 pounds, and 700 pound;
would cost 81. 10 more than it did last
year. Now, add zoe, for extra cost fol
the bags and you have So so per tor
for the materials than We paid for these
same materials last year.
If tankage or blood was used for the
source of ammonia instead Of cottor
seed meal, the advanced cost over last
year would be $500 per ton, as ammo
MIA from tankage or blood is Low 60c
per unit higher than last year, so fol
q per cent. of ammonia the extra cost
over last year would be $50.
Sulphate of ammonia is the only
other source Of ammonia commonly
used in the manufacture of fertilizers
Twelve months ago this article w"s sell
ing at about $43 90 per ton. We pais
for it this week s62 90 per to-.
Now, assert that the price Of ferti
Ezers has not advanced nearly so much
as the price Of raw materials going into
them. Let us see who is to blanc, j
anyone, for the advance Of these Grade
materials. Take Pyrites: We buy
from Spain more than three-four,hs O
all we use. Nitrate Of Soda: We bay
entirely from South America. Po,asF
Salts: We buy entirely from Germany
So it cannot be said that our company
controls or is in apywise responsible
for the advance of these materials, a.
We have no interest whatever in any o:
these properties, either directly or in
directly.
Take phosphate rock: We do mine
small proportion Of our wants Of
phosphate rock, but we mine none fel
sale and we buy from other mine:
more than two-thirds of what We con-
sumo. So no one will suppose that We
were anxious to put up the price oi
phosphate rock.