The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-02-15
Fertilizers Higher
All the Crude Materials Have
Materially Advanced.
PRESIDENT MORGAN, OF THE
VIRGINIA CAROLINA CHEMICAL
COMPANY SAYS THE SELLING
PRICE rs LOWER THAN
COST OF MATERI-
AIS WAR



COST OF MATERI-
AIS WAR
RANT
News and Observer Feb A.
RICHMOND, Va, Feb. l, 1900.
To the Editor My attention has
been called to q communication in the
! News and Observer, published under
date of Wednesday, Jan. 3lst, 1900, in
reference to the advance in the price
Of fertilizers, wherein 1t lie 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
censured rs the cause of the advance.
[ desire to make make plain state
ment of facts and conditions as now
obtained in the fertilizer trade, and
to show to the dealers and consumers
of fertilizers that the advance in the
price of manufactured fertilizers is
no. only just and warrants but is alb
solutely necessary, and that the man.
ufacturers of fertilizers could not af-
ford to sell them at the price ruling
last year unless they did SO at very
heavy loss.
Now to get down to facts and fig
ures; we will see what has really caus-
ed the price of fertilizers to be ad-
vanced this year over last:
Acid Phosphate being one of the
principle ingredients in all complete
fertilizers. l desire TO show here how
much this article costs to make in ex-
cess of the cost price for the same thing
last year. The advance in pyrites.
from which sulphuric acid is made, Is
more than $500 per ton over last year.
The advance in Nitrate of Soda, which
| ia necessary ingredient in the manu-
facture of sulphuric acid, is fully $500
per ton more than last year. Phosphate
Rock has advanced q minimum of
$1.75 per ton at the mines, and in some
grades of rock the advance is more
than So 90 per ton. These three artic-
les constitute what is necessary to
make Acid Phosphate. Put them TO-
gsther in the proper proportion and
ton of Acid Phosphate will cost $2.O7
per ton more than it did last year.
Bags are costlrg US 20 cents per ton
more than they did last year, 50 that
the crude material going into ton of
| 6C1u 10
ly 50 ~ more than it did year ago.
Every piece of factory supplies and
machinery. coal and every thing nee
esssry to operate factory, is from 25
to 100 per cent, higher than it was a
year ago. This will add certainly an
additional 1Oc. to the cost of a ton of
fertilizer, making in the most conser-
vative and reasonable estimate posi-
BILE ton of ID per cent Acid Phos.
phate, bagged and ready for shipment
cost the manufacturer $2.37 more than
it 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 fertilizer, running, say
Ia per cent of amOnia, per cent oil
available phOsphoric acid, and l pei
cent of potash. As have above dem.
onstrated. acid phosphate costs 81 0;
more than last year. This is equiva.
lent to a little more than 10c. per 10(
pounds. In making the PIP, and
fertilizers, 1900 pounds of acid phos
phaue would be Necessary, so at 10 cents
additional cost per 100 pounds the ad
ditional cost for acid phosphate woult
, be $1.20.
II cotton seed meal was used for tn,
the ammonia, it would take approx
mately 700 pounds, and cotton seet
meal is now worth Sc 90 per ton NOR
than last year, which is equivalent t.
80 cents per 100 pounds and 700 pound
would cost $2.10 more than it did las
, year. Now add zoe. for extra cost TO
, the bags and you have $3.50 per to-
more for the materials than we pai
!, for these same materials last year.
If tankage or blood was used for tn
l source of ammonia instead of cotton
seed meal, the advanced cost over las
q year would be $500 per ton, as ammo
q MA from tankage or blood is now COZ
= per unit higher than last year, SO TO
Ia per cent of ammonia the extr
cost over last year would be $3.50.
: Sulphate of ammonia is the onl
: other sOdrce of ammonia cOmmonl
+ used in the manufacture of fertilizer
. Twelve months ago this article wa
- selling at about $43 90 per ton. w
paid tor it this week $62 CO per ton.
Now I,assert that the price of ferti
II izers has not advanced nearly so muc
: as the price of raw mat rails gong in
g to them. Let Us see who is to blame,
= any one, Tor the advance Of thess crud
4 materials. Take Pyrites: We bu
a from Spain more than three-fourths
= all we use. Nitrate of Soda: We bu
entirely from South America. Potas
Salts: We buy entirely from German
r SO il can not be said that our comp,
p ny controls or is in any wise respor
!, sible for be advance of these mater
ais, AZ We have no interest whatever
y any Of these properties, either directl
o or indirectly.
d Take phosphate rock: We do mine
T. small proportion of our wants of pho
phate rock, but we mine none for sa
and we buy from other mines mo-
than two-thirds of what We consum
u SO no one will suppose that We we
/ anxious TO put up the price of pho
10 plate rock.
Is AS tor cotton seed meal we have
n interest either directly or indirectly
h any cotton seed Oil mill, 50 we are n
re- responsible for the ad, ance in til
, ARTICLE. Blood and taukage are ma,
by the large packers in the West. al
we have no interest and no eoHfr
s over these products in any way
IN Why, then, onid the Virgins Ca
70 olina Chemical Company be biam.
for the advance in the cost of cruc
= materials, and would it be bu-iUe
u like for us to want an advance in cru,
q materials, Of which We have to buy q
Df most entirely all of our needs and
q which We produce absolutely rothin
exceDt small quantity of pho- pha
10 rock?
O. IL is our aim and purpose To ms a
~ facture fertilizers as cheaply as pc
slbie and TO sell them at as low a pri
IL as we can afford, thereby ssimuiatil
= large consumption of fertilizers al
a. their general Use for all crops.
e. Let Us see how the farmer 10 stu