The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-01-23
No. 40

ohurIc acid in the manufacture, and it
Is properly claimed that this maHss its
nitrogen as available as that in sui
phate OF ammonia. But such treat.
ment ls II furious and not beneficial to
him who would use it in fall as a means
OF giving nitrogen to the wheat erup.
since it's solubility will cause the crop
TO lose 1t to a great extent during the
winter. While the mechanical mixing
OF the untTeated tankage may make q
more slowly available product the au.
thor Of the pF&Gnt bulletin we'll re-
marks that ''the manufacturer can
well eford to pay $6 to s. per ton FOX
sulphuric ecid to be sold again at $50 to
$50 per ton" The elementary instrue-
tion in regard to the various sources Of
the nitrogen, phCsphoric acid and pot.
ash commonly uged in the making Of
ferti zsrs is one Of the most interesting
parts Of the bulletin TO the unIearned
farmer, and the table giving the anaEy.
ses Of various materials is ona that can
be referred to with profit by ail who
contemplate home m,xrg, Tae direc.
tions giving the method for calculating
| the constituents OF @ fertil z r are ina-
portant and useful, and we may refer
10 them in the future. The idea ie
common among farmers that p mix
ing the chemicals used for fert6l.zsng
purposes it is necessary to use come
ehirg as a filler" This is wholly q
mistake, for the filler" is only a worth
less adulteration used by manufactuT-
ers to reduce the quality so as to make
a low priced article, and the buyer 6f
such ia simply paying full price for all
| that is Of value in the fertilizer and
then pays freight on lot Of &C u.terant
shat is Of no earthly use to him He
would far better have bought smaller
quantity OF the valuable part and left
the filler at the factory. But the ma.
terials used are always combined with
something else, for we cannot us8 am
monia, nitrogen nor potash in pure
form, but must always get it in some
chemi3al CombiE alton. 4 fertilizer
sack seldom if ever contains ammonia,
though it may be marked on it, but
has nitrogen, the really valuable part
Of the ammonia in combination with
certain other ma EteTs such az the refuse
Of slaughter houses, fish ecrap, cotton
seed meal, etc It ia shown that high
grade complete fertilizer can be made
in Ohio, by buying the materials in
snaIi quantities and adding freight to
make formula of $40 pounds for s. 50,
and this is the actual cost of the ma.
terials used in a ton Of factory mixed
fertilizer which has be en- sold at retail
for $17 50plus freight, and as the freight
in the above was included, an average
of So should be added for this item,
making the factory goods cost 5000
and leaving a difference Of $12 per ton
to pay the farmer for his mixing. As
he can mix two or three tons per day,
he will make fine weges. The celcuIs-
tions are based on the highest retail
rates. It is stated that the farmers Of
Ohio are buy irg about 30, 900 tons per
anr um OF fertilizers at an average
| price of 824 per ton. From one third
to one fourth of this may be saved by
buy ing the materials and mixing them
at home. Il is well said that fertiIz zsEs
can be as well mixed with o shovel On
a barn floor as in the most elaborate
mixing machine. This matter Of home
mixing is no new idea. The stations
have for years been urging il on
the farmers. The Connecticut Sta
tion showed that while the average
cost Of the nitrog enCus eUperphogphAtee
sold there was $50 A per ton, the vsJRe
of the ingredients in a ton was $2071.
At another point in the same report It
was stated that the average cost Of SO
brands analy zsd was $34 81 per ton,
and the value averaged $24 %. The
same station made en- analysis Of ten
samples Of home. mixed fertii 5rs and
added g for the cost Of mixing them.
This showed that while the average
cost was $29 16 the average value was
$29 OF, Rfrer allowing the farmer 81
per ton as the cost OF mixing, a cost
far above the actual cost. ThUs the
home mixed goods showed a lover
cost and a higher value than the fac
tory mixed goode, and in no report
does the Connecticut Station intimate
that there is any more virtue in the
machinery of the professional mixer
than IN the farmers shovel. The
North Carolina htation, the SECOND
station established in the United States,
gives in its Baletin 139 the plans and
practices of no less than $50 farmers
throughout the State who have made