The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-03-29
Will Not Sell Fertilizer Ingredients
10 Farmers.
(Atlanta Constitution

a growing demand on the part of farm
ers for the ingredients or raw materials
of which fertilizers are made, that they
may mix them to suit themselves, and
at the same time save money by so
doing. The fertilizer manufacturers and
dealers have usually and without hesi-
tation sold the farmers simple acid
phosphates with potash, but many of
them have declined to sell potash salts,
dried blood and nitrate of soda. Far
mers have been unifor mly advised by
the several experiment stations and de-
partments of agriculture that it is sound
policy to buy the ingredients and do
their own mixing. Many farmers have
found by actual experience that they
can, as rule, not only mix these ingre
dents so as to better suit the demands
of particular crops and soils, but that
they can save dollar or two on every
ton by adopting. the plan.
Quite number of dealers have even
shown a willingness to accommodate
this demand for ingredients, including
not only acid phosphates, with or with
out potash, but also such ingredients as
muriate of potash, kainit, and dried
blood, but have drawn the line at nj
trate of soda. 1t is quite true that many
of the mixers" of fertilizers, or those
who do not manufacture any che of the
ingredients they employ, do not have
occasion to use nitrate of Soda and are
seemingly consistent in not selling that
which they haven't got" The fact,
however, that they do not keep stand
ard fertilizer ingredient. for sale, such
as nitrate of soda, is itself a ground
n na cal ma fa
turers, those who operate acid cham
befs and make acid phosphate, must
necessarily use considerable quantities
of nitrate of soda in their acid cham
bers, and might easily supply the de-
mand for this ingredient without in
convenience. x ts@
The refusal to sell nitrate of soda and
muriate of potash by these manufac-
turers lays them open to the charge
that they are controlled by purely sell
fish motives; that they do not care to
encourage the farmers to do their own
mixing, by selling to the latter the in
gradients desired for mixing
This may be sound business policy,
but it is not in the interest of the farm
ers On the other hand, many intelli-
gent farmers think i. is sound @busi-
mes policy" to buy and mix according to
their own formulas ami save the added
charges for mixing.
Time was when the farmers knew
very little about formulating fertilizers,
and there were very few, outside OF
the fertilizer trade, hat We're prepared
to advice them. But that time has
passed away. Farmers ere learning that
there's nothing in name" that
Jones and Smiths Gold Dust" or
Brown and Johnson's Eureka" or
somebody's cotton compound or
corn maker Is no better than mix
ture, in proper proper tons, of acid
phosphate, cotton meal and muriate OF
potash. In fact, the most of these COM
pounds with catchy or high sounding
names are nothing mole than mixtures
of the above three ingredients, or some
thing no better, If Sc good. 1t is a
Well-knoWn fact to those at all familiar
with the business of manufacturing fer
tiliZers. that the long lists of different
brands of fertilizers on the market
every year (e99 brands inspected in
Georgia during the Sc: son of 1899-1900)
might be reduced to about four classes,
viz: /. Simple acid phosphate. 2. Acid
phosphateS with potash 3. Acid phos-
pilates with potash ind nitrogen (am-
nominated, potash superphosphates)
acid, occasionally. 4 Ammoniated SUI
perphosphates. Practically the only diff
ferences between any two or more
brands of any one of the above classes
are variations in the percentages of
soluble valuable elements in each single
ingredient and the variation in the rela-
tive proportions of the different ingre-
dents used in mixing
Any intelligent mixer of fertilizers,
with supply of simple acid phosphate,
muriae of potash and cotton meal, could
duplicate any one of the 500 brands"
So far as practical effectiveness as a
fertilizer is concerned. This may an
pear to be an astounding statement to
some, but ] doubt If any wel-linformed
and candid manufacturer or mixer will
deny it's substantial accuracy.
Now, what / have written above
should not be considtted as an attack
on manufacturers Of ard dealers in fer
tilizers. 1t is not so intended. AS rule
and with very few exceptions, these
men are honorable. upright and reliable
gentlemen and have been, and are yet,
important factors in the progressive de-
velopment of the farming interests of
the country. If they should blow up
their factories and quit the business all
at once, it would be an embarrassing
occurrence. 1t is not an attack, but a
good-natured complaint, founded on a
real grievance.
Ii my druggist should decline to sell
me pint of alcohol and an ounce OF
two of camphor gum, but blandly tell