The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-05-26
INCREASING USE OF FERTILIZER
IN THE UNITED STATES

ing in popularity or absolute require
ment, or perhaps both, among the az
riculturists of the United States. TIL
total value of imported fertilizers, in
GLIDING materials largely, though no
exclusively, used for that purpose, az
gregated 40 million dollars in thu
calendar year 1910, against 10R mil
lion in 1900 and 5 u million in 1890
according to figures compiled by thu
Bureau of Statistics of the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor; while
other reports covering the production
of fertilizers indicate also large and
perhaps equally rapid growth in do.
nestle output of the various mater.
ials used for fertilizing purposes. The
production of phosphate rock, for ex-
ample. largely used in the manufact-
ure of artificial fertilizers increased
according to reporth of the Geologi-
cal Survey, from ~ million dollars
in 1904 to 10% million dollars in
1909; while the Census Office reports
the value of fertilizers manufactured
in 1890 at 80 million dollars, in 1900
at As million, and in 1905 at 81 mil
lion dollars, and if the rate of in
crease just shown with regard to the
production of phosphates, a basic ma
terial in the manufacture of fertiliz-
ers, occurred also in the output of
manufactured fertilizers during the
period since 1905, the total produc-
tiOn in 1910 was probably 70 million
dollars. Meantime the United States
exported last year. fertilizers to the
value of 10 million dollars, making
the approximate consumption of soil
foods by the farmers of the country
about 100 million dollars per annum,
emitting consideration in this connec-
tion OF cotton-seed meal, used in part
as fertilizer material, but largely as
1000 Tor livestock.
The increase in importation of the
important classes of articles used as
fertilizers is indicated by the follow
ing figures Imports of soda nitrate,
Or Chile saltpetre, have increased
from million dollars in 1890 to 5
million in 1900 and to over 161s mil
lion dollars in the calendar year
1910. The imports of potash salts of
the fertilizer class, chiefly the muri-
ate and sulphate, have increased from
1 million dollars in 1890 to 2 million
in 1900 and 6 2-3 million in 1910,
while imports of phosphates, guano,
kainit and other fertilizers have in
creased from over million dolliras
in 1890 to 2 million in 1900 and
az million in 1910.
The commercial sources of the ele-
ments chiefly relied upon as soil foods
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and po-
tash-are comparatively few, Nitrate
of soda, valuable because of its high
content of nitrogen, comes almost ex-
clusively from Chile, from which the
imports amount to over 100000 tons,
valued at about Is million dollars
per annum. The potash salts are
practically all the product of Ger.
many, the imports therfrom of muri-
ate of potash, valuable by reason of
its richness in available potash rang
ing from 200 million to 400 million
pounds, valued at from million to |
5 million dollars per annum. The
imported sulphate of potash also !
comes chiefly from Germany, though |
smaller amounts are imported from
Belgium, Austria-Hungary and ia
pan. Imported guano comes from
considerable number of countries,
though mostly from Peru and Ger
many, smaller amounts being import
ed from the United Kingdom, Mexico,
Netherlands the Dutch West Indies
and in some years from Uruguay,
Venezuela and British possessions in
Oceania. OF the imported crude phos-
pilates Belgium, French Guiana and
British Oceania are the chief sources;
while of the other imported fertiliz-
ers not separately enumerated by the
Bureau of Statistics, Germany is the
chief source, supplying from 1919 to
500, the remainder being chiefly
from the United Kingdom, Canada
and Belgium.
Additional evidence of the increas-
ed consumption of artificial fertilizers
in the United States is contained in
he figures of the Census which show
hat the number of establishments
devoted to that purpose has increased {
rom 278 in Is 0 to $50 in 1906; the
ons of material used, from 727,453 s
n 5Q1 771. and tho va1uo Of thoir