The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-11-17
HIGH PRICES FOR
GUANO NEXT YEAR

Savannah, Ga.,-There is a good
big wear in prospect for the fertilizer
manufacturers and mixers, according
to prediction made here, and the be-
lief now seems to be that they will
sell everything they can make in
spite of high prices.
Indications are that fertilizer
prices will be higher the coming sea-
son than in many year, fact to
which several causes are contribut-
ing. The absence of potash supplies
since German shipments have been
cut off on account of the European
war, has created the necessity for de-
vising some other forms of fertilizers
with as much potash as possible.
There will be no fertilizer, however,
with any large amount of potash in
it; in fact, the perc entage will be ex-
traordinarily small.
Inquiries as to what effect this may
have on crops has brought forth little
more information than that one shall
have to wait and see. They may do
we'll on other fertilizers, and, under
favorable conditions, gather such pot
ash as they need from the soil itself.
Another thing that has contributed
to the high price of fertilizers is the
short cotton crop and consequently
the scarcity of cotton seed meal. Cot
ton seed are now selling around $40
ton, and the meal, after the removal
of the oil and hulls, is bringing $83
per ton or more right along. This is
an increase of nearly SO ton in the
past six or eight weeks. There is con-
siderable meal held in the hands of
spectators, but it is stated that the
fertilizer manufacturers have secured
about all they need. ...
Then acid phosphate has jumped up
from SO ton at interior points to
$12. This attributed partly at least
to the extraordinary demand for sui
phuric acid on the part of the manu-
facturers of explosives, so that COM
paratively little of it was obtainable
for fertilizer purposes.
Other materials, such as dried blood
tankage and the like, have advanced
accordingly, and these have been
nearly all sold out. While the ad-
vance in these latter products has
not been so great as in others it has
been material, and will have weight
in determining higher price for the
finished product.
Nitrate of soda is generally used
only as top dressing, but it is ex-
tremely valuable for many classes of
oops. A few months ago it was SELL
ing at fraction above So hundred
at Savannah and other Atlantic ports
Today it is quoted at s2.77, and prom
ises to 60 still higher. One of the
factors in increasing the price of this
product has been the closing of the
Panama canal to, traffic on account
of the land slides in Culebra cut. Car
goes of nitrate from Chile were await
ing to come through the canal just
as it was closed. These must either
be sent across the isthmus by rail or
sent around the cape at greatly in
creased expense. .-...,
So it would appear that almost
every item of expense that enters in
to the finished fertilizer has been larg
ly increased this year anywhere from
10 to so per cent, and the farmer
must pay accordingly.
The general belief here is that con-
ditions will result in fertilizers cost
ing the farmers the coming season
about 33 per cent more than for 1914
which was the biggest year they have
ever had in Georgia.