The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-20
MANUFACTURERS OF FERTILIZERS
 TO COOPERATE
Will Make Survey of Situa- tion and Present Facts to
 U. $. Government.

The advisory committee of the Ma ton Fertilizer association. represent ing the leading fertilizer manufac- turers of the country, held meeting at Atlantic City, N. J., April II, 1917, to determine how the industry can best serve the government to main tain a normal production of fertilizer without which food production in the United States would be reduced to an alarming point.
 The executive committee deter
 mines to make a thorough and imme- diate survey of the entire fertilizer industry for the purpose of obtain ing data as to the stocks of raw ma terials on hand, together with esti- mates of what will be required for the period of one year commencing July 1. When these figures have been collected, they will be correla- ted and turned over to the govern ment in order to afford every possible assistance.
 At the end of the session, the exe- cutive committee had the following official announcement to make: an- ticipating the war needs and the seri- ous effect of war on the fertilizer 1n- dustry, Horace Bowker, president of the National Fertilizer association, announces the appointment of an ad visory committee of the executive committee of the National Fertilizer association.
 The committee has arranged to make a thorough survey of the ferti- 1izer industry to obtain data as to stocks of raw materials on hand, to- gether with an estimate of what will be required for the period of one year commencing July 1, and these figures when correlated, will be used in any way that may be of service to the goVernnent or the industry to maintain normal production of fer tilizer without which food produc- tion in the United States would be reduced to an alarming point. The fertilizer industry will cooperate with the government to the end that all distributing factors may be avoid ed as much as possible.
 The cutting of shipments of Pyrites from Spain has been, found to be most serious factor in the fertilizer situation. The destruction of ship ping by German submarines during the past two months, amounting to over million tons, has made it prac- tically impossible for pyrites shippers to arrange for charters. The exports of pyrites from Spain in the past few years have been approximately l. 25O,OOO tons of ore annually. The annual domestic production of py rites is about 450,00 tons..
 The cost of phosphoric acid has been affected not only by the cutting of importation of pyrites from Spain but by the fact that all manufactur CTS who have been dependent on coastwise vessel deliveries of phos- phate rock from Florida are now con- fronted with the war insurance rates not only on the cargo, but on the value of the vessel as we'll. Coast wise freight rates have also practice ally doubled in the last year. The congestion on all railroads and the shortage of empty cars are seriously interfering with the delivery of all kinds of raw materials The advisory committee is following all of these conditions closely. Reports received from Europe through studies recently made are all to the effect that the lack of phosphoric acid and nitrogen 1 duction in the crop production per acre.
 As the domestic production of py- rites is not equal to the demand acid manufacturers are confronted with |, the problem of rebuilding their acid plants to enable them to utilize Birthstone as the only other source