The Washington herald., 1921-04-03
TOOLTTTLE FERTILIZER
MAY DECREASE CROP YIELDS
Low Value of Farm Products Discourage Use
Of Hiph-Priced Chemicals.
By The washington Hersla'. EeonomI.s.D

might have been prevented with a
little greater initial expenditure.
Fertilizer manufacturers are not
entirely without blame for the pres
ent situation. The Department OF
Agriculture made an effort to get
the manufacturers together last De-
cember and to arrange for stabilized
prices on what they regarded as a
reasonable level. This ATTEMPT
failed. partly because of the sus-
picions of the manufacturers toward
each other and partly because the
necessary concessions were not
made by certain companies. There
seems little doubt but that a great :
er amount of cooperation would
have been beneficial to the industry
as a whole and of particular benefit
to agriculture.
Another matter which is seriously
affecting the fertilizer industry is
the higher freight rates. The in
crease of 80 per cent or more in
these rates makes a real difference
in the cost of fertilizer to the
farmer. The freight rates are PEN
alizing the farmer at both ends by
increasing the price OF the mate
rials he has to buy and lowering
the value which he receives for his
products. The price of most farm
products is determined by the world
price and does not take into -ac-
count the higher transportation
rates in this country.
Approximately rs per cent Of the
weight of ordinary mixed CONNER
cial fertilizer consists of filler and
only 25 per cent of the essential
chemicals.
This arises from two reasons,
first, that II is expensive to concen-
trste the chemicals which for the
most part occur mixed with large
amounts of inert material, and sec
ond, that with ordinary farm ma
chinery a much more even distribu-
tion can be secured with a bulky
material. The latter condition could
be overcome, and already plans have
been proposed to produce more con-
centrated products. For example. in
| stead of using sulphuric acid to alb
sorb the ammonia from cyanamid
and producing ammonium sulphatt
as at present, il would be possible
to use phosphoric acid as to absorb
ent producing ammonium. phosphate
The latter salt is stable and readily
soluble in water DR.. Whitney. chief
of the Bureau of Soils, believes that
other salts could be formed, such as
potassium phosphate and potassium
nitrate, which would give more con
centrated chemicals, thus conserv-
ing car space and reducing freight
charges.
There is no doubt but that the
liquidation which has been going on
has put the fertilizer business in a
much better position than IL was a
few motnhs ago. The price of the
chief nitrogen carriers are nearly
at pre-war level. Potash prices
have declined very much as the re-
suit of increased importations. The
quotations are still three or four
times the pre-war prices. but al
that they are so far below the cost
of production in this country tha,
practically all domestic plants have
closed. There has been compare
lively little reduction in the cost OF
phosphoric acid, due partly to labor
troubles in the Florida fields. Re-
Gently attempts have been made to
utilize the vast deposits in the
Western States, which lie too deep
to compete ordinarily with the sur
face deposits in the South. The
Anaconda Copper Company is pro-
ducing a concentrated acid phos-
phate from the material overlyins
their copper. II this kind of pro-
duction can be extended it will be of
material assistance.
The following table gives a COM
parison of prices on the principal
fertilizer materials. in 1913, in 1915
and at the present time:
compsrison Of Price Quotations on Fertilizer
Material.
Price Per Ton Present
Average Average Price
Materials 1918 1918 Ap'mate
Ammonium sulphate SIS. 40 sl34.20 500 OO
Nitrate oft, soda 1910 $3.50 III 90
Acid phosphate Cl6
per cent?. 1871 1775 1900
Florida land Pebble
(6s per centD.... $40 40 900
Muriate Of potash
go per cent i'm
ported .......... 1886 3o2 so l20OO
American ..... ..... ..... $50 90
Sulphste Of potash. 1880 354.l7 19J 90
Copyright, ls2i.)
.HnIIIMDIIC WlDAIC