The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-29

one operation as against Il proposed on the Warrior.
 Other Products Needed
 'Fertilizers are not composed en- tirely of nitrogen, although 1t Is the most important and most needed ele- ment in our fertilizers. Everyone un- derstands that complete fertilizer must have potash and phosphates as well as nitrogen. Should the nitrate plant be constructed at Muscle Shoals the back water from the naviRation dams would reach up Into the beds of phosphate rocks that are found in Tennessee. The cost of transporta ton will be very small. I know of no other place in the United States where this element of cost in the production of fertilizer can be practically elem mated.
 According to the statistics con tained In government crop reports the total fertilizer bill for the country for 1914 amounted to $1S5, 1000. 900. Of this total, sS6,395,o00 was for nitrogen, $69,005.0OO for phosphoric acid, and $2s,600,0O0 for potash. the total for nitrogen and phosphoric acid amount ing to S155, ,4000 900. Before the com mittee on agriculture and military affairs of the House in February of last year it was testiIled to and 1t has not been denied or questioned that at Muscle Shoals it will be possible in connection with the building of a gov ernment nitrate plant to produce fer tilizers compounded of phosphoric acid from phosphate rock and nitro gen from the atmosphere and sell them to the farmers of the country at one-half the price the farmers have been paying for such fertilizers in normal times.
 Suppose that in one year the farm CTS of this country should use this fertilizer to the extent of the nitro- gen and phosphoric acid used in 1914. namely, $155, 100000. there would be saving in one year to the farmers of the country on their nitrogen phosphoric acid fertilizer of $77.70O,- 900 on the basis of 1914 consumption.
 Tt is of interest to note that Ala bama farmers paid fertilizer bill in 1914 of $11,30O,000, and If they can get their fertilizers at Muscle Shoals for one-half what they formerly paid they ought to have the opportunity to do so.
 "The average yield of wheat per acre for the last 10 years In the United States has been about 15 bush els; in the United King dom about B bushels. and in Germany S1 bush els. This difference is due to the larger nitrogen fertilizer in Germany and in the United Kingdom.
 One electric horse power working through year. will fix 1000 pounds of air nitrogen. and extensive experi- ments have shown that one pound of available nitrogen applied to an acre of wheat will increase the yield one third of bushel. A thousand pounds of nitrogen applied to the proper acre age will increase the yield $50 bushels.
 These are the reasons that conn pei me to favor Muscle Shoals with a possible power installation, as report ed by United States engineers of nearly 6S0,000 horse power.
 Tn conclusion. let me say that l have had no desire whatever to an tagonize the natural wishes of my friends and neighbors, but occupying a position where 1t falls to my lot to be one of those who must determine what is best for the entire people of the state of Alabama in reference to this matter, I have reached my con clusions based on the facts that l have stated above.
 OSCAR UNDERwooD.'