Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-12-14
FERTILIZER MEN
ARE OPTIMISTIC
Plans For Reducing Number Of
Grades and Increasing Efficien-
Of Product Was Feature

Atlanta, Dec, 13-Addresses by ma
tional figures in which note of dis
tinct optomism concerning the future
of the fertilizer industry was sounded,
and discussion of plans for reducing
the number of grades of fertilizer
used in the south, were features of the
Southern Fertilizer, Association. at
which J. Russell Porter, widely known
Atlanta fertilizer man, was reelected
president.
President Russell Porter opened the
meeting with his annual address, in
which he stated that the fertilizer
indutry faced the best year it has
had for two years, because of the i'll
creased purchasing power of cotton
and because the southern cotton farm
'er has learned how to use calcium
arsenate to control the boil weevil.
In the course of his remarks, he
advocated in the interest of the farm
er, as well as the industry, that
the fertilizer business be put on a
cash basis as soon as possible. He
believed that the savings that would
result would allow the farmer to get
This fertilizer cheaper.
He spoke in high terms of the work
1of the soil Improvement committee
IN its educational movement during the
past year, especially the work that
had been done in promoting tn chest
methods of boil weevi1 control in the
southeast. He urged the membership
to support the soil Improvement COM
mittee work as literally as possible.
c. R. Mcdowell, PRESENT of Ar
mour Fertilizer works, Chicago, was
speaker, and declared his belief
that the industry had reached an end
of liquidating following the time when
it had fallen off the roof. He felt
that the time would come when "it
would be possible to get on the black
side of the ledger and cut out the
red stuff"
Production Cost.
He said that the farmer must be
given as much for his dollar as posi-
BILE with due regard to a reasonable
profit on the part of the fertilizer
manufacturer, and he agreed with
Mr.. Porter that the time had come
when fertilizer manufacturers must
clarly understand every cost of pro-
duction,
Mr.. Mcdowell dwe1t at some length
on the campaign which had been
successfully conducted in the northern
states looking to the adoption of
fewer grades of fertilizers and max
ing the few grades of higher ana1y-
sis. In this undertaking, he said,
Agricultural Colleges and experiment
stations had co-operated and in fact.
were anxious to lead the way.
Director J. N. Harper, of the soil
Improvement committee presented a
chart showing desirable formulas for
all crops and all soil types in the
Estate. He especially emphasized the
Importance of increasing the amount
of phosphoric acid in fertilizers, in
order to hasten the maturity of cot
ton and thus aid the farmer in beat
ing the boil weevil.
Needs of South.
Mr.. Robert F. Maddox, president
of the Atlanta National bank, who for
several years was fertilizer manufac-
turer, expressed belief that a liberal
use of higher quality fertilizers, bet
. ter quality of seed, and the use of cal
cium arsenate would result in a very
j Il restoration of the south to
as~.gdlal and prosperous condition. He
believed the war finance commission
had stabilized the finances of the south
Following the war. just as the federal
reserve bank stabilized it during the
war He believed that there were good
prospects of sound legislation in favor
of more liberal credit arrangements
for the farmer.
Gustavus Ober, Jr., president of the
National Fertilizer association, and
that in the Baltimore district opti-
mism was in the air, and that they
looked for much improved conditions
in the spring. He told of the success
of the National Fertilizer association
in defeating, with the aid of farm
bureaus, the potash tariff.
Mr. ODER called attention to the pos
sible severe car shortage during the
shipping season of next year and adj
vised that the fertilizer manufacturers
extend their shipping over longer
period than is usual