The Neshoba Democrat., 1922-03-16
AGENTS COLUMN

~ buS 4 tOItie el NPsHObd NfpuHtl.
Just n few words OF expiana tior
about the fertilizer situation and es
pecially Phosphoric Acid. For tn,
past week, have heard complaint
about unsatisfactory prices OF Phos
phate.
] will undertake to explain this
matter as brief as possible SO that
you may understand the situation
as to the prices being made. Let us
take a few facts into consideration
First: At the beginning OF this yeal
and last year, what was the price
on Phosphate Fertilizers? Second
Prior to Jan. Is, 1922, how many
merchants do you know who could
buy this phosphate at a lower price
than $17 per ton?
At the beginning of this year and
last year, What did you have to pay
for Phosphate? | venture to say that
you paid any where from SIS to $22
per ton for it. Did You feel like YOU
were getting value received for using
it at that price? | think most of the
people will agree with me that YOU
were not. Practically all of the State
Extension Force agreed that the
average farmer under the average
amount of fertilizer the farmers used
per acre, did not get value received
for using this goods at the above
stated price. y
Second: Prior to Jan. Is, 1922 how
many merchants do you know, who
could buy this Phosphate for less
than $11 rs per ton and who would
sell 1t to the farmers for less than $19
to $40 per ton. | happen to know OF
an instance where merchants, in a
certain little town were selling it at
around $25 per ton. We all know
that prior to Jan. 18th that Phos-
phatic fertilizers were entirely too
expensive and most of us will agree
that we wanted the price reduced,
but as a rule we farmers did not
take any step to try and have this
price reduced. We more than likely
would have been paying from $l9 to
S22 per ton for it right today and
the rest of the season, had it not
been for the State and the County
Agents OF the State of Miss. This
body of men had two meetings, and
at each meeting this subject was
brought up and discussed. These
meetings We're held from the middle
to the latter part of January.
The whole Extension Force decid-
ed at these meetings that the farmers
and merchants were having to pay
too much for Phosphate. The Elk
tension Force formed what was cal
led a phosphate POOL In this eact
Agent agreed or contracted to use
so many tons of Phosphate in his
County, provided we could get the
price down to a reasonable basis
All of these different County bids
were Jumped into IA big tonnage and
This amount was sent to the differ
ent Fertilizer Factories all over the
Country for them to Bid upon. TC
the good fortune or misfortune o.
some, we had only three Fertilizer
Factories to bid on this tonnage
These three offered to make and de
liver it for $l4 90 per ton. After this
happened the other factories had tC
fall in line to keep up their business
SO some of them have actually placed
their price a very little below oul
price. / truly wish we could obtair
this goods for $40 or $l2 per ton.
think we should stick to our facto-
ries, as far as possible, who helped
the Extension Force pull the price o
the above goods down from $17 Is tt
$l4 60 per ton. We can deliver it N
this price in car lots, less the cost o
operating expense.
| hope you all will be able to see
where this difference comes in anG
that may be able to serve you and
help you to make this a profitable
year. We will also handle u good
supply of Nitrate of Soda at a rca.
sonable price, although it is advauc
Ing in price the last few weeks.
Yours for better service,
ID. E. McWilliams
+ ). Do not forget the Sorghum
Syrup shipment Friday 18th, for this
may be the last shipment we can ob.
tain this spring.