New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 



35 



Cost of One Pound of Plant-Food to Consumers. 



From the foregoing figures, it is seen that, to some farmers 

 who purchased a very low-grade fertilizer at a high price, the 

 cost of nitrogen was |1.87 a pound; the available phosphoric 

 acid, 69.7 cents; and the potash, 60 cents. On the other hand, 

 to those farmers who purchased plant-food most cheaply, each 

 pound of nitrogen cost 11.7 cents; of available phosphoric acid, 

 4.4 cents; and of potash, 3f cents. Taking an average of all the 

 mixed fertilizers, farmers paid 20.1 cents a pound for nitrogen, 

 7^ cents a pound for available phosphoric acid and 6^ cents a 

 pound for potash. 



These figures indicate that farmers should invariably avoid 

 purchasing low-grade fertilizers, unless they are sure that the 

 price is proportionately low, a condition which rarely accom- 

 panies the sale of such fertilizers. It also appears that, on an 

 average, in purchasing mixed fertilizers, farmers are paying 

 much more for their plant-food than they can secure it for in 

 unmixed forms direct from manufacturers. Thus, while the 

 average cost of one pound of nitrogen to the farmer is 20.1 cents 

 in mixed goods, it can be purchased for 12 to 15 cents a pound. 

 While available phosphoric acid is costing 7^ cents a pound in 

 mixed goods, it can be purchased at less than 5 cents, and the 

 same is true of potash. 



Trade-values op Plant-food in Raw Materials and Chemicals, 

 Adopted by Experiment Stations. 



The trade-values in the following schedule represent the aver- 

 age prices at which, in the six months preceding March, the 

 respective ingredients, in the form of unmixed raw materials, 



