New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 961 



a pound. The average cost in complete fertilizers was 5.9; and in 

 special mixtures like phosphate and potash, bone and potash, lime, 

 phosphate and potash, etc., the average cost was 6^ cents. 



Potash in potash salts cost 5.3 cents; when combined with the 

 other two elements in complete fertilizers, its price, averaging all 

 brands, was 6.2 cents; and in special combinations 6.3 cents. 



It will thus be plainly seen that the plant food elements in unmixed 

 chemicals, etc., are obtainable, even in local markets, at prices 

 decidedly below those prevailing for the same elements in ready 

 mixed form. In hundreds of cases, these materials could undoubtedly 

 be mixed at home at a cost far less than the difference between their 

 price and that of the same amount of each element in some manu- 

 facturer's combination with a fancy name. With study of farm 

 conditions, also, it would certainly be found in many instances 

 that a single element or a comparatively inexpensive home-mixture 

 of two of them would give as good results on a particular field or 

 for a specified crop as any brand of " complete " fertilizer on the 

 market. 



But most users of plant food will, without doubt, 



High grade in the future as in the past, buy ready-mixed fer- 

 fertilizers tilizers rather than purchase the ingredients and 



best value, mix them at home. Yet economy is possible, even 

 in buying complete fertilizers; for the figures of 

 composition and prices show that high-grade goods give by far the 

 best value for the money invested. The plant growers of the State 

 pay about $5,000,000 a year for fertilizers — mainly mixed goods; 

 but only one-fourth of the brands of fertilizers offered for sale in 

 the State in 1914, and certainly less than one-fourth of the quantity 

 of goods sold, were "high-grade"; that is, contained plant food 

 elements with a commercial valuation greater than $25 a ton. 



It is evident that, far more often than not, the buyers of 

 fertilizers select brands that supply the plant food they desire at 

 prices much above what they need pay. 



The average selling price of the low-grade to medium high-grade 

 goods was $26.45 a ton, which was $8.66, or 48 per ct., above the 

 average retail value, in the large markets, of their plant food con- 

 stituents; while the average price of the high-grade goods was $34.77, 

 which was only $6.62, or 23 per ct., above the commercial valuation 

 of their ingredients. That is, the purchasers of high-grade goods 

 paid out less than one-fifth of their money (19 per ct.) for freight, 

 distribution expenses, etc., while those who bought goods of lower 

 grade gave almost one-third (32 per ct.) of what they spent, for 

 something outside the commercial valuation of the plant food secured. 

 The buyers of " low-grade " goods (commercial valuation less than 

 $16 a ton) paid $22.98 for goods whose plant food value, on the regular 

 basis was $13.74; therefore they devoted $9.24 a ton, or 40 per ct. of 

 what they spent, to the incidental expenses of the fertilizer traffic. 



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