No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 895 



FERTILIZER VALUATIONS— 1902. 



The object of ;in otlicial valuation of commercial fertilizers is to 

 enable the consumer lo jud^e approximately whether he has been 

 asked to pay for a given brand more than the fertilizing ingredients 

 it contains and market conditions prevailing at the time would war- 

 rant. It is clear, therefore, that no attempt is made in this valuation 

 to indicate whether the fertilizer valued possesses a greater or less 

 crop-producing capacity than another fertilizer; but only whether it 

 is higher priced than another of the same general composition. For 

 this purpose it must be so computed as to include all the elements 

 entering into the cost of a fertilizer as it is delivered to the con- 

 sumer. These elements may be conveniently grouped as follows: 



1. The wholesale cost of the ingredients. 



2. The jobbers' gross i)roflt on the sale of the ingredients; this 

 includes ottice expenses, advertising, losses, etc.; for the purpose of 

 the present computation it may be assumed that the sum of this gross 

 profit and the wholesale cost of the ingredients, is equivalent to the 

 retail price of the single ingredients near the wholesale markets in 

 ton lots of original packages for cash. 



3. The expense and profit of mixing: This item applies only to 

 complete fertilizers, rock and potash, and ammoniated rock; not to 

 dissolved or ground bone, or to dissolved rock. 



4. The expense and profit of bagging. 



5. Agents' commission: This item includes not only the commis- 

 sion proper, but every advance in price due to the sale of the goods 

 through an agent in small quantities on time, rather than directly 

 to the consumer in fon lots for cash. 



0. Freight from !he v.holesale market to the point of delivery. 

 The valuations for 1901 were based: 



1. Upon the wholesale prices from September 1, 1900, to March 1, 

 1901, of the raw materials used in fertilizer manufacture, the quota- 

 tions of the New York market being adopted for all materials except 

 acidulated phosphate rock and ground bone. 



2. Upon an allowance of 20 per cent, of the wholesale prices, above 

 mentioned, to cover jobbers' profits. 



By adding the 20 per cent, allowed for jobbers' gross profit to the 

 wholesale price of tlie several raw materials, the retail price in 

 original pnclcnges at the jobbers' wnichonse is obtained. 



