No. 7. DEPARTMENT Oli' AGRICULTURE. 393 



vested hundreds of thousands of dollars in extensive plants and 

 mills, and are employing many shipmasters to scour the world to 

 bring to their mills cargoes of material to be mixed and ground to 

 feed the crops grown by the American farmer, while many ignore 

 and let go to waste, much of the material we might utilize, and that 

 can be found at our own doors. As American farmers we spend 

 our millions annually for food for our crops, which should in a 

 large measure be manufactured and produced on the farm at very 

 much less expense. The trouble is, as is often said of us American 

 farmers, we are always trying to save at the spigot while w© are 

 constantly losing at the bung. Many of us buy expensive com- 

 mercial fertilizers without thought or study, while we allow piles 

 of manure from our stables to remain to bleach for months in un- 

 covered yards and the valuable liquid manure to run off down some 

 stream or gutter instead of hauling it at once from the stable to the 

 land where so much needed, and where nature has provided a way 

 to use it where it will do the greatest good. But we must take up 

 conditions as they exist, and drop all others, and direct our attention 

 to the discussion of the question of Commercial Fertilizers, the use 

 of which has grown to enormous proportions during the past few 

 years. Tlie estimate of what the farmers of Pennsylvania are paying 

 annually for Commercial Fertilizers as given by Mr. Schwarz in his 

 very excellent report of last year, which I have his permission to 

 quote, is from five to seven million of dollars, an enormous sum, and 

 it certainly proves that no other industry could stand such a drain 

 upon its resources and still leave a fair profit for its managers. No 

 doubt one-half of this vast sum is expended by farmers who do not 

 make a study of the requirements of the crops they wish to grow, 

 but make a haphazard purchase of the number of tons they will need 

 aud the amount of money needed to pay for it, and the time and 

 conditions of payment, and often purchase fertilizers on their high- 

 sounding names, not giving heed to the direct needs of the crops 

 they desire or expect to grow. 



But very many of our farmers are becoming expert buyers and 

 will purchase no brand of goods except that needed by the particular 

 crop they expect to grow, and they not only want the true analysis 

 upon the sack to tell them what it contains, but they want some- 

 thing there to tell them from what source the ingredients are 

 derived. We also find that commercial fertilizers are being quite 

 extensively used by the fruit growers of our State, and where in- 

 telligently used they have given very satisfactory results. Of 

 course, there is a wide difference of opinion as to the best formula 

 for each particular fruit. The question of what to use and the pro- 

 portion of the various ingredients, is largely a local question with 

 each grower, depending greatly upon his soil and location. We have 

 heard growers rojnark that it is practically impossible to find upon 

 the market brands of fertilizer best adapted to the various soils and 

 fruits of our State. 



This makes intelligent home mixing quite desirable, as it places 

 the grower in absolute control of the whole question, as he can 

 mix the food to feed the land, as well as the crop, and can actually 

 save several dollars per ton. This home mixing holds good for all 

 other farm crops, each requiring its peculiar feed that the soil does 

 not furnish, leaving that part to the judgment and intelligence of 

 the grower. 

 26 



