808 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



The values assigned, for the present, to the other elements in the 

 cost of the fertilizer at the point of a delivery are: 



3. For mixing, $1.00 per ton. 



4. For bagging, $1.00 per ton, in all cases except those in which 

 the article was sold in original packages; the cost of the package 

 being, in such cases, included in the wholesale price. 



5. For agents' commissions, 20 per cent, of the cost of the goods 

 f. o. b. at the jobbers' or mixers' warehouse. 



G. For freight, $2.00 per ton; the cost of the freight in lots of 

 twelve tons or over, from the seaboard to Ilarrisburg, averaging 

 $1.88 per ton. 



The following valuation of dissolved South Carolina rock illus- 

 trates the method. 



Phosphoric acid. Per cent. Weight per ton. 



Soluble, 11.50 230 lbs. at 3c. $6 90 



Reverted, 2.50 50 lbs. at 2^c. 125 



Insoluble, 1 . 00 20 lbs. at if c. 30 



Retail cash value of ingredients, $8 45 



Bagging, 1 00 



Cash value of goods ready for shipment, $9 45 



Agents' commission, 20 per cent., 1 89 



Freight, 2 00 



Commercial value per ton, $13 34 



It is not to be expected, of course,' that the valuations thus com- 

 puted will precisely represent the fair price to be charged for a 

 brand in each locality and in every transaction. Market conditions, 

 competition, distance from factory, all introduce minor variations. 

 Nevertheless, to make the approximation reasonably close the 

 average valuation of a given class of goods ought to agree closely 

 with its ascertained average selling price. Whenever such an 

 agreement is no longer obtained by the use of a schedule, it is evi- 

 dent that the schedule of retail values of the constituents, or the 

 added allowances for mixing, etc., requires revision. 



It is needful to note here another factor greatly affecting the prac- 

 tical accuracy of these approximations. Their computation would 

 offer little difficulty and their usefulness be far greater, if, by the 

 ordinary methods of analysis, the exact nature of the ingredients 

 used to supply the several fertilizer constituents, were capable of 

 certain determination. This is, however, possible, to-day, to only a 

 limited extent. The valuations are, therefore, based on the assump- 

 tion that the fertilizers are uniformly compounded from high quality 

 ingredients, such as are commonly employed in the manufacture of 

 fertilizers of the several classes. Consumers should carefully avoid 

 the error of accepting such valuations as infallible; they are not de- 

 signed to be used for close comparisons of single brands, but only to 

 indicate whether the price asked for a fertilizer is abnormal, as- 

 suming good quality for the ingredients used. From this it is clear 

 that, except as high freights may require, the selling price of a brand 



