174 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



here that will paswer that question (exhibits diagram). The horizontal 

 line represents the relative amounts of ammonia, potash and phosphoric 

 acid contained by the barnyard manure contrasted with a commercial 

 fertilizer. What is the condition of barnyard manure as to moist- 

 ure? Ordinary barnyard manure contains from 75 to 80 per cent 

 of moisture. If you will look at the diagram, you will see how the fer- 

 tilizer agent is able to talk to you as he does about the value of a ton of 

 fertilizer. Observe the lines representing the value of a ton of barnyard 

 manure, and also those representing the value of a ton of commercial 

 fertilizer. As we look at these, we are struck with the idea that perhaps 

 after all barnyard manure, as compared with commercial fertilizer, is a , 

 poor sort of thing, but now let us see why that is so. Let us explain this 

 diagram. In the first place, commercial fertilizer contains very little 

 moisture, and that practically accounts for much of the difference. 



BARNYARD MANURE DEFICIENT IN PHOSPHORIC ACID. 



What we find — that is, those of us who are engaged in fruit growing — 

 is that barnyard manure is deficient more or less in this substance which 

 we call phosphoric acid. The fertilizer manufacturer takes that into con- 

 sideration, and when he makes his mixture of material to sell, he makes 

 it in such a way that he reinforces the barnyard manure, which is 

 weak in phosphoric acid; and he supplies this by the use of ground bone 

 treated with acid. In modern times, we have the discoveries of the phos- 

 phate beds of South Carolina and Florida, and these sources are now per- 

 haps as much or more used than the bone dust. 



VALUATION. 



When we place a value on any plant food, it is, we might say, an ideal 

 value. Suppose, for instance, in conversation with a fertilizer agent, he 

 says he has a ton of fertilizer which he will sell you for |25.00 and at the 

 market price it is worth over $30.00. You say, how can it be worth over 

 180.00 and he sell it for |25.00? What is meant by valuation? It is 

 said, for instance, that phosphoric acid is worth eight cents per pound 

 and ammonia sixteen cents a pound, and potash six cents. How do we 

 know that? Each year a commission of gentlemen go to the city of 

 New York and buy at the cheapest price possible the substances contain- 

 ing these materials. They see what they can buy them for in large 

 amounts and find, we will say, that they will have to pay six cents for 

 potash, eight cents for phosphoric acid, ahd sixteen cents for ammonia, 

 and thus they determine the valuation of these materials. Does the 

 result of their inquiry tell us if we put a fertilizer containing these mater- 

 ials on the land, we will get twenty-five cents worth back again in the 

 crop, because we had to pay twenty-five cents for it? That does not fol- 

 low. The fertilizer is worth that because it costs that. 



There is a law in this State which requires that every substance offered 

 for sale to be put on land as a fertilizer, which is sold for $10 per ton or 

 over, must be analyzed and its composition determined. From the com- 

 position the value is determined in this way: 



