VALUE OF POTASH AXD PHOSPHORIC ACID IX CROPS, ETC. 4G3 

 VALUE OF POTASH AXD PHOSPHORIC ACID IX THE CROPS OF UNITED STATES IN 



1S79. 



Corn 



Wheat 



Oats 



Rye 



Barley. ... 

 Buckwheat 

 Potatoes.. . 



Tobacco 



Hay 



Cotton . . . . 



?24,170.2tn 

 11.579,(')8(i 



533,820 

 717,:!(>0 

 10-1, sr.o 

 1,0I>4,7()0 

 9S5.fi00 

 133,29-1,980 

 699,4-10 



?7f., 



29. 



9, 



1, 



1. 



36, 



,297,120 

 237.040 

 818.4'H) 

 -148,880 

 ,902,70(1 

 5S«i,0S0 

 976,120 

 791,040 

 744,480 

 369,360 





11.00,467 



40,816 



13,999, 



1.982, 



2,62' », 



690, 



2,,S80, 



1.776 



170,0-39 



1,068, 



$.">.S0, 



497 



120, 



lo, 



23, 



330 

 242 



,486,217 

 ,"30,112 

 5;!:?,2'I4 

 507,431 

 ,714,444 

 ,8.36,191 

 ,15:!,673 

 .727,.524 

 801,494 

 140.987 



.n7^:.171,360 .n38.171,220 !f3.36,342,5S0 .n,919,95l,.597 17.5 



17.3 

 .s 2 



11 7 



12 8 

 11 1 



8 8 



3 6 



7 8 



51.5 



4 



It will be seen that the total value of potash present in the crops is 

 equal to 6178,171,360, aud of the phosphoric acid tj 8158,171,220, or 

 together reaching the enormous aggregate of 8336,342,580, equal, as 

 will be seen, to 17.5 per cent of the entire value of the crops. 



There is also given in the table the value of the potash and phosphoric 

 acid present in each crop, as compared with the market value of the 

 crop, and it will be observed that in this respect there are great differ- 

 ences between the several crops. For example, while tlie potasli aud 

 phosphoric acid in a bushel of corn is worth 17.3 per cent of the aver- 

 age market value of tlie corn, these same two constituents iu a bushel 

 of wheat are worth only 8.2 per cent «,)f the average market value of 

 the wheat. This result is due to the greater price which the Avheat 

 brings in the market as compared with corn ; for the bushel of wl.eat 

 contains 9.1 ceuts worth of these two constituents, while a bushel of 

 corn contains only 6.5 cents Avorth. 



The small percentage value of these present in the cotton croj) is of 

 course due to the fact that this crop is composed almost wholly of atmos- 

 pheric constituents, and, so far as the fiber is concerned, makes almost 

 no demand upon the soil for its production. 



The small percentage value in the potato crop is likely to be mi.s- 

 leading It is, of course, because so large a percentage of this tuber 

 is composed of water (some 90 percent). But, owing to the very great 

 acreage yield of this crop on good land, the actual amount of potash 



