F< Pkn? r study f the capacities of different crops for using 



Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, we may, within 



228 reasonable limits, approximate the quantities, which, 

 under average conditions of crop, soil, and season, 

 should be restored to the land to balance the consump- 

 tion of growing crops. 



In using fertilizers, or in special crop feeding, it 

 should be borne in mind that lands in a high state of 

 cultivation generally respond to heavy fertilization 

 with much greater immediate profit than those of 

 ordinary fertility. 



It is estimated that the total fertilizer business of 

 our country is not far from six million tons. It may be 

 somewhat more, but, accepting six million tons as the 

 figure, it would take four hundred thousand cars to 

 handle this business. Assuming the average fertilizer 

 consumed to be worth only twenty dollars a ton, it 

 would seem certain that forty per cent, of this tonnage 

 is absolutely inefficient and useless, from every stand- 

 point, since such average fertilizer which runs only 

 twenty dollars per ton contains fully forty per cent, of 

 filler. From this standpoint, one hundred sixty 

 thousand cars are engaged once every year for the season 

 in carrying filler material from our fertilizer factories 

 to our farmers, on which our farmers pay the freight. 

 This is really perfectly valueless to the farmer and 

 planter, and of no ultimate value to the transportation 

 company in producing outbound tonnage; neither does 

 it contribute in any way to diminishing the high cost of 

 living, in fact, it prevents increasing our food supplies, 

 since it compels a large body of men engaged in produc- 

 tion, as well as in transportation, from producing 

 anything of value to anybody. It is sheer waste. 



The elimination of filler from our fertilizers, and 

 putting in its place an active form of nitrogen to bring 

 up the productive capacity of our fertilizers to the 

 European standard, since our average contains but two 

 per cent, nitrogen, eight per cent, phosphoric acid 

 and four per cent, potash, whilst the European average 

 contains four and a half per cent, nitrogen, eight per 

 cent, phosphoric acid and four per cent, potash. is a 

 crying necessity. The money which is now expended 



