INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 



The following table listing the ten most popular grades in the order of the 

 largest tonnage, as compared with a similar list for 1930, will show how the 

 choice of fertilizer grade varies from year to year, the choice no doubt being 

 influenced more or less by the yearly variation in crop acreage. 



The two most popular brands, both in 1930 and in 1931, were the 4.11 

 (5)-8-7 and 3.29 (4)-8-4 grades. The combined tonnage of these two grades 

 in 1930 was 20,520 and in 1931, 20,188. The 3.29 (4)-6-10 grade had the 

 third highest tonnage, showing an increase of 406 tons over 1930. 



The 2.47 (3)-8-4 grade was advanced from fifth place in 1930 to fourth 

 place in 1931, with a tonnage increase of 182. 



Out of the ten brands having the highest tonnage, three were grades used 

 on tobacco: the 4.11 (5)-3-5, 5.76 (7)-3-7, and 4.94 (6)-3-6. They had a 

 combined tonnage of 3,971, the 4.11 (5)-3-5 (the lowest grade) leading. It 

 may not be out of place here to observe that in case of the three grades of 

 tobacco fertilizer, the use of the higher grade will result in better economy. 

 A 4,11 (5)-3-5 grade made by using nitrate of potash, dry ground fish, 6.56% 

 nitrogen cottonseed meal, cotton hull ashes and precipitated bone, would re- 

 quire the use of 730 pounds of filler in each ton of fertilizer. The 5.76 (7)-3-7 

 grade made by using the same high grade materials would require the use of 

 only 305 pounds of filler; moreover, only 2,150 pounds of the latter grade would 

 need to be used to furnish the same amount of both nitrogen and potash as 

 would be suppUed by the use of 3,000 pounds of the 4.11 (5)-3-5 grade. Thus 

 the labor of handling 850 pounds of fertilizer is avoided, besides the actual 

 money saving that would result. 



