ARTIFICIAL MANURES OR FERTILIZERS. 107 



market manipulations. The value of these products for 

 fertilizing purposes depends almost entirely upon the 

 constituents contained; hence the actual cost of the con- 

 stituent is readily determined when the factors, price, 

 and amount contained in a given quantity, are known. 

 The selling price of nitrate of soda, for example, is 

 $48.00 per ton; and as a ton contains on the average 

 three hundred and twenty pounds of nitrogen, the cost 

 or commercial value of nitrogen is, therefore, fifteen 

 cents per pound. 



In many States a system of valuation for mixed ferti- 

 lizers has been adopted, which furnishes a fair method 

 of comparison of different brands. This method assumes 

 that at points of supply a pound of nitrogen in the form 

 of nitrate, of ammonia, or of definite organic compounds, 

 or a pound of available phosphoric acid, or of potash in 

 the form of muriate or sulphate, is practically the same 

 to all manufacturers. A value for each of these con- 

 stituents derived as already described, when applied to 

 the constituents in the mixture, represents the cost of 

 the elements before they are mixed to form complete fer- 

 tilizers; and hence the difference between the valuation 

 and selling-price of a brand represents the charges, includ- 

 ing profit, for mixing, bagging, shipping, and selling the 

 goods. 



This valuation of a brand is commercial, and bears no 

 strict relation to its possible agricultural effect ; it simply 

 states that so many pounds of the constituents as are 

 contained in a ton are commercially worth the value given, 

 at point of production. It shows what a given lot or 

 brand of fertilizer is worth as a commodity of trade ; 



