1909.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 



43 



It is apparent from the above table that with less than a 

 44 per eeiit advance in price over the low-grade fertilizer, the 

 high grade f nrnishes more than 75 per cent increase in available 

 plant food and nearly 90 per cent increase in commercial value. 

 A ton of the high-grade fertilizer furnishes about 4G pounds 

 more of nitrogen, 15 pounds more of available phosphoric acid 

 and 104 pounds more of potash than do the low-grade goods. 

 The high-grade fertilizers, with a 31.0 per cent advance in 

 price over the medium grade, furnish 35 per cent more plant 

 food with about 4G per cent increase in commercial value. The 

 medium-grade goods also furnish much better value for the 

 money invested than do the low-grade fertilizers. The medium 

 grade, costing 9 per cent more than the low-grade fertilizers, 

 furnish 30.5 per cent more plant food and have about 30.5 

 per cent greater commercial value. The consumer purchasing 

 the low-grade fertilizers has paid, on the average, 8.83 cents 

 per pound more for nitrogen, over 2 cents per pound more 

 for available phosphoric acid and 2.15 cents per pound more 

 for potash than has the user of the high-grade fertilizers. The 

 purchaser of the medium-grade goods has j^aid, on the average, 

 3 cents more per pound for his nitrogen and three-fourths of a 

 cent per pound more for his available phosphoric acid and pot- 

 ash than has the purchaser of the high grade goods. These 

 figures speak for themselves. 



(g) Quality and Commercial Cost of Bone, Tankage and Fish. 



Out of the 34 samples of gTound bone, tankage and dry 

 ground fish, 5 showed a deficiency in nitrogen and 6 in phos- 

 phoric acid ; only 1 of these brands, however, showed a com- 

 mercial shortage. 



The average retail cash prices, valuations and percentages of 

 difference of the ground bone, dissolved bone, tankage and dry 

 ground fish are as follows : — 



