Purchasing Fertilizers in New Hampshire 23 



3. Price quotations. Compare them and show that you are an in- 

 formed purchaser. You will find considerable variation in prices for 

 some analyses. Average maximum savings (difference between lowest 

 and highest quotations) for a five-year period on seven different popular 

 analyses ranged from about $1.00 to $8.00 per ton. 



4. Early ordering. Consider available storage on the farm and de- 

 termine whether early ordering and acceptance of delivery will mean a 

 net saving. Some companies do offer more attractive prices on early or- 

 ders. One company offered savings of $1.60 per ton on early orders. 



5. Economy in selected analyses. The cost of the chemicals in 

 different analyses varies considerably. High-analysis products av^erage 

 much lower in cost per unit of chemicals than do low analysis products. 

 (The chemicals in low analysis products averaged 23 per cent higher in 

 price than in high analysis products in 13 cases studied. ) 



6. Mixtures vs. chemicals. Chemicals cost less when purchased 

 separately than in mixtures. (From about $5 to $17 a ton less in case 

 studies where chemicals only were considered.) Consider to what extent 

 straight chemicals can be used and whether any net saving is available in 

 home mixing. 



7. Size of order. Discounts have commonly been made at the 

 four-bag, ton, 10-ton, and at carlot or higher levels. Savings on volume 

 orders may range from about $1.00 to $4.50 per ton, depending on the 

 amount purchased. Consider possible economies here. This may involve 

 co-operative orders or close co-operation with a specific company. 



8. Delivery direct from plant. Size of order, time of ordering, 

 and location of farmer and fertilizer plant are all factors which enter into 

 arrangements for direct delivery from plants. Deliveries can often be ar- 

 ranged at no extra charge, particularly for full truck loads. Determine 

 such possibilities before purchase. 



9. Car-door delivery. Such delivery should be considered as a 

 possible means of cutting costs. The individual farmer will have to de- 

 termine whether such delivery will make a net savings. It may not be 

 practicable if the purchaser has no truck, b»t in some cases acceptance 

 of delivery direct from the car may make possible a lower price than 

 when rehandled from the warehouse floor. 



10. Credit - use and sources. Where credit is essential in fertiliz- 

 er purchases, bank credit will result in considerable saving over pur- 

 chases which follow the regular time-price schedules. Savings of from 

 one to three dollars a ton appear as reasonable possibilities. Production 

 Credit associations and private banks are possible sources of such credit. 



Prices Received for Farm Products vs. 

 Prices Paid for Fertilizers 



In both war periods, prices of farm products advanced more rapidly 

 than did the prices of fertilizers. In this war, fertilizer prices have ad- 

 vanced much more slowlv and to a much lesser extent than in the last 

 World War. In the five-year period before this war (1935-1939) farm 

 prices were 107 per cent of the 1910-1914 average and fertilizers were 



