14 



Potash. 



As sulfate free from chlorides 5 . 5 . 25 



As muriate (chloride) 4 . 25 4 . 25 



As carbonate 8 . 8 . 



In cottonseed meal, castor pomace, linseed meal, 



etc 5 . 5 . 



The new fertilizer law does not require the publication of the 

 retail cash cost, the so-called commercial valuation and the per- 

 centage difference between the cost and the valuation of any mixed 

 or unmixed fertilizer. The manufacturers objected very strongly 

 to such statements on the ground that the retail cash price, espec- 

 ially in case of mixed fertilizers, is likely to vary considerably 

 depending upon the amount sold and the location of the agent; 

 and further that the percentage difference is held by many to 

 represent the profit to the manufacturer, which is far from being 



the case. 



•In its place the law states that in connection with the actual 

 analysis of each fertilizer, there shall be published the retail cash 

 cost of equivalent amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot- 

 ash in unmixed materials. In the tabulation of analyses published 

 in this bulletin, this has been done, using the above trade values 

 as a basis for computation. A single example will suffice: 



Suppose a fertilizer was found by analysis to contain 4 percent 

 or 80 pounds of organic nitrogen, 6 percent or 120 pounds of sol- 

 uble phosphoric acid and 4 percent or 80 poimds of potash. 



80 pounds nitrogen at 19 cents per pound — $15.20 

 120 poimds phosphoric acid at 4.5 cents per 



pound — 5 . 40 



80 pounds potash at 4.25 cents per pound — 3.40 



$24.00 

 These figures mean that one ought to be able to purchase the 

 above amounts of nitrogen, soluble phosphoric acid and potash 

 at retail in the form of unmixed materials for $24.00. 



If such a mixture costs $34 in the local market the diff- 

 erence would be $10 and the percentage difference] would be 

 $10 -^ $24 = 41.7. This $10 or 41.7 percentage would represent 

 the cost to the manufacturer of taking the unmixed materials 

 to his factory, grinding and mixing them, putting them in new 

 bags, selling them through local agents, bad debts, long-time 



