CHAPTER XIV 



Supply to India of artificial manures Price of manures Indian 

 cultivator refuses to pay price because he is so poor Artificial 

 manures essential, more phosphoric acid necessary Govern- 

 ment must pay for these manures and take repayment out of 

 the increased crop Superphosphate can be made in India from 

 imported mineral phosphate and imported sulphur Mineral 

 potash salts also required Mineral nitrates also required 

 India can make nitrolin from the air Great profit will result 

 No great outlay of capital necessary The expenditure on 

 manures would be very much less than the cost of an army to 

 keep in subjection a discontented people Delay in business 

 fatal to success There must be no delay here. 



WHEN the use of artificial manures for India is 

 discussed, it is usual to say that they would be very 

 good, but that the price is prohibitive. That means 

 that the price is too much for the ordinary cultivator 

 to pay. Now, the price that a man will pay for any 

 good thing that will improve his future revenue 

 and welfare depends upon his outlook. Most people 

 do not look very far ahead. Now, in the United 

 Kingdom, if a poor man should borrow i, he would 

 think it a very moderate rate of interest to be asked 

 to pay is. a week for the use of that i. But that 

 is at the rate of 260 per cent, per annum, which is, 

 of course, an entirely prohibitive rate for an ordinary 

 business man. In the same way with the Indian 

 cultivator. When he is asked to buy wood for fuel 



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