Food for generally quoted the Nitrogen is, of course, not com- 



^ n _ s pletely available from an agricultural standpoint even 



2I 4 though some may be soluble in water. Nitrate does not 

 leave an acid residue in the soil, but, on the contrary, 

 it leaves a sweet alkali residue, of great benefit to most 

 soils. 



A further point of interest is the very satisfactory 

 increase in the prices of agricultural commodities 

 whereby farmers are getting a very handsome return on 

 their produce. It would seem, therefore, that on the 

 whole Nitrate of Soda is still the cheapest ammoniate 

 on the market, and it is to be expected that its intelli- 

 gent use will yield more profit than ever. 



Nitrate always pays handsomely on hay, and one 

 hundred pounds per acre alone is a very effective appli- 

 cation. Even at the present prices for Nitrate, one 

 hundred pounds without the use of any other fertilizer, 

 will produce an increased yield of more than half a ton 

 of barn-cured hay. The use of Nitrate on this crop 

 promises to be very remunerative. 



POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION AS TO 



PRICES OF FARM PRODUCTS 



AND NITRATE PRICES. 



From the farmer's point of view, a reduction in 

 cotton and produce prices is to be deplored, but the 

 point to be considered is whether abstention from the 

 use of Nitrate is a wise way of meeting the situation. 

 The utility of a fertilizer obviously depends upon its 

 productivity, and as its productivity is not affected by 

 its price, an increase in the latter justifies abandonment 

 of the fertilizer only when its productivity ceases to be 

 profitable. The profit to be reasonably expected from 

 the use of fertilizer, although somewhat less than when 

 it was cheaper, is not so materially interfered with by 

 any rise in price of Nitrate as to economically justify 

 any substantial reduction in its consumption. 



