CHAPTER V. 



THE MONEY VALUE OF FERTILIZERS, CALCULATED 

 FROM THE MARKET VALUE OF THE RAW MATERI- 

 ALS AND COST OF MANUFACTURING ; WITH GEN- 

 ERAL REMARKS ON THE BUSINESS. 



THIS book, being intended to guard the interest 

 of the farmer, and expose the frauds practised 

 by unscrupulous manufacturers and dealers in 

 commercial fertilizers, the first step towards 

 effecting this much desired object is, to show the 

 value of those essential elements of fertility, the 

 quantity and condition of which, in fertilizers, 

 should properly fix their price. 



The prices of different commercial fertilizers 

 range from $30 to $75 per ton. These various 

 prices are erroneously supposed to represent their 

 value, estimated from the cost of the raw mate- 

 rial, cost of manufacturing, and a fair margin of 

 profit. There has been but little fluctuation in 

 the prices of these fertilizers. It has made no 

 difference whether wheat was worth $2.50 or 

 $1.50 per bushel, they have still maintained the 

 same prices. But as this manufactured article 

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