MINERAL PHOSPHATES. 125 



engaged in the mining of these raw materials for 

 fertilizers are rarely manufacturers, justice de- 

 mands that we should state that the prices 

 demanded for them barely covers the cost of pro- 

 duction, and that the producers are in no manner 

 benefited by the exorbitant priees realized by the 

 manufacturers. The recent discoveries of phos- 

 phatic guanos in various places have led to a 

 sharp competition between the parties engaged 

 in mining this raw material. This competition 

 is a great advantage to the manufacturers, and 

 annually puts a large amount of money into 

 their pockets ; ai^d besides, they are the only 

 parties benefited, as they charge just as much 

 for a superphosphate of lime manufactured from 

 Charleston guano, that costs them from eight to 

 twelve dollars a ton, as they formerly charged for 

 the same article manufactured from bones, cost- 

 ing from twenty to thirty dollars a ton. 



As yet, our farmers have derived no benefit 

 from these valuable discoveries of mineral 

 guanos, which, if properly applied, will restore 

 our impoverished lands to their virgin richness 

 and fertility. But the interests of the public 

 imperatively demand a change. The farmer 

 need not pay manufacturers exorbitant prices 

 for their manures. He should and can procure 

 the crude guanos from the miners and dealers ; 

 the grinding and subsequent preparation is easily 



