COST OF THE RAW MATERIAL. 143 



of this quality of the article $11.51 per ton. 

 The reader can appreciate the justice and fair- 

 ness of a business conducted on such an equitable 

 basis ; and the farmer should refuse to purchase 

 the manufactured article, until a similar honest 

 arrangement for fixing its price is adopted by 

 the manufacturers. One ton of mineral phos- 

 phate containing 57.58 per cent, of bone phos- 

 phate of lime, contains 527 Ibs. of phosphoric acid, 

 costing 2.16 cents per Ib. to the manufacturer, 

 as delivered in its rough state. When ground, 

 assuming it to be worth 4i cents per Ib. (the 

 price claimed), the following statement will show 

 the actual cost and profits, if put up in bags and 

 sold in that state : 



One ton of Mineral Phosphate $11.50 



Cartage, grinding and labor 5.00 



Bags 2.00 



Total cost,. $18.50 



This article in its ground state is sold for 

 ).00 per ton to farmers, at a profit of $6.50 per 

 ton. But its use, as we will now show, gives no 

 return for the money expended. 



Manures, no matter what they contain, are 

 valuable only in proportion to the solubility of 

 their fertilizing constituents. There is absolutely 

 no proof that this mineral phospluite, which has 

 been exposed to the action of water for thousands 

 of years, has parted with any of its phosphoric 



