DECEPTIONS OF THE BUSINESS. 153 



126 J Ibs. Soluble Phosphoric Acid, @ 12J cents $15.81 



21 9 J- " Insoluble, of no value as shown, (see page icjj) 



Bags 2.00 



$17.81 



Here we have an article of absolutely less 

 value than the materials and labor used in pre- 

 paring it the cost being $23.06, and the real 

 value, only $17.81. But the manufacturer in 

 selling it at $50 per ton, more than double the 

 cost, makes $27.94, which is a profit of 1111 

 per cent.; and the farmer who pays $50 for it, 

 and to whom it is worth only $17.81, is cheated 

 to the amount of $32.19 in every ton he pur- 

 chases. The farmer must bear in mind that he 

 gets in many cases, as the analyses in Chap. VII. 

 show, even a poorer article than the above, and 

 hence, is cheated to a still greater extent. 



Most of the superphosphates (so called) that 

 are now in the market contain only from a tenth 

 to one-half of the phosphoric acid in a soluble 

 condition, because an insufficient amount of 

 sulphuric acid is used ; the balance, being insolu- 

 ble, is of no value to the farmer, if it is contained 

 in mineral phosphate, though it may have a 

 value of 4 J cents per Ib. to the manufacturer, as a 

 raw material to make soluble phosphoric acid 

 from. They would fain make the farmer be- 

 lieve that it is worth 4i cents per Ib. to him ; but 

 if we did not attempt to correct this idea, we 



