Food for RESULTS IN NEW YORK. 



The general practice among farmers is to buy complete 

 medium or low-grade fertilizers in preference to high-grade 

 fertilizers. In high-grade goods, the cost of plant-food is 

 considerably less than in fertilizers of lower grade. 



Available phosphoric acid is cheapest in the form of 

 dissolved rock (acid phosphate). Bone-meal furnishes a 

 cheap source of phosphoric acid in less available form. Ni- 

 trate of Soda is one of the cheapest sources of Nitrogen, while 

 bone is another. Nitrogen in the form of dried blood is 

 rather high. Potash in the form of muriate is the cheapest 

 source of potash. In mixtures of fertilizing mate- 

 rials, whether complete or incomplete, the plant-food usually 

 costs more than in unmixed materials. 



When purchasing mixed fertilizers, farmers are advised 

 to purchase only high-grade goods, and then to make a com- 

 mercial valuation to compare with the selling price. Even in 

 high-grade goods, the selling price should not exceed the com- 

 mercial valuation by more than $$. 



For greatest economy, farmers are advised to purchase 

 unmixed materials and do their own mixing; or, in the case of 

 clubs, several farmers can purchase their unmixed materials 

 and hire a fertilizer manufacturer to do the mixing for them. 



The following data, taken from the last U. S. Census 

 Report, are of interest in this connection as indicating in what 

 portions of the State the largest amount of money is expended 

 for commercial fertilizers : 



Long Island (Counties of Nassau, Queens and Suffolk) . . . .$1,241,280 



Monroe County 214,000 



Erie County 186,370 



Cayuga County 131,260 



Oneida County 112,630 



Onondaga, Ontario, Wayne, Ulster, Chautauqua, each from 



$102,000 to 110,000 



These twelve counties use about one-half of the com- 

 mercial fertilizers used in the entire State. 



Composition of Fertilizers in Different Classes. 



If we compare our four different classes of complete 

 fertilizers in respect to the average amounts of Nitrogen, 



