COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS CONTINUED 



209 



Pounds. 



Nitrogen 57.7 value at 17^0. .. $10.10 



Available Phosphoric Acid ... 60 " " 4c 2 . 40 



Potash 50 " " sc 2.50 



Totals 167.7 $15.00 



Add average charge for mixing, etc 8 .00 



$23.00 



The selling price of this would very likely be not 

 less than $25. 



This seems at first sight to be cheaper and more 

 reasonable. But let us see. 



In a ton of mixture A he gets 335.4 pounds of 

 plant food for $40, or at an average cost of twelve 

 cents per pound, while in a ton of mixture B he 

 gets 167.7 pounds of plant food for $25, or at an 

 average cost of fifteen cents per pound. 



To put it another way, in a ton of the high grade 

 mixture A, he gets 335.4 pounds of plant food for 

 $40. To get the same amount of plant food, 335.4 

 pounds, in the low grade mixture, B, it will be 

 necessary to buy two tons at a cost of $50. 



A low grade fertilizer is always expensive even 

 if the plant food is furnished by high grade ma- 

 terials. 



BUY ON THE PLANT FOOD BASIS 



The farmer generally buys his fertilizer on the 

 ton basis. A better method is to buy just as the 

 fertilizer manufacturers buy the raw materials they 

 use for mixing, namely, on the basis of actual plant 

 food in the fertilizer. The dealers have what they 

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