HOME-MIXING OF FERTILIZERS 



per cent on their investment, despite the perfec- 

 tion of their equipment, and therefore the farmer 

 cannot find it profitable to mix his materials 

 at home. By the same reasoning, assuming for 

 the moment that the profit in manufacturing does 

 not pay a heavy dividend on all the stock issued, 

 if a great hotel does not find its dining-room a 

 source of profit, as many hotels do not, no private 

 home should hope to prepare meals for its own 

 members in competition with hotels. 



As has been stated, every user of commercial 

 fertilizer should learn what a pound of plant-food 

 in unmixed material would cost him, selecting 

 the common materials that are the only chief 

 sources. If he can buy a pound of nitrogen in 

 nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, a pound 

 of phosphoric acid in acid phosphate or steamed 

 bone, and a pound of potash in muriate or sulphate 

 of potash for less than they would cost in the 

 factory-mixed goods offered him, allowing to him- 

 self a dollar or so a ton for the labor of mixing, 

 it is only good business to buy the unmixed mate- 

 rials. The saving usually is from five to ten dollars 

 a ton, excepting only interest on money, as he 

 would pay cash for the unmixed material. 



The cost of bags always is mentioned. That 

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