Purchase of Fertilizers 167 



The advantages in the purchase and use of complete 

 manures are : 



1. They are generally distributed, and can be purchased 

 in such amounts and at such times as are convenient. 



2. The different materials may be well proportioned, 

 both as to form of the constituents and their relative 

 amount for the various crops. 



3. The products are, as a rule, finely ground and well 

 prepared for immediate use. 



The chief disadvantages are : 



1. That it is impossible to detect in a mixture whether 

 the materials are what they are claimed to be. 



2. That without a true knowledge of what constitutes 

 value, many are led to purchase on the ton basis, without 

 regard to the quantity and quality of the plant-food 

 offered. 



There is no question that the actual cost of the con- 

 stituent is less when purchased in the fertilizing material 

 than in the manufactured brand, as not only the expenses 

 of mixing and bagging are saved, but the cost of handling 

 the product per unit of plant-food is much less in the highly 

 concentrated materials than in mixtures made up of both 

 classes of fertilizing materials. 



In the purchase of fertilizers by the second method, 

 the cost of the constituents is not only higher on the 

 average, but the variations in their cost are very much 

 greater, due to the differences in the charges made by the 

 different manufacturers for handling and selling their 

 products. 



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The fact that fertilizing materials are a regular article 

 of trade, and may be purchased as such, and the fact that 



