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The hitlievto customary valuation of manurial substances is based 

 on the average trade vaUie of the fertilizing elements specified by 

 analysis. The money value of the higher grades of agricultural 

 chemicals and of the higher priced compound fertilizers, depends in 

 the majority of cases on the amount and the particular form of two 

 or three essential articles of plant food, i. e., phosporic acid, nitrogen 

 and potash, which they contain. 



To ascertain by this mode of valuation, the approximate market 

 value of a Fertilizer (i. e. the money-worth of its fertilizing ingred- 

 ients,) we multiply the pounds per ton ot Nitrogen, etc., by the trade 

 value per pound. We thus get the values per ton of the several 

 ingredients, and adding them together we obtain the total valuation 

 per ton in case of cash payment at points of general distribution. 



The market value of low priced materials used for manurial pur- 

 poses, as salt, wood ashes, various kinds of lime, barnyard manure, 

 factory refuse and waste materials of different description, quite 

 frequently, does not stand In a close relation to the market value of 

 the amount of essential articles of plant food they contain. Their 

 cost varies in different localities. Local facilities for cheap transpor- 

 tation and more or less advantageous mechanical condition for a 

 speedy action^ exert as a rule, a decided influence on their selling- 

 price. 



The mechanical condition of any fertilizing material, simple or com- 

 pound, deserves the most serious consideration of farmers, when 

 articles of a similar .chemical character are offered for their choice. 

 The degree of pulverization controls, almost without exception, under 

 similar conditions, the rate of solubility, and the more or less rapid 

 diffusion of the different articles of plant-food throughout the soil. 



The state of moisture exerts a no less important influence on the 

 pecuniary value, in case of one and the same kind of substance. 

 Two samples offish fertilizer, although equally pure, may differ from 

 50 to 100 per cent, in commercial value, on account of mere differ- 

 ence in moisture. 



Crude stock for the manufacture of fertilizers, and refuse material 

 of various descriptions, have to be valued with reference to the mar- 

 ket prices of their principal constitueuts, taking into consideration at 

 the same time their general fitness for speedy action. For these, and 

 similar circumstances, it is evident that farmers have to judge largely 

 for themselves, whether the prices asked for the manurial substances 

 offered for tlicir patronage are fair, considering local conditions of 

 supply. 



