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ERTILIZER 



A group of visitots led by frank 

 ftynn, (wearing %ailor ttravr ) , 

 Morgan county, a member of the 

 Illinois farm Supply board of di- 

 rectors, ivorch the operation ot 

 the fertilizer mixing valves which 

 are controlled by air and are 

 semi-automatic. 



SIX HUNDRED patrons attended open house in early August at 

 Illinois Farm Supply CompaTiy's new fertilizer plant at East St. 

 Louis, Illinois. Illinois Farm Supply Company is an affiliate of 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association. 



The new fertilizer plant was completed recently. At capacity 

 It can produce about 1 20 tons of superphosphate and 200 tons of mixed 

 fertilizer per eight hour shift. At capacity the bagging machines can 

 sack 750 bags per hour. 



Total storage of the mill includes space for approximately 7,200 tons 

 of materials for mixed fertilizers, 7,200 tons of finished materials, and 

 6,000 tons of superphosphate. 



The East St. Louis building is 125 feet by 380 feet and at its highest 

 [X)int is nine stories high. The plant has an additional 3,250 square 

 feet of space for the production of superphosphate by the acidulating 

 process. This involves the action of water and sulphuric acid on raw 

 phosphate rock to produce superphosphate. 



Patrons visiting the plant during the open house were shown tiic 

 v.irious processes of the factory in action by Manager Kenneth D. Wohl- 

 ford and Plant Su[X'rintendent Jesse Barnes. 



The plant at E,ast St. Louis w.is built to provide Illinois farmers with 

 the best possible value in fertilizers with a minimum mo\ement of inert 

 materials. The product of the plant is moved by a fleet of trailer trucks 

 with a capacity of 18 tons of material each. The loading dock is built 

 to accommodate nine trucks simultaneously. 



The 600 people attending the open house and representing 60 dis- 

 tributor outlets included large delegations from Adams. Macoupin, 

 Montgomery, Menard, Sangamon, and Morgan counties. 



The fertilizer plant at East St. Louis is one of the most modern in 

 the country. Installation of labor-saving machinery enables the product 

 to be processed, mixed, and sacked with a minimum of handling. 



Much of the machinery is automatic and the modern pneumatic- 

 controlled valves on the mixing bins enable one man to mix a ton of 

 plant food at one time with semi-automatic controls. 



Moving along to tlie bagging dei>artment, 

 the visitors watch Joseph Coiombara oper- 

 ate the machinery wh/ch can sack 35 tons 

 of fertilizer in an hour. Corner of bags 

 facing camera contain a self -sealing sleeve. 



SEPTEMBER, 1949 



