2 



BULLETIN 798, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTUKE. 



1917, for the first nine months of 1918, and for estmiates for the 

 remaming three months of 1918. A schedule for tankage producers 

 was sent out toward the end of the year, and called for reports for 

 the two calendar years 1917 and 1918. Data are thus available for 

 a study of the fertilizer industry during two years, both of which 

 were war years. No comparison with prewar years can be made, 

 for lack of data, but a future survey of the industry in years after 

 war activities have ceased will afford interesting comparisons. 



MATERIALS USED IN MIXED FERTILIZERS. 



Table I shows the amount of materials of different kinds used in 

 the manufacture of mixed fertilizers during the years 1917 and 1918. 



Table I. — Materials used in producing fertilizer as reported by fertilizer manufacturers. 



[2,000-potmdtons.] 



Kind of material. 



Agricultural lime 



Agricultural salt 



Acid phosphate 



Potash materials: 



Potassium sulphate 



Potassium muriate 



Potassium nitrate 



Potassium carbonate 



Kainite 



Manure salts 



Nebraska potash 



Cement dust 



Furnace dust 



Roasted alunite 



Kelp (dried) 



Kelp (ash) 



Kelp (char) 



Tobacco waste 



Wood ash and other plant 

 ash 



Manure ash 



Feldspar 



Sugar factory waste 



other potash materials — 

 Nitrogenous materials: 



Sodium nitrate 



Ammonium sulphate 



Cyanamid 



Nitrate of lime 



32,602 



2,474 



3,746,693 



13, 420 



12, 124 



14, 478 



7,656 



2,175 



1,684 



7,201 



6,489 



8,499 



667 



3,064 



2,929 



16 



37,218 



6,523 



2,197 



601 



5,071 



33,863 



285,983 



125,283 



37,230 



33 



40,252 



2,650 



3,554,000 



16, 808 



19, 189 



17,286 



5,706 



368 



194 



18,815 



6,301 



12, 105 



1,999 



4,777 



3,722 



348 



30,816 



7,458 



2,768 



134 



5,250 



34,898 



234,794 



103,356 



6,099 



595 



Kind of material. 



Nitrogenous materials — Con. 



Ammonium phosphate 



Tankage: 



Animal tankage (high 

 grade) 



Animal tankage (low 

 grade) 



Garbage tankage 



Tankage (n, o. s.) 



Dried blood 



Cottonseed meal 



Fish scrap (dried) 



Fish scrap (acidulated) . . . 



Castor bean pomace 



Hair 



Hoof meal 



Horns 



Hide scrap 



Leather scrap or meal 



Leather (acidulated) 



Wool waste 



Tartar pomace 



Peat (dried) 



Natural guano ..- 



Base goods 



other nitrogenous mate- 

 rials 



Filler 



other materials (n. o. s.). . . 



1917 



20,237 



185,491 



108,775 



123,835 



5,994 



37, 189 



306,399 



28,769 



17,234 



19,948 



9,254 



6,340 



200 



218 



18,078 



75 



1,135 



2,709 



742 



67,715 



518,378 



39, 162 

 161,932 



7,096 



134,446 



82,209 



96, 142 



4,770 



25,799 



273, 876 



28,813 



24,215 



36, 481 



7,179 



5,681 



74 



921 



13,892 



1,002 



2,893 



1,892 



52,549 



502, 132 



29,259 



216,764 



11,294 



1 1'artly estimated. 



The figures for 1918 are not altogether comparable with those for 

 1917, as 55 companies included in the tabulation for 1917 and for 

 the first six months of 1918 failed to make reports for the last six 

 months of 1918. In the case of acid phosphate an estimate has 

 been made to cover the companies for which reports were not re- 

 ceived for July to December, 1918. 



The principal kinds of material reported are acid phosphate (the 

 chief carrier of phosphoric acid), potash-bearing materials, and ni- 

 trogenous materials. A certain quantity of agricultural lime, agri- 

 cultural salt, and filler was also reported, and a comparatively small 



