BuEEAu OF Ageictjltuee. 175 



materials to provide the desired plant food, regardless 

 of what percentages the mixture might contain. Ob- 

 jection may be made that the farmer cannot get unmixed 

 materials in good mechanical condition. He does get 

 acid phosphate and bone meal in good mechanical con- 

 dition. He can get dried blood and tankage in good con- 

 dition. The only materials apt to be Inmpy are potash 

 salts and nitrate of soda. It is possible, however, to buy 

 these reground in good mechanical condition. Of course, 

 on standing they may become lumpy again. 



Grrinders and mixers may now be bought which can 

 be run by hand or with a small engine. 



A study of the mixed fertilizers sold in this State in 

 1909 showed that they sold for $6 to $10 per ton more 

 than the retail prices of the materials of which they were 

 made. (See Bui. 140, page 61). The cost of mixing 

 fertilizers is not very great. The remainder of the dif- 

 ference between the cost of the unmixed materials and 

 the mixed goods goes to cover cost of advertising, 

 agents' commissions, local dealers' profits, extending 

 credit, with some extra share of profits for the manufact- 

 urers. We are not recommending home-mixing except 

 when fertilizers of the desired composition cannot be had 

 at a fair price. 



In contrast with the foregoing teachings, let us see 

 what the Kentucky fertilizer market offers the farmer. 

 It is no uncommon thing for a fertilizer manufacturing 

 concern to operate under several different names, 

 branches or subsidiary companies. 



One such company operating in this State used in 

 1913 (Bui. 177) seven different series of brand names 

 and offered for sale 44 different brands of complete fer- 

 tilizers, although they had only 19 different formulas. 

 Leaving off one subsidiary company which has very 

 slightly, but not materially modified its formulas, this 

 company offered 37 different brands representing only 

 12 formulas. 



In one case one formula was offered under six differ- 

 ent names by this general company. They were desig- 

 nated "tobacco grower," '^special tobacco grower," 

 "crop grower," "wheat and com special," and two 

 "corn and wheat growers." Frequently the same 



