564 SOILS: PBOPJSBTIES AND MANAGEMENT 



terial While, obviously, one farmer alone cannot afford 

 to buy direct from the wholesale dealer because of the 

 high freight charges on small lots, this objection is being 

 met by clubs and various organizations whereby the 

 single carriers may be bought in carload lots. 



It is evident that when a farmer mixes his own fertilizer 

 he is able to obtain not only pure goods, but high-grade 

 goods as well, thus reducing freight. Moreover, as a gen- 

 eral thing home mixing is cheaper than buying the ready- 

 mixed goods. A quotation from Connecticut ^ for 1906 

 illustrates about what this saving may be : — 



Plant-Food Purchased for S30 



Nitrogenous superphosphates 



Best quality .... 



Least valuable . . . 

 Special manures 



Best quality .... 



Lowest quality . . . 

 Home mixtures 



Average of all , . . . 



N 



73 



69 

 32 



77 



Pounds 

 P2O5 



188 

 279 



170 

 174 



200 



Pounds 

 K2O 



111 

 53 



143 

 66 



168 



ToTil. 



372 

 355 



382 



272 



445 



A third point, and by some considered to be more im- 

 portant than those already discussed, is the educational 

 value of home mixing. No farmer can mix his own fertil- 

 izer without becoming familiar with the carriers, their 

 availability, and their effects. He is forced to study their 

 influence on the crops more closely, and thus is placed 



1 Jenkins, E. H., and Winton, A. L. Fertilizer Eeport. 

 Comi. (New Hayen) Agr. Expt. Sta., Rept. 1906, Part I, pp. 

 1--106. 



