1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
433 
Why  do  Fertilizers  Cost  so  Much  ? 
“■ Jersey  man — In  looking-  over  the  last  few  reports 
of  the  Connecticut  Experiment  Station,  I  find  some 
figures  that  I  do  not  understand.  I  wish  somebody 
would  enlighten  me.  This  station  is  considered  about 
the  highest  authority  on  fertilizer  valuations.  In  these 
reports  the  valuations  of  fertilizers  figured  at  the  reg¬ 
ular  market  prices  for  nitrogen,  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid,  a  'e  all  figured  out.  We  are  told,  for  example, 
just  wh<  a  potato  fertilizer  is  worth,  getting  as  near 
to  a  stai  .dard  price  for  the  three  most  important  ele¬ 
ments  as  we  can.  Now,  I  find  that  these  valuations 
have  been  steadily  decreasing  for  the  past  few  years, 
while  the  quantitien  of  nitrogen,  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid  have  been  kept  up.  This  is  what  I  mean  : 
1.  Jones’s  potato  manure. 
2.  Smith’s  “  “ 
3.  Brown's  “  “ 
4.  White's  “  “ 
5.  Jones’s  corn  manure.... 
6.  Smith's  “  “ 
7.  Brown’s  “  “ 
, - 
-VALUATIONS. 
- , 
1889. 
1890. 
1891. 
<88.63 
$35.36 
$34.32 
33.23 
31.98 
29.34 
36.07 
28.29 
25.17 
38.08 
36.11 
34.93 
39.00 
35.79 
34.10 
32.63 
30.73 
30.27 
33.19 
31.86 
29.83 
:ers  and  look  at 
their  an- 
alyses  as  found  by  the  station.  These  seven  fertilizers 
are  only  sample  ones.  Dozens  of  others  might  be 
given. 
ANAI.YS. 
/ _ 
1889.— 
-1890.  - 
1  QI11 
Nitron. 
P.  A. 
Potash.  Nitro’n. 
P.  A. 
Potash.  Nitro’n. 
-loyl.— 
P.  A. 
Potash. 
..  3.83 
11.47 
7.17 
3.91 
10.46 
7.32 
4. 
9.59 
7.45 
..  3.12 
11.06 
6.45 
3.41 
10.18 
6.73 
3.77 
9.53 
6.90 
..  2.66 
10.58 
5.16 
2.63 
10.36 
5.87 
2.82 
8.96 
4.94 
..  4.03 
8.70 
9.39 
4.20 
7.68 
9.98 
3.92 
7.42 
10.73 
..  3.96 
12.67 
6.58 
3.84 
12.10 
6.76 
3.78 
11.24 
6.62 
..  3.35 
12.78 
3.45 
3.27 
12.23 
4.17 
3.32 
11.51 
4.31 
..  3.12 
11.31 
5.33 
3.29 
11.16 
5.02 
3.07 
11.39 
3.71 
As  I  said,  these  are  only  samples  out  of  many.  We 
see  that  the  manufacturers  are  giving  us,  as  a  rule, 
goods  that  are  fully  up  to  the  standard.  They  put  in 
about  as  much  nitrog’en,  potash  and  phosphoric  acid 
as  ever,  but  the  station  chemists  do  not  value  them  as 
they  used  to.  Take  Brown’s  potato  fertilizer  for  ex¬ 
ample.  There  is  a  difference  of  $10.90  between  the 
valuations  for  1889  and  1891,  while  there  is  little  or  no 
difference  in  the  amounts  of  fertilizing  ingredients. 
To  be  exact,  the  fertilizer  of  1889  contained,  per  ton, 
one  pound  of  nitrogen  and  32%  pounds  of  potash  more 
than  that  of  1891,  while  the  latter  had  one  pound 
more  phosphoric  acid.  The  net  difference,  figuring  at 
the  market  prices  of  nitrogen,  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid,  would  be  $1.39— yet  there  is  a  valuation  difference 
of  $10.90.  W  hy  is  this?  Do  these  fertilizing  ingre¬ 
dients  cost  the  manufacturers  less  than  in  former 
years?  If  that  is  so  why  do  not  farmers  get  some 
benefit  out  of  it  in  a  reduced  retail  price  ?  Somebody 
should  rise  and  explain  ! 
R.  N.-Y.— The  discrepancy  which  our  correspondent 
alludes  to  is  easily  explained.  Years  ago — say  in  1885 
—ammonia  cost  18  cents  at  retail ;  nitrate  of  soda, 
18  cents;  organic  nitrogen,  18  cents.  Potash  cost  as 
sulphate,  7  %  cents,  and  4  %  cents  as  muriate.  Phos¬ 
phoric  acid,  soluble  in  water,  cost  9  cents.  Last  year 
ammonium  salts  cost  18  cents;  nitrate  of  soda,  14% 
cents ;  organic  nitrogen,  15  cents.  Phosphoric  acid, 
soluble,  cost  8  cents  ;  potash  (sulphate),  5%  cents,  and 
4%  cents  as  muriate.  Fertilizers  made  by  our  largest 
manufacturers  in  188:)  cost  for  high-grade  $48;  now  the 
same  brand  and  analysis  cost  $42.  Other  high-grade 
brands  made  for  grain-dressing  sold  for  $40  per  ton  in 
1885,  and  in  1891  sold  for  $30,  analyzing  the  same. 
Again,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  per  cent  of  phosphoric 
acid  in  many  fancy  brands  is  to-day  somewhat  lower 
than  it  has  been  in  years  past,  while  the  per  cent  of 
potash  is  somewhat  higher.  The  margin  of  profit  for 
the  manufacturer  is  greater  on  potash  than  it  is  on 
phosphoric  acid,  according  to  the  retail  valuations. 
Dried  Brewers’  Grains  Again. 
Wet  brewers’  grains,  fresh  and  sweet  from  the  mash- 
tub,  are  an  unexceptionable  food  for  cattle,  but  we 
are  no  friend  to  brewers’  grains,  soured  and  putrid, 
redolent  of  odors  which  are  not  suggestive  of  “  Araby 
the  blest.”  In  cold  weather  it  is  possible  to  ship  wet 
grains  for  moderate  distances  and  have  them  reach  the 
farm  in  a  fit  condition  to  feed,  but  even  then  a  part  of 
them  is  soured.  In  warm  weather,  they  are  sour  by 
the  time  they  are  fairly  on  the  railway,  and  before 
they  reach  the  farm  they  are  unfit  for  food.  The 
writer  has  seen  carted  to  dairy  farms  thousands  of 
tons  of  them,  which  were  swarming  with  maggots, 
and  in  a  state  of  semi  putrefaction,  which  should  have 
made  the  man  who  fed  hem  to  dairy  cattle  liable  to 
indictment. 
There  is  only  one  way  in  which  this  valuable  food 
can  be  decently  utilized,  and  that  is  by  drying  them  as 
soon  as  practicable  after  leaving  the  mash-tub.  The 
time  is  not  far  distant,  in  our  opinion,  when  boards  of 
health  and  sanitary  authorities  generally,  will  inter¬ 
fere  and  prohibit  the  transportation  of  wet  grains. 
On  any  line  of  railway  which  handles  them  they  con¬ 
stitute  a  nuisance  calling  for  abatement.  On  an  Au¬ 
gust  day  drive  up  alongside  a  car-load  of  them,  or, 
better,  a  car  from  which  they  have  recently  been  re¬ 
moved.  The  stencil  is  simply  overpowering.  The 
New  York,  Ontario  and  Western  Railway  dislikes  to 
handle  them,  and  wisely  so,  claiming  them  to  be  an  in¬ 
tolerable  nuisance  in  hot  weather. 
How  to  dry  these  grains  and  convert  this  valuable 
product  into  a  sound,  wholesome  cattle  product,  at  a 
cost  which  should  not  be  too  great,  lias  been  a  problem 
upon  which  much  inventive  skill  has  been  expended. 
With  the  idea  of  helping  on  any  movement  in  this 
direction,  a  representative  of  The  Rubai,  recently 
visited  the  works  of  the  Long  Island  Drying  Company, 
at  Johnson  and  Morgan  avenues,  Brooklyn.  The 
establishment  has  been  struggling’  for  some  years, 
working  hard  to  solve  the  commercial  problems  in¬ 
volved,  spending  much  time  and  money.  We  were 
shown  through  it  by  Mr.  S.  Liebmann,  who  is  largely 
interested  in  the  business,  and  who  has  faith  in  its 
ultimate  success. 
“  How  many  tons  of  dried  grains  are  you  turning 
out  weekly  ?  ”  said  The  Rubal. 
“  About  25  tons.  Please  understand  that  these  are 
simply  experimental  works.  If  the  demand  for  the 
dried  grains  is  sufficiently  large,  now  that  we  have 
successfully  conquered  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the 
work,  we  shall  enlarge  the  plant.” 
“  You  are  satisfied  that  the  method  is  all  right  ?  ” 
“Oh  yes.  You  see  it  is  perfectly  simple,  the  grains 
are  dried  by  hot  air  currents,  and  come  out,  as  you 
see,  sweet  and  clean.” 
The  dried  grains,  upon  inspection,  as  they  came 
from  the  drier,  were  bright,  sweet  and  clean.  They 
are  shipped  in  bags  or  sacks,  holding  about  90  pounds 
each,  and  in  car-load  lots  can  doubtless  be  bought  at 
profitable  rates  for  feeders.  The  Rubai,  cordially 
recommends  them  to  those  who  desire  an  economical 
food  for  milch  cows. 
The  Market  for  Carp. 
We  receive  frequent  inquiries  as  to  the  value  of  carp 
as  food  fish,  the  demand  for  them  in  our  markets, 
and  the  possible  or  probable  profits  which  might 
accrue  from  their  raising.  There  are  no  two  opinions 
about  the  quality  of  these  fish— they  stand  at  the  bottom 
of  the  list.  If  there  is  a  fish  of  poorer  quality,  The 
Rubal  has  never  seen  or  eaten  it.  To  learn  what 
others  think,  a  representative  of  the  paper  called  on 
Mr.  Blackford,  the  largest  dealer  in  fish  in  this  city. 
“  Do  you  sell  carp  ?” 
“  Yes,  when  we  can.  They  are  of  such  poor  quality, 
and  we  have  so  many  fish  that  are  better  and  cost  no 
more,  often  less,  that  the  demand  is  exceedingly 
limited.  If  a  dozen  are  sent  us  at  a  time,  we  generally 
have  a  half  dozen  too  many.” 
“  Who  are  the  principal  buyers  ?” 
“  Generally  they  are  bought  by  Germans.  They  are 
largely  grown  in  the  interior  of  Germany,  where 
better  fish  are  scarce,  and  the  Germans  are  conse¬ 
quently  familiar  with  them— hence  they  buy  them. 
But  they  don’t  buy  many.” 
“You  do  not  rate  them  highly  then  ?” 
“  0h>  no-  They  retail  at  from  12  to  18  cents  per 
pound.  In  sections  of  the  West,  too  far  in  the  interior 
to  secure  salt  water  fish,  there  is,  I  am  told,  a  fair 
demand  for  them— they  are  better  than  no  fish  at  all. 
But,  here  where  we  have  both  fresh  and  salt  water 
fish  of  all  kinds,  1  would  not  advise  any  one  to  raise 
them  with  a  view  to  profit  ?” 
A  walk  through  Mr.  Blackford’s  large  establishment 
in  Fulton  Market  affords  a  most  interesting  sight  to 
those  interested  in  fish.  The  number  of  species  and 
varieties  is  much  greater  than  any  one  would  suppose, 
who  had  not  given  the  matter  attention.  Lying  on 
their  backs  in  a  row  were  a  dozen  or  more  green 
turtles  from  Key  West  and  Havanna,  varying  in 
weight  from  25  to  225  pounds  and  suggestive  of  savory 
soups  and  steaks. 
Frogs’  legs  come  mainly  from  Michigan,  where  the 
batrachians  are  captured  in  large  quantities  in  the 
marshes  and  about  the  lakes.  Crabs  and  lobsters,  with 
every  conceivable  sort  of  shell  fish,  are  to  be  seen. 
Brook  trout  from  preserves  or  mountain  streams 
and  red  snappers  from  Florida  waters  are  neighbors 
here  ;  while  lake  trout  and  white  fish  from  the  great 
lakes  lie  alongside  the  sheepshead  and  Spanish 
mackerel  from  the  ocean.  It  is  an  interesting  spot  for 
a  brief  visit.  *  *  * 
Fob  quite  a  long  time  there  has  been  trouble  between 
the  great  Union  Stock- Yard  Company  at  Chicago  and  the 
meat  packers  of  that  city,  the  latter  being  represented 
by  Armour,  Morris  and  Swift,  constituting  the  Big 
Ihree,  and  a  large  number  of  extensive  but  minor 
packers  known  collectively  as  the  Small  Packers.  The 
packers  have  claimed  that  while  the  Stock-Yard  Com¬ 
pany  made  a  large  proportion  of  its  profits  from  their 
trade,  its  charges  were  exorbitant,  and  accordingly 
they  demanded  a  share  in  the  profits  proportionate  to 
the  extent  of  their  respective  operations.  This  the 
company  has  persistently  refused  to  grant,  and  the 
packers,  especially  the  Big  Three,  have  been  making 
preparations  to  tranfer  their  business  to  other  points. 
Through  fear  of  the  consequent  loss  of  profits,  the 
company  has  at  length  agreed  to  a  compromise.  It  is 
to  pay  the  Big  Tree  $3,000,000  in  its  own  stock,  and  a 
proportionate  amount  to  the  Small  Packers,  according 
to  the  amount  of  business  they  individually  do  with  it 
Probably  their  share  of  the  “boodle”  will  aggregate 
from  $1,500,000  to  $2,000,000.  The  prices  the  packers 
have  been  paying  to  the  stock  raisers  and  charging  the 
consumers  have  been  decreased  or  increased  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  high  rates  charged  by  the  Stock- Yard 
Company.  Now  that  these  are  to  be  paid  back,  will 
the  packers  recompense  their  customers  ?  Is  there 
any  chance  that  the  millennium  is  close  at  hand  ? 
Business  Bits. 
The  greatest  benefit  to  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  Breed’s  weoder  Is 
before  the  crop  is  up  and  while  it  is  small,  as  it  keeps  the  ground  level, 
clears  It  of  weeds  and  stops  washes  on  hillsides  and  pulverizes  the  soil 
to  a  tine  condition.  w  p  K 
IjUTHY  &  CO.,  of  Peoria,  Ill.,  are  offering  their  Anti-Trust  Sliver 
Twine  at  prices  which  commend  themselves  to  buyers.  Those  Inter¬ 
ested  will  do  well  to  confer  with  this  firm  at  an  early  date  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  contracts  for  their  season's  supply.  See  their  advertisement 
elsewhere  in  this  Issue. 
The  Forster  Bock  Breaker.— The  time  for  late  summer  work  on 
the  road  Is  almost  here.  Is  your  town  ready  for  It?  Have  you  pre¬ 
pared  for  a  supply  of  broken  stone?  What  Is  the  use  of  sending  away 
off  somewhere  for  stone  when  your  farms  are  now  covered  with  pebbles 
and  rocks?  Crush  them  In  your  own  town  and  thus  establish  a  genuine 
home  industry.  The  machine  you  want  Is  made  by  the  Totten  &  Hogg 
Foundry  Company,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  Send  for  their  circular  and  be  con¬ 
vinced. 
It  is  the  middleman  who  always  eats  up  the  profits  of  the  manufac¬ 
turer,  and  compells  the  consumer  to  pay  high  prices  for  manufactured 
goods.  This  Is  as  true  of  shoes  as  of  butter,  wheat  and  milk.  The 
Postal  Shoe  Company,  31  Congress  street,  Boston,  Muss.,  is  endeavor¬ 
ing  to  build  up  a  shoe  trade  directly  with  the  consumer.  It  makes  a 
very  attractive  offer  In  Its  advertisement  in  the  Woman  and  Home 
Department  this  week,  and  promises  to  send  its  catalogue  free.  It 
starts  In  in  the  right  way  by  guaranteeing  to  refund  the  money  If  cus¬ 
tomers  are  not  satisfied.  Such  houses  are  safe  ones  to  patronize. 
I HE  BEST  Binder.  Harvest  will  soon  be  upon  us.  Is  your  binder 
in  good  shape?  Do  you  need  one?  It  is  high  time  you  got  ready  for 
the  field.  Think  of  turning  out  with  the  old  cradle  and  trying  to  har¬ 
vest  the  great  crop  of  1892  by  hand.  It  could  not  be  done.  The  |ob  is 
too  big.  Human  force  Is  not  powerful  enough.  The  binder  is  a  neces¬ 
sity.  Without  It  bread  would  be  dearer,  for  the  great  difference  be¬ 
tween  the  cost  of  hand  and  horse  labor  would  have  to  be  added  to  the 
loaf.  The  Deering  binder  gives  satisfaction  everywhere.  It  cuts  the 
grain  on  the  big  bonanza  farms  of  Dakota  and  also  on  the  homesteads 
of  the  thrifty  New  York  or  Pennsylvania  farmers,  doing  satisfactory 
work  everywhere. 
Strawberries  by  the  Stomach  FuLL.-There  is  a  place  in  Eng¬ 
land  where  strawberries  are  sold  in  a  curious  way.  The  ground  is  in¬ 
closed  by  a  high  fence  with  a  gate  for  admission  like  a  fair  ground. 
It  costs  12  cents  in  our  money  to  enter  and  the  patrons  are  permitted 
to  pick  and  eat  all  they  want.  They  are  not  permitted  to  take  any  away 
except  what  they  can  carry  In  their  stomachs,  and  proper  regulations 
against  wasting  the  fruit  are  enforced.  The  strawberry  bed  Is  there¬ 
fore  a  picnic  ground.  Patrons  bring  their  food  and  pick  all  the  berries 
they  need  to  make  out  a  full  meal.  Then  they  sit  under  the  trees  and 
eat.  How  many  berries  can  one  person  eat?  Take  out  the  cost  of 
picking  and  sorting,  expense  for  baskets  and  crates  and  railroad  and 
middlemen's  charges  and  12  cents  a  head  will  boat  the  usual  market 
price  in  London.  This  is  a  scheme  that  some  of  our  growers  along  the 
Hudson  ml#ht  work  up. 
The  Morgan  Horse  Grape  Hoe  is  a  labor-saving  implement  of 
recent  Introduction.  It  was  patented  June  24, 1890,  tested  last  season, 
and  placed  on  the  market  this  year  by  Messrs.  D.  S.  Morgan  &  Co.,  of 
Brockport,  N.  Y,  Its  practical  value  lies  largely  In  the  absolute  con¬ 
trol  the  operator  has  in  guiding  It  by  means  of  the  handle  attached  to 
the  disc  wheel.  The  horse  is  hitched  to  one  side  of  the  pole,  which 
gives  plenty  of  room  for  the  hoe  to  work  under  vines  or  bushes  and 
around  trees  without  Injury  to  them  by  horse  or  whiffle-tree.  Without 
careful  attention  to  driving,  the  hoe  is  guided  by  means  of  the  disc- 
wheel  in  and  out  around  the  posts,  vines  or  trees  without  effort  by  the 
operator.  It  is  held  to  Its  place  under  the  wire  on  a  steep  hill-side  as 
easily  as  on  level  ground.  In  practice  the  vineyard  or  orchard  Is 
plowed  or  cultivated  between  the  rows,  leaving  a  strip  about  a  foot 
wide  In  the  row.  The  hoe  then  being  passed  through,  turns  a  shallow 
furrow  about  seven  inches  wide  from  under  the  wire.  Thus  a  single 
bout  will  completely  cut  up  by  the  roots  and  turn  under  every  weed, 
except  an  occasional  one  growing  against  a  tree  or  vine.  The  work  of 
hand-hoeing  a  vineyard  or  orchard,  which  formerly  was  an  expensive 
and  laborious  operation,  is  now  reduced  to  a  minimum,  as  one  man 
can  in  a  day  remove  every  weed  left  by  this  Implement  on  from  six  to 
eight  acres.  The  writer  having  tested  it  on  every  variety  of  soil 
under  almost  every  imaginable  condition,  is  able  to  say  that  it  per¬ 
fectly  performs  the  work  for  which  It  is  intended.  w.  d.  barns. 
Defense  of  Dirt  Roads.-I  have  read  “  A  Road-master's  Talk  ” 
on  page  369.  I  am  opposed  to  the  State  taking  control  of  the  roads, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  organization  in  charge  of  the  work 
would  become  a  political  machine  as  full  of  corruption  as  an  egg  is  of 
meat.  I  agree  with  B.  S.,  In  the  opinion  that  "  we  have  men  who  can 
make  as  good  roads  with  the  materials  at  hand  as  any  paid  State  en¬ 
gineer.”  Some  of  the  correspondents  of  The  Rural  denounce  the 
farmers  as  poor  road  makers  because  they  make  dirt  roads.  This  Is 
the  age  of  dirt  roads.  The  farmers  have  no  stone  crushers,  no  money 
to  run  a  stone  crusher,  no  funds  to  draw  on  for  money  for  anything— 
nothing  but  their  hands,  plows,  scrapers  and  road  machines,  tools 
made  expressly  for  building  dirt  roads;  how  then  are  they  going  to 
build  any  other?  One  correspondent  told  of  a  pathmaster  “  who  was 
a  good  carpenter  but  a  poor  road-maker,”  and  described  how  he  turn- 
piked  up  a  piece  of  road  with  the  road  machine,  as  proof  of  his  incom¬ 
petence.  Now  the  way  that  “  carpenter  path-master  ”  worked  that 
road,  which  the  boys  sowed  to  buckwheat,  was  the  right  way  the  only 
way  that  he  or  any  other  man  could  work  it  with  the  material  at 
hand.  Again,  this  is  the  age  of  dirt  roads,  and  It  Is  unjust  to  denounce 
the  farmers  for  building  them,  until  the  means  of  building  better 
roads  are  placed  within  their  reach.  Now  then,  it  Is  the  duty  of  the 
State,  not  to  take  control  of  the  roads— they  are  in  better  hands— but 
to  furnish  the  towns  with  stone  crushers  and  money  to  run  them.  The 
farmers  will  turn  out  with  their  teams,  hired  men,  wagons,  etc.,  and 
do  the  rest,  and  we  will  have  just  as  good  roads  as  the  State  can  build 
and  at  half  the  cost. 
