


iNT Date Katte RPO MS To Shaka Ny at age I ee eo Fat 
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~ New Yorr AaricurturaL Exprerment Station. 197 
The only objection, if any, which can be made to the above is 
that the nitrogen is estimated at too low a price, but as will be 
_ seen by the scale it is within one half acent per pound of the 
price at which it can be obtained in nitrate of soda. The phos- 
phoric acid is estimated within a quarter of a cent per pound of 
its highest market value, and the potash at its value in muriate. 
Now if we grant that the nitrogen is worth more than our 
estimate, and the chances are very great that the error is the 
other way, yet supposing we adopt the very highest price, viz.: 
that which itis worth in ammonia salts, and probably not one- 
half of one per cent of the nitrogen present in our mixed 
fertilizers is in this most valuable condition, still even at seven- 
teen cents per pound for the nitrogen we would have underesti- 
mated this average ton at eighty cents less than its value, and the 
ton would have been worth $21.44 instead of $20.64, but 
this difference on eighty cents would have been an error in the 
correct valuation of only 3.7 per cent of the total value of the 
fertilizer. 
It will be seen therefore that the honest manufacturers have 
really no great grievance to complain of, and it certainly may be 
questioned whether they have just cause to complain at all in 
view of the fact that they have it quite in their power to enable 
those charged with this legal inspection of these products, to 
place upon them an absolutely correct estimate, even at the risk 
of too high a valuation being temporarily placed upon the 
products of those who may not hesitate to misrepresent the com- 
position of their wares. 
In view of the numerous items of expense which inevitably 
attend the putting of these goods upon the local markets of the 
State, such as expense of manufacture, bagging, freight, interest, 
and not frequently bad debts, there is no reason to suppose that 
unusually large profits upon an average attend this business, but 
as has been shown, there is a very considerable difference between 
the actual market value of what the farmers get upon an average 
for their money and the prices they pay, the average value of 
the 330 fertilizers analyzed being $20.64, while their average 
cost to the farmers was $29.10, a difference per ton of $8.46 or 
41 per cent. 

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