Jan., 1915
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
better to use available phosphates more freely and potash, in many cases, less freely than we are doing. “I do not believe in the use of ground phosphates on our thin soils, deficient in humus, but let us stock up our land with available phosphates which we can get, in place of potash which we cannot get, and we may perhaps find a benefit to our farming from this ‘war measure.’ “DO not understand me to argue against the need and the use of a liberal amount of potash in our fertilizers. I am merely stating my conviction that, on land where potash has been freely used in the past, a one year’s lack of it will not seriously reduce the general crop production of the state, particularly if we will make increased use of available phosphate.” These, however, are technical questions which Dr. Wheeler, who is present and was formerly Director of the Rhode Island Experiment Station, is better able t o discuss than I am. I n closing let me say there is no fear of American agriculture breaking down this year because we cannot get potash. There is no fear of its breaking down in the Middle West for some time, if we do not get potash; but the South and East, unless we have potash within two or three years, will be put t o it t o raise their staple crops. Let us hope t h a t before that time arrives we shall have plenty of potash from other sources to compete with the great German deposits. THEAMERICAN AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL COMPANY BOSTON
THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY By W. D. LIVERMORE
I cannot add anything to the knowledge of those present who are personally connected with the textile industry, but I shall try to speak in a general way, and in respect to the woolen or worsted industry only. The first effect was felt in the fear of scarcity of money with resulting fear, cancellation of orders, trade failures, etc., which might even lead to shutdowns in the textile industry. This phase, as the real situation developed quickly, passed and was followed immediately by some confidence that the business end of the textile industry in the woolen branch might not be injured at all by the war. About this time our anxieties regarding supplies that had usually been imported began to rise, and have not by any means been removed yet. This feature is, of course, the one t h a t appeals most sharply t o mill chemists, purchasing agents, etc. The chemist who had planned a nice vacation realized a chance to cancel it and a n astonishing change of spirit came over us in our relations with our friends in the dyestuff business. We used t o let them come to see us and were quite careful and even critical regarding just what brands of colors we could best use and what we ought to pay for them. In the twinkling of a n eye we experienced an undreamed of change of heart. The dealer whom we suspected of having a good stock of anything we thought we could use became dearer t p n a brother; we rushed out to see him about it, we wrote him-and we called him frequently on the telephone and told him what a lot of business he had always done with us. And I may say t h a t he treated us kindly-he didn’t remind us of all the knocks we had given his colors in the past, and he had the opportunity of a lifetime t o work off the second best colors he had had on hand for a nice long time. We took them gladly and besought him to find us some more. Seriously, however, I suppose that the mills of this country are far more frightened than really hurt, but what the future holds we can hardly predict. We hear very many stories of four and five times the normal price being paid freely for dyestuffs and chemicals and no doubt I think they are these stories have a basis of fact-nevertheless, largely comparable to the case of the wealthy party who pays 840.00 for a pair of $z.oo seats t o the Yale-Harvard Football
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Undoubtedly he pays it, but he sits along with some who paid $2.00 each and who do not receive special mention in the newspapers. If colors are going to come to us via Denmark, Holland and Italy, as we hope with considerable reason, we may be troubled with nothing worse than a moderate increase in cost and a necessity for carefully looking ahead and getting our supplies for a period further in advance than has been our custom, and for avoidance of exceptional dyestuffs which are not staple even in ordinary conditions. The consumption of the United States is in the neighborhood of 15 per cent of the total production of dyestuffs in Germany. If we can get from Germany 15 per cent of their normal annual production we can take care of ourselves quite comfortably. I n support of a hope that we can do this it is easy to remember that Germany will not export any color or raw material for color in such a way that it can be obtained by the countries now hostile and t h a t these countries include practically all the important textile producers outside Germany, Austria and Italy, and also that Austria and Germany :re likely t o be much too busy with the war to use their full normal.amounts of color themselves. The normal stock of colors produc;ed in advance of requirement will, therefore, last us quite a long-time if we can get it over here. As to present production in Germany I do not believe we have very reliable information. I have heard statements running from a present production of 40 per cent of normal in some places down to the closing of the factory and its use as a hospital in others. It is also worth notice t h a t those organic raw materials which can be converted into high explosives and other war material will be so used and wholly removed from consideration as far as our affairs go. Some color will be obtainable from Switzerland. England, which usually furnishes a modest percentage of our supply, has practically dropped out of our market-they themselves need more than they have. Should the worst happen and Germany be entirely closed to us by the course of war, some of the older wood colors like Logwood, Fustic and the Tannins will have a sustained boom. Whether these will be enough to go around will then be a n interesting question, but I do not think we want t o cross this bridge till we get to it. As for the proposals for development of our own dyestuff manufactories I think something helpful will be done-but t h a t it will in any very large way fill the gap I can see no great probability. It takes too large an investment, too much technical skill and experience, and even more important, too long a time. As for the textile industry itself, and apart from this consideration of supplies, it is worth while t o remember that no large amount of cloth is likely to be imported for some timecertainly not in the quantities which many of us feared as a result of the new tariff and in this way a t least we ought to benefit. For the first time in the experience of some of us we have heard talk of large orders of blankets and cloth, etc., from abroad. It may be talk only but at least it is very encouraging to those of us who think this means that we shall a t any rate have the opportunity to supply our own people with their textiles for the present and t h a t our severest competitors will be among our own manufacturers. game.
30,000 people
AMERICAN WOOLEN COMPANY LAWREKCE, MASS.
THE DRUG TRADE By C. A. WEST
I wish to speak, not on the trade of dyestuffs or chemicals used in the textile industries, but more particularly on the chemicals used in the arts and in the manufacture of medicines, and I think the general opinion is that there never was such a n op-
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D r S T R I A L A N D ENGIiVEERIiVG C H E M I S T R Y
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portunity for American chemists as presents itself a t t h e present time. The fluctuations in the market during the last month have been greater than ever known before, and we are very much in the position described by Mr. Livermore-that of people willing t o buy what medicines they can get. You may be interested in a few items which I have jotted down. The normal price of benzoic acid is 2 2 cents per lb.; the price reached $1.25 and went u p t o $1.50. Carbolic acid which cost us 14 cents per lb., we could have replaced at 7l/2 cents per lb. and we figured a loss of $20 a drum; we sold most of i t for 40 t o 50 cents per lb. Citric acid which was sold freely a t 54 cents (at which we make an average profit of a cent a pound) went as high as $1.35 per lb. One of the large manufacturers came into our store and wanted five kegs of citric acid. We told him the price would be $1.25. Then he wanted t o know how much we would charge him for 5 kegs more. We told him $1.30. Then he wanted t o know how much we would charge him for 5 kegs more and we told him $1.35. For 5 kegs more, he inquired, and we told him $1.40. “Well,” he said, “I guess we had better wait a little while and see what is doing.” Oxalic acid went from 7l/4 t o 2 2 cents, salicylic acid from 25 cents t o $1.25, tartaric acid from 30 t o 75 cents, arsenic from z3/4 t o 6, nitrate of barium from 5 t o 15, calomel from 60 t o 90, camphor from 45 cents t o $1.00, carbon tetrachloride from 7 t o 15 cents, cream of tartar from 2S3/4 t o 60, Epsom salts from I to 3, chlorate of potash from 7 t / 2 t o 25, potassium permanganate from 9 t o 60, saltpeter from 4l/2 t o 12, quicksilver from $36 t o $100 and back t o $55, and oxide of zinc from 7l/2 to 25 cents. So I might go on mentioning many others. When I was in London the last of August I saw a n order from the U. S. for Hydroquinone a t $3.00 a pound, the price of which today is five time: that. Such extreme prices, however, cannot be mainMAY 16
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Less than one-twentieth of our pig-iron is produced from imported ores. Of this about $4,000,000 worth comes from Cuba and half as much from Sweden. The war, therefore, can produce no shortage in ore; it creates almost no demand for iron; and, on the other hand, depresses business in general t o such a n extent t h a t the demand for iron has grown less and less. The producers are unwilling t o reduce the price t o a figure lower than $14 per ton, the price a t which it has been held for many months, and as the demand decreases, prefer t o reduce the supply by blowing out their furnaces. Seven furnaces were p u t out of operation during September. About half the copper produced in this country is exported; those countries now at war usually take most of our export. The producers have been curtailing the output, b u t the reduction has not reached the point of holding up the price which ~ can hardly go much lower t h a n i t is a t present, I I ~ , ’ cents. A lower price would close many mines and this would so check prcduction t h a t the price would gradually go up again. Our exports and imports of lead are about equally balanced. The imports come chiefly from Mexico, South America, and Canada. The war does not interfere with the imports and there is therefore a tendency towards t h e accumulation of lead, which has lowered the price from 3.9 cents, which i t has maintained for many months, t o 3.5 cents. A considerable quantity of our nickel is derived from blister copper, b u t our chief supply comes from Canadian ores. About half the production is usually exported and the exports are no doubt seriously disturbed, b u t t h e International Nickel Company, having a monopoly, will probably maintain the price a t 40 t o 45 cents, which has held for a long time. Of the metallic products which have risen in price, the most conspicuous is ferro-manganese. The price of ferro-manganese
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