Newspapers / The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, … / March 9, 1950, edition 1 / Page 9
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WAYMSB - JQUdj MOUNTAINS JDlt.ica.5 SECOND cue r jodem Plant Pmduema '150 Terns Fertilizer Hem Be 4al Blends f3Made For p Crops-Soils Lfrom l First Section) .bout three stories high. wnis an """"" t 150.000. it was learned to-1 ,. 20 men are empioyea, !(, be added as pro is increased. ; 1 dern fertilizer plant re t0 some degree, a huge ,ithout an oven, eats are brought to the ij inc Knmp of these ltJ ,re hauled direct from t0 the mixing bins, while iterials are stored for lat t ill depends upon the tvpe fertilizer to be made me. , redicnts are aU dry pow " resembling anything iur, salt, to bran flakes, these' are carefully welgh put into one large bin mple of each Ingredient out for the laboratory, exactly one ton of these i have been placed in the upper, a trap door is open the surging materials rush t below, and from there, led by an endless belt to I floor of the plant for nodern house-wife would ave a machine in her kit t could mix as thoroughly ne in this fertilizer plant, there would be no room kitchen, . , uge machine, driven by a power motor, does not md when it comes to mlx- the mixing machine, the is transferred from one 0 another, in ton lots, and lakes it way to the second d there Is carted away to ige bin.;; ';'." orage bins are on the first d oil fertilizer Is poured m from the walkway on id floor, .' v is sufficient storage space 1 3,500 tons. Four of the d about 350 tons each, ins 700 tons each. Then Dumping Ingredients Into Mixer At Fertilizer Plant 7 V 5sr i It - ft Workmen are shown here pushing carts and wheelbarrows of different materials used In making Plant food. All materials are dumped into a pit, and from there it is carried by chain buckets to the third floor for mixing and grinding. All materials are carefully weighed and analyzed before going into the mixing machinery. (Photo by Ingram's Studio.) there are numerous smaller bins for storing raw materials. After the plant food Is put into storage bins it remains there for several weeks in what is known as a "curing process," A chemical re action sets up, but it cannot be detected with the, eye. Sometimes during the "curing" the plant food becomes as hard as flint rock. When this happens, a few sticks of dynamite carefully placed in the middle of the pile breaks it up for the crushers again. It never hardens in the bag after the "curing' period. For bagging, the fertilizer is picked up by a motorized shovel, and. dumped into a hooper. From there a chain of buckets pick ," up the material and carry it to a bag ging machine. Each machine is sot to weigh . out an even 100 pounds, and it empties into an open paper bag. As the "bag moves away, it passes through a fast stitching sewing machine, and the top of the bag is sewed close. From there the bag glides down a con veyor belt to tlio storage depart ment. There it might wait an hour, and even a day, before being load ed on trucks or in cars for ship ment to dealers all over Western North Carolina. Only 100-pound bags will be used by the plant and this Is for two reasons, economy, and ease of handling. It is surprising enough, that materials used in making plant food is brought irfrom eight states and at this plant are blended together in proportions as recom mended and found most practical for crops and the soils in this area. Materials , come from Georgia South Carolina. West Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkan sas, and New Mexico, One thing that impresses the average layman is the dividing walls of the bins, and the bulk heads in the front of the bins. The dividing walls ; of each bin are made of 10-lnch boards, laid fiat to the floor, with a 2-lnch op ening between each. At first glance it would appear . that the plant food would seep through from one bin to the other, but after seeing one side of the wall with 350 tons packed in, and the adjoining bin empty, one realizes there Is no such thing as seepage from one bin afbonsrrT; Gonamtwl Smoky Mom Fertilizer Co iv rrwIITIiMii I-,- , -, i , '.. to the other. The front of the bins are an interesting thing to the average visitor. Ordinary inch boards are laid cross-ways, just as lumber Is slacked for drying around saw mills. No nails, or any other meth od of fastening Is used. The bulk heads hold back as much as 750 tons of plant food. When a bin is to be emptied, the bottom boards are pulled out, and the dry mater ial scooped up from the bottom by a mechanized shovel. Tom Medford, superintendent of the plant, pointed out that the Pressure and weight of the plant food from above the planks held them in place. It is quick work to build, and easy to dismantle. The management Invites the pub lic to visit their plant, and see Just how the plant food is made. One does not detect any odors until right at the mixing machine. Visit ors are shown every phase of the operation, but the exact amount of each material used in the diffeient formulas is a "trade secret." That is, except for the content of the basic elements making up plant food. AH plant food analyses is refer red to In figures, such as 3-8-6. Broken down, the first letter de notes the percentage of nitrogen the second is the percentage of phosphoric acid and the third Is the percentage content of potash, In this case it would be Just like saying: "This bag contains 3 nitrogen1; 9 acid; 6 potash. Right now the plant is manufac turing six grades, or different types of plant food, such as: 3-9-6, spec tally for tobacco; 2-12-12; 5-10-5; 4-10-6; 7-7-7; 6-8-8, and the man agement proposes to make 0-14-14 and 0-9-7. The production of 18 and 20 super phosphate is also carried out. With shipping scheduled to be gin this week, there is a possibility that two shifts will be used dally, of about 20 men each, according to the management. Mr. Thompson, president, has been In the fertilizer business alt his life.. He was with the Louis ville Fertilizer and Gin Company of Louisville, Ga., before coming here. He was vice president and general manager of the Georgia plant. Mr. Harwell Is an attorney of Kingston, Tenn., and his parents once owned a home at Lake Juna- luska, where, he spent many 'sum mer vacations. Mrs. Thompson is Machine Automatically Fills Paper Bags With 100 Pounds 1 H j . .. I v ':.y': aa--k q hit Two automatic machines All the specially made paper bags with an even 100 pounds net of Plant Food. The two men at the right are Ailing bags, while the third man Is operating the sewing machine which sews the tops of the bags. Then the bags go to the conveyor, left, and on to storage, or direct Into waiting trucks. Automatic scales are attached to each filling machine to assure accuracy. (Photo by Ingram's Studio.) ntaiis mpany secretary of the firm. Mr. Thompson is handling All sales himself, and In addition to sales, is working with agricultural leaders in determining the best analysis of plant food for use in this area. A special spur track has been built to the plant, and as many as five cars can be loaded or unloaded at one time from the loading docks of the plant. Facilities have also been built for large and small trucks to load from the other side of the plant. In fact, three trans port trucks can load at one time. The plant is equipped with a hot and cold shower in the men's room. The offices are electrically heated. Ail the carts and wheelbarrows used in the plant have rubber tires for easier handling. Some idea as to the volume of plant food the plant can manufac ture can be had from the fact that a solid cartoad of paper bafrwerp recently unloaded. - ' WTHS Students Will Attend Band Clinic , Eight Waynesvllle High School Band students have been selected to play In the All-State Band. West ern Division, at Western Carolina Teachers College, March 10 and 11. They are: Alleen Williams, pic colo; Vivian Watklns, clarinet; Charles Alley, oboe; Kathleen Cal houn, alto clarinet; Dale Ratcllfle, tenor saxaphone; Robert Massic, cornet; Betty Noland, French horn; and Jay Dee Stanley, tuba. Allen Bone, director of the Duke University Band, will direct the band clinic and other directors from the western district will be at the college to conduct sectional rehearsals. Students will be guests of the College during their two-day .stay at Cullowhee and special events AT HAYWOOD HOSPITAL Mrs. Kitty Ferguson of Medford Farm is a patient at the Haywood County hospital where she is re-' ceiving treatment for a broken leg. Doyle Roberts of Canton is A patient in the hospital. Mrs, Rufus Ratcliffe underwent an operation in the hospital this week and Is progressing nicely. have been planned for their enter tainment. , FOR SALE CENTURY INBOARD MOTOR BOAT AT UNDERWOOD SINCLAIR SERVICE xr WAYNEsyiLLfe m. c 1! , - ..Jtt ;i;,,:;fci,S .ivi13.:,'..ii.'i if 13 M MODERN PLANT OF SMOKY MOUNTAINS FERTILIZER COMPANY 7 " WE ARE HAPPY INDEED, THAT OUR MATERIALS WERE CHOSEN FOR THE ; CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR MODERN r . PLANT h tHe past 24 months we have furnished materials for practically every major con struction job in this area. The fact that people keep coming back to us for building supplies is sufficient proof that we sell only the best. Our representatives are con tinually on the lookout for bargains. . . bargains that enable us to bring to you the feest the market affords, at a price you can afford to pay. "THERE'S A MATERIAL DIFFERENCE" Another Modern Industry For Haywood o The Wheels of another Haywood Industry are turning and an other product has been added to our diversified list of quality goods made here in Haywood. We are proud of the Smoky Mountains Fertilizer Company happy they have built their plant here and have become one of our neighbors. The plant is providing jobs for Haywood men, and the pro ducts will be of vital importance to the farmers of this county. The management of the firm is working closely with our farm leaders and will make just the type plant food most needed in this section. . , To Mr, Thompson, and his associates, we are happy you se lected Haywood county to build your plant. THE First National Bank ORGANIZED 1902 Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Member Federal Reserve System tones 82-83 At The Depot
The Waynesville Mountaineer (Waynesville, N.C.)
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March 9, 1950, edition 1
9
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