616 Agrlcultiircd Gazette of N.SJF. f.i^^.r/. JJ, 1908. 



to a \\\\i\\ state of tVit ility. Nitrated calcium superphosphate should he of 

 innncnsc value, not only as a fertiliser for ordinary soils, but also in conjunction 

 Avitli oiii' artesian irrigation with alkaline waters. The expense of packing 

 and transport would not be higher than for ordinary superphosphate, and 

 it would be particularly applicable to that portioji of the artesian area where 

 the pressure of the bore is not sufficient to produce'nitric acid. 



The mechanical power derivable from the pressure given in the outflow 

 from artesian wells (some of them give a pressure so high as 150 lb. per square 

 inch) could probably be turned to account in producing, on the spot, electro- 

 cluMuical nitric acid fi'om the atmosphere, a process which is now being 

 carried out in Europe at a cost of £8 -is. (id. ])er ton. This process for con- 

 verting atmospheric nitrogen into nitric acid offers some novel features 

 which render it particularly applicable to our unique conditions, the high 

 pressure bores providing the power to produce from the atmosphere an 

 antidote for their own toxicity, and thereby enormously increasing the 

 fertility of the soil, and rendering us independent of a precarious rainfall. 



The workers of one process state that they obtained a maximum output 

 of 440 kilos (970 lb.) nitric acid per kilowatt year, when using a current 

 of O-O-l ampere of 6,000 to 10,000 periods per second, at 50,000 volts, each 

 arc absorbing 2*5 kilowatts. So tliat 2*5 kilowatts (about 3*4 h.p.) produced 

 I'l ton of nitric acid per year. 



A plant such as that mentioned could be duplicated according to the 

 jDower available. There would not be any expensive transport, or packing 

 of the acid, and it would be quite unnecessary to concentrate it for our 

 purpose, which would mean a considerable reduction in the cost of the plant 

 and working expenses. As the cost of raw material and power is nothing — 

 an occurrence unique in the industrial world — it is simply a question of 

 plant, working expenses, and intelligent supervision, and the enormous 

 advantage of this process is apparent when working on such a large area. 



In connection with the question of power derivable from artesian bores, 

 Professor Mason writes: — "It would be difficult to find an artesian field 

 more deserving of study, or more interesting to the investigator, than the 

 one underlying the south-eastern corner of the United States, and which is 

 tapped by the w^ells of northern Florida, — notably that of the Ponce de Leon 

 at St. Augustine. 



" The pressure was found to be 17 lb. to the inch, and the flow 10,000,000 

 of gallons in twenty-four hours. A turbine wheel fed by this flow maintained 

 120 incandescent lights at Hi candle-power, proving that the well was capable 

 of supplying a force equal to 15 horse-power. 



" Concerning the maintenance of the supply, we are possessed of informa- 

 tion upon which to form a judgment. Tliere are now in the town of St. 

 Augustine and its immediate vicinity, in the neighbourhood of fifty artesian 

 wells, varying in diameter fiom 2 to 12 inches, and exactly the same force 

 exists to-day as when the first well was driven — about ten years ago. Another 

 ground for believing that the supply of water is so abundant that it will 



