SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 23 



The world movement of nitrogen in 1910, A. BertraNd (Engrais, 26 (1911), 

 No. 7, pp. 180-]9Ji, dgins. 10). — Statistics of production and consumption of 

 nitrate of soda and ammonium sulphate are graphically presented. 



Nitrate of soda (Chem. Trade Jour., 48 {1911), No. 1236, pp. 7.^-77).— It is 

 stated that according to the figures given out by the Nitrate Syndicate the 

 production in 1910 was 2,436,182 tons, an increase of 350,253 tons over 1909. 

 As a result of lower prices there was a large increase in consumption, especially 

 in Franco, Germany, Belgium, Holland, and the United States. It is estimated 

 that the average price in Europe during 1910 was about $5 less per ton than in 

 the previous year. 



Nitrate of soda in a Texas county, W. B. Phillips (Manfrs. Rec, .58 {1910), 

 No. 5, p. 53). — A brief account is given of the discovery of a deposit of nitrate 

 of soda in Presidio County, about 45 miles south of Valentine, Texas, and 

 analyses of samples of material containing from 5 to 71 per cent of nitrate of 

 soda are roi)()rted. The alleged deposits have been very incompletely examined. 



Ammonia production in 1910, W. N. ISIcIlkavy {Engin. and Min. Jour., 91 

 {1911). No. 1, p. 87). — The estimated production of ammonia, reckoned as sul- 

 phate of ammonia, in the United States in 1910 is 110,000 tons as compared 

 with 100,500 tons in 1909. The increase was derived largely from coke ovens. 

 The consumption of sulphate of ammonia in the United States in 1910 is esti- 

 mated to have been 178,000 tons, representing an increase of 55 per cent in 

 imports of this material. The prices of the sulphate increased during the year 

 and the outlook for the future is thought to be good. 



Sulphate of ammonia (Anicr. Frrt., 3.'t {1911), No. 3, pp. 15-19).— Th\s 

 is an abstract of an annual review of the sulphate of ammonia market during 

 1910, giving statistics of production and consumption throughout the world, 

 but especially for the United Kingdom. The total world's output is given as 

 1,100,000 tons, or a little less than half that of nitrate of soda; of the United 

 Kingdom 309,000 tons; of Germany 375,000 tons; and of the United States 

 116,000 tons. 



Recent progress in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, J. B. C. Ker- 

 shaw {Chem. Trade Jour., 1,8 {1911), No. 1236, pp. 87-90, figs. G).— This article 

 records the fact that there has been marked pi'ogress recently in the commercial 

 application of processes for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, and states that 

 100,000 horsepower is now used for this purpose with a prospect that the 

 amount will be doubled during 1911. 



Works at Niagara Falls, Canada ; Notodden, Christiansand, and Rjukan, 

 Norway ; Patsch, near Innsbruck, Austria ; La Roche de Rame, Savoy ; and 

 Freiburg, Saxony, are briefly described. Contemplated works at a number of 

 other places are referred to. 



The processes used are of two classes, those fixing the nitrogen in the form 

 of calcium eyanamid and those producing nitric acid by the direct oxidation 

 of the nitrogen of the air in the electric flame. The principal process belong- 

 ing to the first class is that of Frank and Caro; the principal process of the 

 second class is that of Birkeland and Eyde. A number of new processes for 

 the oxidation of the nitrogen of the air have, however, been recently proposed, 

 including the Pauling and Schonherr processes, and numerous patents on other 

 processes have been applied for. Much investigation has recently been de- 

 voted to the subject of increasing the efficiency of the methods with promise 

 of decided progress in this direction. For example, Haber and Konig have 

 patented a process of reducing pressure and cooling the arc flame by which 

 gases containing from 9.5 to 10 per cent of nitric acid can be produced when 

 95157°— No. 1—11 3 



