SOILS FERTILIZERS. 325 



The manufacture of ammonium sulphate in Belgium (Rev. Orii. Ainoii., 

 II. .sci:. 1 (l'JltC>\. \(i. .?. /)/*. 1.^8, l:i'.)). — This is ji review of a report published by 

 the niiuister of public works of Bel.ijiiiin, discussing esi>e('ially tlie inetliod of 

 preparing anunoniuni sulphate l)y s.-ituration of gas liquors with sulplnirii- 

 nc'id. The annual production of I'.elgiuni is stated to be about 14,700 tons, 4,000 

 tons coniing from gas works and 10,700 tons from furnaces. 



Crude ammonia, L. Bkroeugn (Jour. Af/r. Prat., n. scr., 12 (IIKKl), Xo. 

 .)',', /III. 777-/7.9. fi!/. /). — The composition and use as fertilizer, weed destroyei", 

 ;ind inscH'ticido of tliis l)y-iiroduct of gas making are briefly discussed. The 

 cnniju'sition of the in:>teriMl varies witliin tlie following wide limits: Water 10 

 t(p -7) per cent, ferrocyanid ." to ^~>. free ammonia to '2. annnonium sulphate 

 (>.."• to .">. sulphiicyanogen O.o t(i 7, annnonium cyanid O.o to 1, free sulphur 20 to 

 ■i'l. It is estimated that towns using gas produce about 1 ton of this material 

 annually per 1.000 inhabitants. It is claimed that the material may be used 

 with advantage as a fertilizer if applied from li to 2 months before seeding. 

 .\pplied at the rate of :>0 gm. per square foot the material has bi>(>n found to 

 be ;i very effective weed destroyer. It has also been found to lie (|uite useful 

 in (-(imbating nematodes, ph.vlloxera. and other parasites. ( Se<' also ]•;. S. R., 

 17, piL ;>.-.l. 1142.) 



Six years' field experiments with nitrogenous fertilizers at Pare des 

 Princes, L. Grandeau i./oiir. Ai/i: I'rai.. ii. scr., Jl (1906), No. 23-2//. pii. 1(12, 

 7().i). — Field experiments on potatoes and corn fodder with different forms of 

 nitrogenous fertilizers combined with various other fertilizing materials are 

 briefly sunnnarized, the results indicating that in general on a dry sandy soil 

 jioor in lime the action of nitric nitrogen is decidedly superior to that of ammo- 

 ni:ic;il or organic nitrogen. 



Investigations on the changes which occur in the fermentation of manure, 

 P>. Sjollema and J. C. de Kuijteb de Wildt (Cultiira, 18 (1906), Nos. 210, pp. 

 G6-89, figfi. 2; 211, pp. 130-1 Jfl, fig. 1). — The apparatus and methods used and 

 the results obtained in studies of aerobic and anaerobic fermentation of manure 

 at different temperatures are discussed and pot tests of fresh manure and that 

 fermented under different conditions, in comparison with other fertilizers, are 

 reported. 



The investigations show that under certain conditions there may be a 

 large loss of free nitrogen from fermenting manure, the extent of the loss 

 depending hirgely upon the air supply. If the supply of air is cut off the 

 loss of nitrogen in this foiMu ceases. If air is freely admitted and the tempera- 

 ture" maintained at about .lO" C. annnonia is rapidly formed, but no free 

 nltrng(>n is evolved. Excluding air, however, does not entirely prevent the 

 formation of ammonia. Temperature appears to be a very important factor 

 in deternnning the character of changes which occur. By fermentation at a low 

 temperature with a deficient air snpi)l.v. nitrogen compounds are formed which 

 are not rcadil\- available tu plants. The I'eadily .available albunnnoid nitrogen 

 of m;innr(> is assimilated by plants (hiring the first year, and in case of some 

 kinds of manure more than one-third of the nitrogen is taken up by plant 

 roots within a few months. The anmionia content is not an exact measure 

 «.f the effectiveness of the nitrogen in stable mamn-e. 



Experiments with lime as a preservative of manure, M. Weibull (K. 

 I.diiilthr. Akad. Tfaiidl. och TnWcr., J/.') (1906), So. 1, pp. .i-l.'i ; (ths. in Chem. 

 Zlg.. .V) (1906), No. 62, Repert. No. 25, p. 2-5 J/). — Experiments wei'e made by the 

 author duriTig the years 1908—4 to study the preserving effect of lime on barn- 

 yard mamire, and during the seasons 1903-1905 to study the fertilizer value 

 of common and limed manure for wheat, potatoes, mustard, and fodder beets. 



