SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 517 



soluble in water, 3.1 per cent; pliosphoric acid, soluble in citrate solution, 9.19 

 per cent: total plio.s;pboric acid 10.55 per cent; and lime 10.39 per cent. 



Seaweed burning in Norway, W. A. Leonard {Daily Cons, and Trade Rpts. 

 [U. 8.], 16 (WIS), No. 197, pp. 1102, 1103).— The burning of seaweed on tbe 

 Norwegian coast for tbe preparation of asbes wbicb are exported to Scotland to 

 be used in tbe manufacture of iodin is briefly described. It is stated tbat during 

 the past 45 years tbe export from tbe one ix)rt of Stavanger has not been less 

 than 1,500 tons annually. 



The American fertilizer handbook, 1913 (Philadelphia. 1913, pp. 352, figs. 

 25). — This handbook contains as usual directories of fertilizer manufacturers 

 and allied fertilizer trades and of cotton-seed oil mills, as well as special 

 articles, statistics, and miscellaneous information relating to the ferWizer 

 industry. Among the more important special articles included are Fertilizer 

 Materials in the United States, by F. K. Cameron ; The Year's Progress in the 

 Fixation of Atmospheric Nitrogen, by T. C. Pinkerton ; Sampling of Fertilizers, 

 by J. S. Brogdon; The Sulphuric Acid Industry, by A. M. Fairlie; Fertilizers 

 for Hay and Pastures, by E. B. Voorhees; Cyanamid, by E. J. Pranke; Defini- 

 tions of Fertilizer Materials, by T. C. Pinkerton; and The Revolution in Tennes- 

 see Phosphate Mining Practice, by L. P. Brown. 



Importance of nitrogenous fertilizers, J. W. Turrentine {Amer. Fert., S8 

 (1913), No. 12, pp. 25-30). — This article discusses briefly the sources, produc- 

 tion, and consumption of the principal nitrogenous materials used for fertilizing 

 purposes in the United States, including sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, 

 artificial nitrates, calcium cyanamid, tankage, and dried blood. 



The nitrate fields of Chile, W. S. Tower {Pop. Set. Mo., 83 {1913), No. 3, 

 pp. 209-230, figs. 17). — This is a popular account of the location, extent, methods 

 of exploitation, and commercial possibilities of the.se fields. 



It is stated that " most estimates of the available supplies of nitrate range 

 between about 70,000,000 and 100,000,000 tons, which at the present rate of 

 production would insure the life of the industry for 35 to 40 years. Some 

 estimates, however, place the amount as high as 200,000,000 tons. . . . The 

 smaller estimates make little or no allowance for discoveries of new nitrate 

 deposits, which is quite likely to happen, nor do they count on any improve- 

 ments in processes of manufacture, which very readily might prolong by many 

 years the duration of supplies now known. It also is possible that ripio, 

 nitrate-bearing costra, and low-grade caliche, thrown aside in the past, may be 

 worked profitably in the future. Should all these things develop favorably the 

 nitrate industry could thrive for a good many decades to come. Otherwise its 

 span of existence is not likely to extend much beyond the midtlle of the cen- 

 tury, for increased production, which is entirely probable, must hasten the end." 



The Ostwald process for making- nitric acid from amnaonia {Sci. Amer. 

 Sup., 76 {1913), No. 1967, pp. 162, 163, figs. 4).— This process, which is based 

 upon tbe fact discovered by Kuhlmann In 1S30 that ammonia is oxidized to 

 nitric acid in the presence of atmospheric oxygen by the catalytic action of 

 platinum, is described and its commercial possibilities when used in combi- 

 nation with the manufacture of calcium cyanamid are discussed, the latter 

 product being used to furnish the ammonia required for the production of 

 nitric acid. 



The fi:x;ation of ammoniacal nitrogen by permutite and clay soils and 

 the assimilation of permutite nitrogen by plants, D. J. Hissink {Landxc. 

 Vers. Stat., 81 {1913), No. 3-6, pp. 377-^32, pi. 1, figs. 5; ahs. in Chem. Al)s., 7 

 {1913), No. 20, pp. 3523, 3524; Jour. Chem Soc. [London'i, 104 {1913), No. 609, 

 I, p. 811). — Another account of the investigations here reported has been noted 

 elsewhere (E. S. R., 29, p. 127). 



