SOILS — FERTILIZEBS. 427 



Thomas slag and calcined raw phosphate, phonolite and potassium chlorid, 

 and sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, and calcium cyanamid are reported. 



The calcined raw phosphate and the phonolite were almost without fertiliz- 

 ing effect. The ammonium sulphate was four-fifths, the cyanamid three-fifths 

 as effective as sodium nitrate. 



Experiments with fertilizers in West Prussia, Gerlach {Mitt. Kaiser 

 Wilhehyis Inst. Landw. Bromberg, 5 {WIS), No. 5, pp. 835-^59).— A number of 

 experiments with a variety of crops on soils of different kinds throughout the 

 Province of West Prussia are briefly reported. 



Summarizing the general results for several years it is stated that fertilizers 

 as a rule proved beneficial. Nitrogenous fertilizers were esi)eclally effective, but 

 the results also indicated that available potash is lacking in most of the soils. 



The use of preservatives with liquid manure rich in nitrogen, D. Meyer 

 {Illus. Landw. Ztg., SS {1913), No. 91, pp. 823-825) .—Fout cc. of liquid manure 

 containing 0.778 per cent (=0.03112 gm. per flask or 26.8 lbs. per acre) of 

 nitrogen was added to 225 gm. of dry (=250 gm. of moist) soil, air was drawn 

 through the flask, and the ammonia so removed was collected in dilute sul- 

 phuric acid and titrated. 



It was found that the loss of nitrogen was much greater with sandy soils 

 than with loam soils and with dry soils than with moist. With dry sandy 

 soils the loss of nitrogen was 21.95 per cent of that in the manure in the first 

 48 hours, with moist sandy soil 10.58 per cent, with dry loam soil 11.33 per 

 cent, and with moist loam soil 5.33 per cent. In 48 hours more the loss with 

 moist sandy soil was increased to 18.14 per cent, with moist loam soil to 8.71 

 per cent. 



One hundred cc. samples of the liquid manure were tVeated with varying 

 amounts of sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, superphosphate, and gypsum. 

 From 92.8 to 95.9 per cent of the nitrogen of the manure was in form of am- 

 monium carbonate. The sulphuric acid was applied in amounts varying from 

 a little less to a little more than enough to fix the total nitrogen or replace 

 the carbon dioxid present. The liquid was allowed to evaporate slowly to dry- 

 ness at ordinary temperature. Without treatment there was almost complete 

 loss of the ammoniacal nitrogen. With addition of sulphuric acid equivalent 

 to the total nitrogen there was a loss of 7.27 per cent and with sulphuric acid 

 equivalent to the carbon dioxid only 2.68 per cent. Increasing the acid beyond 

 the equivalents stated reduced the loss still further but not materially. The 

 losses were much greater with phosphoric acid, superphosphate, and gypsum 

 than with sulphuric acid. Over 50 per cent of the nitrogen was lost in case 

 of gypsum. It was about 37 per cent with the largest amount of phosphoric 

 acid used and 27 per cent with the largest amount of superphosphate used. 



The use of sulphuric acid is considered the most effective and satisfactory 

 means of preservation. 



The industrial synthesis of nitric acid and ammonia, C. Matignon {Rev. 

 G&n. Chim., 16 {1913), Nos. 21, pp. 357-365; 22, pp. 381-388) .—The progress in 

 devising and perfecting processes for this purpose is reviewed, and the future 

 possibilities of the industry are discussed. 



Mustard and buckwheat fertilized with various raw phosphates, P. E. 

 Gal'tsev and I. V. Iakushkin {Izv. Moskov. Selsk. Khoz. Inst. {Ann. Inst. 

 Agron. Moscou), 19 {1913), No. 1, pp. 193-204, figs. 2; Iz RezuVt. Veget. Opytov 

 Lai. Rahot, 8 {1911-12 [pnl). 19131), pp. 193-204, figs. 2).— The action of the 

 various phosphates (Russian) on mustard and buckwheat was compared with 

 the results of previous tests with lupines. The results varied with the different 

 phosphates but there was a certain parallelism between the results with lupines 

 and buckwheat. 



