7^>f^ Journal op the Department of Agriculture. 



In tlie monthly Bulletin of Agricultural IntcJligence and Plant 

 Diseases for Febrnary, 1915, issued by the Inteinationol Institute of 

 Agriculture, several series of experiments with cyanamide and other 

 nitrogenous fertilizers are summarized, and the average results from 

 five experiment stations show that, if the nitrogen assimilated by 

 crops from nitrate of soda be reckoned as 100, that from sulphate of 

 ammonia is 78, and from cyanamide 65. In the March, 1916, issue of 

 the same Bulletin further experiments by Schneidewind are recorded. 

 He concludes that " stickstoffkalk " (which is virtually cyanamide) 

 may give much the same results as ammonium sulphate, hut is only 

 effective tf the weather is very dry during the chief gro\ring perwd . 

 In general, he admits its productive value is a litlle lower than that of 

 ammonium sulphate. 



Even if its results are not quite as good as those of other nitrogen 

 fertilizers, calcium cyanamide is probably quite as profitahle in use as 

 those others, on account of its cheapness. 



It has been estimated that cyanamide loses from 0.1 to 0.4 per 

 cent, of its nitrogen daily during storage, but experiments carried on 

 at Wye have shown that neither the moisture nor the carbon dioxide 

 of the air, nor both combined, could be responsible for this (E.rp. Stn. 

 Rec, vol 34, p. 724) and Monthly Bull, of Agric. Intell. and Plant 

 Diseases, May, 1915, p. 675). 



In the foregoing remarks I have confined myself to cyanamide as 

 such, and liave not specially dealt with the question of its 



Toxic Character 



or that of any dicyanodiamide contained therein. The toxic nature 

 of dicyanodiamide should no more bar the use of cyanamide than the 

 fact that sodium perchlorate is apt to occur in nitrate of soda bars the 

 use of the latter as a fertilizer. 



Dicyanodiamide is the prevailing form in which nitrogen is 

 present in granulated Norweg'ian cyanamide (lime nitrogen), and this 

 lime nitrogen has at least one advantage, namely, a less marked 

 tendency to revert the phosphoric oxide in superphosphate than the 

 more common (dusty) cyanamide (Exf. Stn. Rec, vol 35, p. 22). 



It would appear that the presence of excess of dicyanodiamide 

 depends upon the process of manufacture, and as the expectation is 

 expressed that the nitrogen problem in the United States has the best 

 prospect of being met, as far as the agricultural requirements are 

 concerned, by the manufacture of cyanamide in that country (C. G. 

 Gilbert: vSmithson Inst, publication, vide E.rp. St/i. Rec, vol. 36, 

 p. 122), it is plain that there at least no fear exists of deleterious 

 effects resulting from its use. Moreover, even if the article now pro- 

 duced were not quite as suitable as it might be " it is only a question 

 of time " as Pranke remarks (Chem. Neu^s, vol. 100, pp. 20, 28; Journ. 

 Indus, and Eng. Chem., vol. 6, No. 5) until an ideal product is 

 developed and sold at the lowest prices. In the meantime, however, 

 the industry must have the support of the public. 



If there were any well-g-rounded fear of harmful effects it does not 

 seem likely that calcium cyanamide would have the output that it has 

 already acquired. In 1904 the world's total production was 5000 

 tons; in 1909 it was 50,000; in 1914 it 275,000. In Canada, 'at the 

 beginning of 1916 oiip factory alone was turning out crude cyanamide 



