No 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 481 



would not be so serious, as he would find that a fertilizer manu- 

 factured from animal tankage, blood and bone would give far better 

 results tban a fertilizer manufactured from inferior materials, such 

 as leather scrap, hair refuse, etc., and he would be guided more by 

 results in the field than by the commercial value. The Avriter wants 

 it thoroughly understood that this does not rettect upon our Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in any way as he feels that under the present 

 statutes the Department is doing everything in its power to protect 

 the farmer from being imposed upon; but it is unfair that the 

 chemist has no sure method of telling from what source the nitrogen 

 is derived and the only methods that the writer can suggest to over- 

 come this evil is the appointing of inspectors to vist the different 

 fertilizer manufacturers doing business in the State of Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



The last few years has proven to be years of great progress in 

 the fertilizer business, both from an inventive as well as from a manu- 

 facturers' standpoint. With the improved machinery, fertilizers can 

 be manufactured and handled at less expense than it ever could 

 before. The scientific man has found a way whereby he can extract 

 the nitrogen from the air and put it in a commercial form, to be 

 used in commercial fertilizer, and by this method he has procured a 

 supph' that is unlimited. The ammonia that is sold in this form is 

 known as Calcium Cyanamid. A very complete article on this sub- 

 ject can be seen in the American Fertilizer of September 23, 1011. 



Quite recently a process has been natented whereby the phosphoric 

 acid in phosphate rock can be made available without the use of 

 sulphuric acid, and by this method the injurious effect of sulphuric 

 acid to the soil will be eliminated. The process consists of first 

 grinding the phosphate rock into floats and then mix with the floats 

 about 15 per cent, of niter cake and roast this mixture in a rotary 

 kiln, heating the floats to a temperature of 2,700 degrees Fahren- 

 heit. 



By this process a unit of phosphoric acid can be made available 

 at less expense that it can be done by the use of sulphuric acid, and 

 yet it is preferable to the old method on account of the injurious 

 effect sulphuric acid has on the soil. By this method it is possible 

 to make a phosphate tbat contains 30 or 32 per cent, of available 

 phosphoric acid and this can be done with phosphate rock contain- 

 ing 72 per cent, of bone phosphate of lime. The writer has given 

 considerable of his time and means to the development of this pro- 

 cess, and the parties intorC'Sted expect to, in the near future, to put it 

 on the market in a commercial way. 



31_6— 1911 



