9 



of nitrate of lime. It is slightly deliquescent and for this reason must 

 be transported in barrels or drums and not sacks; in this country it is 

 possible this property might not prove so great a difficulty as has been 

 found in damper climates. The other is that the material being very 

 slightly alkaline, and for that reason caustic, it has an injurious action 

 on clothes and, if care is not taken, on the skin.* This difficulty would 

 not be a serious one, since the fellah wears cotton clothes and a canal 

 is usually handy where he can get a wash after he has been occupied 

 in broad-casting the nitrate. 



Now what are the possibilities of producing electric nitrate in 

 this country? We have at Aswan a source of power which, if suitably 

 controlled, would give an average of well over 250,000 horsepower for 

 about one half the year. This, according to the figures which 

 I quoted above should, even at the present efficiency of working, 

 give some 75,000 tons of nitrate of lime for the six months, or more 

 than the pre-war demand of the country. Whether it would be 

 advisable for the factory to be built at Aswan or whether it would be 

 better to convey the power to some point where limestone was more 

 accessible is a matter which would have to be thoroughly discussed. 

 One of the greatest difficulties to be overcome would be the production 

 of the necessary amount of quicklime, the fuel for this part of the 

 process being a very expensive item. The electric power might 

 possibly be employed, but this would be an extravagance. 



It is interesting to compare the various nitrogenous fertilizers as 

 to their respective richness in the important element. This is a point 

 which is too often neglected and which is of special importance in a 

 country like this, where frequently the cost of transport is a very 

 considerable item in the cost of such materials. Assuming that the 

 freight per ton is the same for all the different fertilizers, it is very 

 evident that the distance to which a poor manure can be profitably 

 carried is very much less than the distance to which we might transport 

 a rich manure at a profit. 



TABLE SHOWING NITROGEN CONTENT OF FERTILIZERS. 



Nitrate of soda 



Sulphate of ammonia 



Nitrate of limp 



Cyanamide (variable) 

 Nitrate of ammonia 

 Urea 95 per cent ... 



Per Cent Nitrogen. 



15 

 21 

 13 



17-21 

 35 

 45 



In estimating the values of fertilizers it is customary to speak 

 of the cost per unit. Let me explain briefly what is meant by this. 



* This objection has now been overcome. The material now made is in excellent con 

 dition for distribution. Waterproofed sascks are now sometimes employed. F.H. 1921. 



