January 6, 191 6] 



NATURE 



511 



cation that licences are now granted to Holland 

 to the extent of 5000 tons per month, that is, 

 seventeen to twenty times the usual quantity. As 

 Great Britain is the chief exporting country, 

 supplying both France and Germany (in addition 

 to their own production), it cannot be urged that 

 Holland is cut off from its usual sources of supply, 

 and one may well ask what becomes of the differ- 

 ence between 250 tons of normal monthly imports 

 and the 5000 tons that will be imported monthly 

 if the present licence is correctly described and 

 continues in force. 



The obvious suggestion is that it finds its way 

 to Germany. But one ought not too hastily to 

 accept it. Five thousand tons of sulphate of 

 ammonia per month is not a small quantity that 

 could be smuggled over a frontier unknown to 

 the authorities, and the licence would presumably 

 be revoked if any extensive smuggling were dis- 

 covered. It is at least possible that the fertiliser 

 is wanted for trans-shipment. The Dutch East 

 Indies take very considerable amounts of sulphate 

 of ammonia for fertilising the sugar canes : in 

 1 91 4 56,000 tons were imported for the purpose. 

 Here, of course, there is no question of enemy 

 benefit. Further, the United States only received 

 one-third of their usual amount during the first 

 six months of 191 5, and Japan only about one- 

 fourteenth. There is therefore a considerable 

 margin to be made up. 



In the December number of the Journal of the 

 Board of Agriculture a very straightforward 

 account is given of the work done by the Special 

 Enquiries Branch of the Board during the first 

 twelve months of the war. It is stated that the 

 Board draws up systematic monthly reports show- 

 ing the supplies of agricultural commodities, and 

 that it acts as adviser to the War Trade Depart- 

 ment, which gives to traders the necessary licences 

 to export. The Board has therefore the facts in 

 its possession, and no one can reasonably doubt 

 that it looks after the interests of the farmer. It is 

 pointed out in the article that prohibition of ex- 

 port is not altogether simple : apart from the 

 question of balance of trade it was necessary to 

 enter into mutual arrangements with certain 

 neutral countries who supplied us with butter, 

 margarine, bacon, eggs, etc., to maintain normal 

 conditions so far as possible ; we sending out 

 fertilisers and feeding stuffs, and they returning 

 the usual human foods. 



This consideration obviously cannot be neg- 

 lected. The Board has, however, laid down the 

 general rule that no licences to export fertilisers 

 and feeding stuffs should be given until the 

 British farmers' requirements are satisfied, and to 

 this end it made an arrangement last autumn with 

 the dealers in sulphate of ammonia whereby 

 farmers were able to buy at 14L 105. per ton until 

 the end of December. Many availed themselves 

 of the opportunity. The arrangement has now 

 terminated, and the dealers are already asking 

 16Z. 155. per ton. This, of course, is not proof 

 that the British farmer has not enough, but simply 

 that prices abroad are higher than in this country. 

 NO. 2410, VOL. 96] 



If farmers have to pay the present high price 

 they have only themselves to blame for ne- 

 glecting to secure their stocks while they had the 

 chance. 



The whole question turns on the amount the 

 British farmer requires. Not long ag-o the Board 

 issued a circular suggesting that farmers should 

 top-dress their wheat ^vith about 2 cwt. sulphate 

 of ammonia. There are in the country two million 

 acres under wheat, and if all this land received 

 the dressing- 200,000 tons would be required — 

 probably most of our present production available 

 for export. But the whole of the land could not 

 receive 2 cwt. per acre, nor did the Board suggest 

 it. On the other hand, the hay land could very 

 well receive more sulphate of ammonia than it now 

 has. Further, the restriction in the supply of 

 nitrate of soda is bound to increase the demand for 

 sulphate of ammonia for other crops. It is cer- 

 tainly not easy to decide exactly how much the 

 British farmer does want or will use, but as the 

 Board is in close touch with the county authori- 

 ties it ought to have no difficulty in knowing 

 the position at any time. 



There is another aspect of the matter that ought 

 not to be overlooked. Ammonia is convertible 

 into nitric acid, and in Germany the process is 

 actually carried out. We may hear of a similar 

 development in this country, and in that case 

 the margin for export would be lowered still 

 further. 



Superphosphate and basic slag are both ex- 

 ported from this country in normal times, and the 

 export is still allowed under licence. Probably 

 many farmers would be prepared to use more than 

 they have in the past, but the universal complaint 

 is that they cannot get delivery. We are some- 

 what in the position of the days before railways, 

 when it was often easier to send things abroad 

 than to deliver them in England. 



The facts do not justify the assertion of some 

 of the correspondents that the Board has been un- 

 mindful of the interests of the farmer. Assuming 

 that steps are taken to prevent leakage to enemy 

 countries, there can be no objection to the export 

 to neutrals of any excess of fertilisers and feeding 

 stuffs over and above the requirements of our own 

 farmers. These are higher than in normal times, 

 though it is difficult to say by how much. Long- 

 period licences for export ought, therefore, not to 

 be allowed, but there seems no objection to the 

 short-period licence. 



A greater difficulty is transport. It would be 

 worth inquiring whether fertilisers and feeding 

 stuffs ought not to rank as Government goods on 

 the railway, and have precedence over ordinary 

 commodities. If, in addition, an arrangement 

 were made similar to that with the sulphate 

 of ammonia producers, viz., fixing a price and 

 issuing no licences until home wants are supplied, 

 farmers would be enabled to purchase abundant 

 supplies at reasonable prices. Remembering that 

 I lb. of sulphate of ammonia, in suitable con- 

 ditions, often yields more than 2 lbs. of wheat, the 

 advantages of ample dressings are obvious. 



