APPENDIX 245 



Nitrolim is a very fine dark grey powder, smelling 

 somewhat strongly of the acetylene which is given off 

 from a trace of calcium carbide it still retains. The 

 more recent improvements in its manufacture have 

 eliminated this impurity and also have done much to 

 remove the dustiness which made the earlier product 

 somewhat difficult to handle in the field. When 

 nitrolim is applied to the soil it is attacked by the 

 water present and becomes converted into ammonia 

 on the one hand and carbonate of lime on the other, 

 Experiments have shown that the change goes on* 

 pretty quickly, so that the nitrogen is readily available 

 to the plant ; its value, nitrogen for nitrogen, appears 

 to be but little below sulphate of ammonia. The com- 

 position of the output from the works is not quite 

 uniform as yet, but as a rule it contains about 18 per 

 cent, of nitrogen, and is in consequence almost as 

 concentrated a fertilizer as sulphate of ammonia. In 

 considering the value of nitrolim the carbonate of 

 lime which it produces in the soil should be taken into 

 account, as well as the 20 per cent, or so of free quick- 

 lime which it also contains. Nitrolim is therefore a 

 basic manure and is well suited for soils that are sour 

 or heavy and require lime — just the soils, in fact, on 

 which sulphate of ammonia gives poor results. It is 

 desirable to sow nitrolim some short time before the 

 seed, so that it may get incorporated with the soil and 

 decompose before coming in contact with the germinat- 

 ing seedlings. When used, therefore, for barley, turnips, 

 or root crops it should be sown previous to the last 

 working of the land preparatory to seeding. It should 

 not be used as a top dressing for corn crops, but it can 

 be successfully sown on grass land early in the year — 



