6 MANUFACTURE OF FERTILIZING MATERIALS 



not be used in fertilizers. Therefore, whenever 

 we speak of nitrogen in fertilizers, we do not 

 mean that nitrogen exists in them as simple 

 nitrogen. The nitrogen in fertilizers is always 

 combined with other elements, and may be pres- 

 ent in one or more different forms: (1) in the 

 form of nitrates, as nitrate of soda ; (2) in the form 

 of ammonia compounds, as sulphate of ammonia; 

 and (3) in the form of organic matter, animal, 

 or vegetable, as dried blood, meat, tobacco-stems, 

 etc. Chemical analysis, according to official 

 methods, does not attempt to ascertain and state 

 in which form or forms the nitrogen is present 

 in a fertilizer. 



When, therefore, nitrogen is expressed in an 

 analysis or guarantee as " nitrogen," it refers 

 to the entire amount of nitrogen present without 

 regard to the particular form or forms in which 

 it is present. 



(B) Ammonia consists of nitrogen combined 

 with hydrogen. A pound of nitrogen will form 

 more than a pound of ammonia, because the 

 ammonia formed from a pound of nitrogen will 

 contain that pound of nitrogen plus the necessary 

 amount of hydrogen added to form ammonia. 

 The chemical relations of nitrogen and ammonia 

 are such that 14 pounds of nitrogen will unite 

 with exactly three pounds of hydrogen, and will, 

 therefore, produce just 17 pounds of ammonia; 

 or 1 pound of nitrogen will make 1.214 pounds 

 of ammonia. 



