11 



from oiu' or olhcr of two defects : very low content of potash 

 likely to l)e useful to the plant, or the presence of toxic substances. 

 After much sorting- out of possible materials, it appeared that 

 certain blast furnace Hue dusts would prove suitable, and accord- 

 ingly the l^'ood Production Department took steps to make the 

 necessary arranj^ements for distribution among- farmers. Consi- 

 derable quantities were used, often with distinct advantage. 



huesiigation was also made into the possibility of using- to 

 better advantage the farmyard manure produced on the farm. 



At the conclusion of tiie Armistice there were vast stocks of 

 explosives in hand, and Mr. Churchill set up a small Committee, 

 under the late Loril Moulton, to devise means of disposal. The 

 Director was aj^pointed to serve on this Committee and much work 

 was done at Rothamsted to test the possibility of converting- sur- 

 |)lus expl()siv(;s into fertilisers. The case of ammonium nitrate 

 was satisfactorily dealt with (p. 54), but cordite, T.N.T., and 

 other explosives presented more difficulties. Means were devised 

 for pre|jaring^ nitrate of lime from cordite, but these was a loss of 

 25% of nitrogen and a poisonous impurity (oxypyruvic acid) was 

 alwavs present ; this, however, could no doubt have been satisfac- 

 torilv eliminated had the experiments continued. The difficulty 

 was caused not by the nitro-glycerine but by the nitro-cellulose. 

 r.N.T. proved more diilicult to convert into f(^rtilisers, and other 

 means of disposal were adopted. 



In addition, work was carried out in connection with the 

 agricultural development of the Belgian Congo, which H.M. the 

 King of the Belgians recognised by (Conferring- upon the Director 

 the Order of the Crown of Belgium. 



