NITROGENOUS FERTILIZERS 



161 



Table 35. — Pounds of Nitrogen in Drainage Water from 

 Soil Treated with Nitrate and Ammonia Fertilizers 



These figures show a very considerable loss of nitrogen 

 from the nitrogen-fertilized plats, with a somewhat greater 

 loss from the nitrate-treated plats than from those receiv- 

 ing ammonia. Neither of these fertilizers is well designed 

 to add to the total supply of nitrogen in the soil, for which 

 purpose a less easily nitrifiable fertilizer must be used. 



209. Cyanamid. — Within recent years it has been found 

 possible to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and combine 

 it with lime for use as a fertilizer. Two different materials 

 are manufactured. One is called cyanamid, the other 

 nitrate of lime. Both are produced by the use of powerful 

 currents of electricity, but the processes are essentially dif- 

 ferent and only the cyanamid is now being manufactured in 

 the United States, and it alone will be discussed in this book. 



210. Composition of cyanamid. — The word cyanamid is 



