240 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol,. UII. No. 1367 



the method of applying eyanamid, com m only em- 

 ployed, which consists in adding the eyanamid to 

 fertilizer mixtures containing acid phosphate, 

 which mixtures almost always contain several per 

 cent, of moisture, is a very questionable practise. 

 Moreover, the use of eyanamid as a "conditioner" 

 for ' ' green ' ' acid phosphate is very probably at 

 the expense of most of the nitrogen in the eyana- 

 mid. On first thought it would appear that this 

 conversion of eyanamid into dieyanodiamide could 

 be avoided by simply employing dry fertilizer mix- 

 tures, but this overlooks the fact that when such 

 mixtures are added to the soil moisture conditions 

 are at once provided and the transformation may 

 possibly then take place. Preliminary experiments 

 carried out in this laboratory indicate that under 

 certain conditions at least this is the ease. 



Some results of the determination of potash iy 

 the Lindo-Gladding method, using alcohol of vari- 

 ous strengths in the presence of sodium salts : B. D. 

 Caldwell and H. 0. Moore. When potash is de- 

 termined by the ofiicial method of the A. O. A. C. 

 but slightly lower results are obtained when 80 

 per cent, alcohol is used thaji when 92 or 95 per 

 cent, is used 'in ease of sample of pure potassium 

 chloride, but when sodium chloride or sulfate is 

 added the results with 80 per cent, alcohol are 

 lower. Tests with a sample of potassium platinic 

 chloride showed it to be but slightly soluble in 80 

 per cent, alcohol alone, but the solubility increases 

 with the increase of sodium salts added but with 

 95 per cent, alcohol sodium salts have no effect. 



Injurious effects of horax on field crops: F. B. 

 Carpenter. It has long been known that certain 

 chemical substances are poisonous to plant life. 

 While certain compounds of copper, zine and ar- 

 senic are exceedingly poisonous, compounds of 

 manganese and boron are far less deleterious. 

 Most of the experiments which have been made 

 with these compounds have been made on plants 

 grown in pots or water cultures; in case of borax, 

 however, considerable knowledge has been gained 

 during the past few years on field crops from the 

 use of Searles Lake potash, which contained an 

 excessive amount of this compound. The first 

 large scale borax poisoning in this country occurred 

 in Indiana in 1917 on corn. In 1919 considerable 

 damage was reported on potatoes and tobacco in 

 different localities. Many conflicting reports were 

 made in regard to amount of borax required to 

 produce injury. While in some instances as little 

 as two pounds per acre has been reported to have 

 slightly injurious effects, one report was noted 



where as much as 400 pounds per acre was used 

 with apparently no bad results. Experiments made 

 by the writer on corn, beans, cotton, Irish potatoes, 

 sweet potatoes and tobacco showed no bad effects 

 where 8 pounds anhydrous borax per acre were 

 used, but there was slight injury with sixteen 

 pounds. It is evident, therefore, that the character 

 of soil, amount and time of rainfall, the manner 

 of application, etc., influence to a large degree the 

 amount of borax which can be used without poison- 

 ous effect. 



The "hlanlc" in the Kjeldahl process; its analyt- 

 ical and commercial significance : B. F. Eobertson. 



Potash shales of Illinois: M. M. Atjstin and S. 

 W. Parr. (1) Shales occur in at least two localities 

 in Illinois which contain five per cent, or more of 

 potash. (2) Shale outcropping in several places 

 near Jonesboro in Union County which contain 

 five per cent, of potash would be suitable, so far as 

 can be determined from its chemical composition 

 and physical character, for use in the manufacture 

 of Portland cement. (3) By using this material in 

 the manufacture of cement and by applying the 

 known methods of potash recovery, a yield of 5.3 

 pounds of potash, representing a value of 70 to 80 

 cents per barrel of cement could be obtained. (4) 

 The constitution of the southern Illinois shale is 

 complex. The shale contains free oil, bituminous 

 matter, pyrite, undeoomposed potassium bearing 

 rock, feldspathie in character and potassium bear- 

 ing material of the nature of glauconite or green- 

 sand. (5) Shale from Dixon, Lee County, contains 

 5.8 per cent, of potash which is held for the most 

 part in a more stable condition than that in the 

 southern Illinois shale. (6) Extraction of the po- 

 tassium from shale of either the southern Illinois 

 or Dixon type by means of solid or liquid reagents 

 would seem to be impracticable, because of the in- 

 complete reaction of these reagents on the shale 

 and because of the cost of leaching and recovering 

 potash from material where it is present in such 

 small amounts. (7) The plant availability of the 

 potash in the southern Illinois shale is probably 

 characteristic of all of the material of this type 

 outcropping in that locality. (8) That part of 

 the potassium in the southern Illinois shale which 

 is solulble in sulphuric acid, is shown to be in a 

 combination of the glauconite type. (9) In south- 

 ern Illiuiois shale having a potash content of 5.0 

 per cent, in the raw condition or 5.6 per cent, when 

 ignited, 62 per cent, of the total poitash is glau- 

 conitic in character and is available as plant food. 



Potash situation in Germany: H. A. Huston. 



