132 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1414 



digestibility of some of the materials treated 

 has been increased fifty or more per cent. 



At the Massachusetts Experiment Station 

 studies of the effect of quite dilute sodium 

 hydrate upon the digestibility of oat and rice 

 hulls have been completed and gives a prelim- 

 inary statement of the results. 



It is evident that the action of the soda did 

 improve the digestibility of the oat hulls to a 

 marked degree and of the rice hulls to a lim- 

 ited extent. A thorough study is being made 

 of the chemical composition of oat, barley, rice 

 and cottonseed hulls, and of flax shives, and of 

 the action of different strengths of sodium 

 hydrate and of other chemicals in improving 

 their digestibility. 



J. B. LiNDSET 



Massachusetts Agricultural 

 EspERiMENT Station, 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL 

 SOCIETY 



(Continued) 

 DIVISION or FERTILIZER CHEMISTRY 



F. B. Carpenter, cliaArman 

 H. C. Moore, secretary 



The driquettmg of mineral pliosp^ates a prom- 

 ising method of conservation: William H. Wag- 

 GAMAN and H. W. Eastekwood. In connection 

 with research work on the volatilization of phos- 

 phoric acid in a fuel fed furnace, preUminary 

 "work has shown that briquetting is a factor of 

 prime importance. Samples from old phosphate 

 deposits were found to be sufficiently high grade 

 and contained enough natural binder (claj') to 

 lend themselves to briquetting purposes. Also 

 much phosphate rock from waste heaps could be 

 used. It is only necessary to reduce the material 

 for briquetting purposes to a point where it will 

 pass a ten-mesh sieve and incorporate the neces- 

 sary water into the mixture to give it the required 

 plasticity. Where the composition of the material 

 is such that sand must be added it was found 

 that the necessarj' water could be added to the 

 sand and coke and then this moistened mixture 

 incorporated with the phosphate material. Coa] 

 presents a very promising possibility as a reducing 

 agent in such briquettes since the volatile matter 

 contained therein does not cause the briquettes to 

 split open or disintegrate when heated. 



Cyanamid in some fertilizer mixtures: W. S. 



Landis. a study of the behavior of Cyanamid 

 in some fertilizer mixtures and in several standard 

 brands of mixed fertiUzer. The rapid conversion 

 of cyanamid into urea and other salts was noted, 

 but no dieyandiamid was found in any of the 

 mixtures studied. Reactions with ammoniated 

 base of both cyanamid and diej'andiamid were 

 studied and unidentified complexes found to occur 

 in such mixtures. Cyanamid when added in the 

 proportions recommended for formulating this 

 material did not change to dieyandiamid, and 

 dieyandiamid intentionally added as such dis- 

 appeared on mixing in such goods. 



Comments on the formation of dieyandiamid in 

 fertilizers: J. E. Breckenridge. 



The value of the alJealine permanganate meth- 

 od: Chas. S. Cathcart. 



Remarks on the permanganate methods for the 

 determining of availability of organic nitrogen: 

 .J. E. Breckenridge. 



Ten years experience with the neutral perman- 

 ganate method in South Carolina: R. N. Brack- 

 ett. 



The composition of cotton seed: Thos. C. Law. 



Cultivation and nitrogen fertilization: H. A. 

 Notes, J. H. Mabtsolf and H. T. King. A 

 study of the comparative effects of different de- 

 grees of cultivation shows that with proper culti- 

 vation the average soil contains enough organic 

 matter to stimulate bacterial activities and allow 

 nitrates to accumulate during the growing season. 

 Virgin soil rich in available organic matter gives 

 nitrates in great excess of those needed by the 

 growing plants. In early spring soils are de- 

 pleted of nitrates and an early application of 

 available nitrogen fertilizer is desirable and 

 beneficial to stimulate plant growth until such a 

 time as the soil has warmed up and responded to 

 cultivation in increased bacterial activities. In 

 no case studied have the authors been able to find 

 the need for a second application of nitrogen fer- 

 tilizer later in the season unless the soil did not 

 receive proper cultivation. Nitrate production 

 and accumulation resulting from and associated 

 with thorough cultivation have a money value 

 more than equal to the cost of the second applica- 

 tion of nitrogen fertilizer. 



The effect of fertilizers of various compositions 

 on the reaction of soils: J. J. Skinner. The 

 hydrogen ion concentration and lime requirements 

 of soil fertilized with mixtures of various com- 

 positions are reported. In a fertilizer experiment 

 with grass on the Hagerstown loam soil, acid 

 phosphate, sodium nitrate, and potassium chloride 

 was used singlv, in combinations of two and in 



