Februabt 3, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



133 



combinations of tliree. The fertilizer constituents 

 in the mixtures varied in ten per cent, stages, 

 and is based on the triangle system. The soil 

 has been fertilized annually for eleven years, 

 using fifty pounds per acre of the constituents, 

 P^O^, NH^ and K^O. The plots receiving mix- 

 tures of acid phosphate and potassium chloride 

 have become acid, having a lower p value and a 

 higher lime requirement than mixtures of acid 

 phosphate, potassium chloride and sodium nitrate. 

 The higher the p value and the smaller the 

 lime requirement of the soils. Where the high 

 nitrogen fertilizers were used, the subsoil has a 

 lower p value than where high phosphorus acid 

 mixtures were and the subsoil is more acid than 

 the surface soil. 



The present tendency of fertilizer experimenta- 

 tion: Oswald Schreiner. 



Greensand as a souree of fertiliser potash: E. 

 NoRSis Shreve. a process is described whereby 

 the enormous resources of potash now latent in 

 the greensand beds of New Jersey are made 

 available for fertilizer use. The process involves 

 treating greensand with milk of lime at about 

 470° Fahr. for one hour. Caustic potash is the 

 initial product but it is easily changed into other 

 potash compounds. Potassium nitrate is shofrn 

 to be the best form in which to produce the 

 greensand potash for the fertilizer industry. 

 Attention is called to the combination of two fer- 

 tilizer essentials, namely, nitrogen and p.otash, in 

 the one chemical with the consequent saving in 

 transportation charges. 



The development of aconracy in fertilizer anal- 

 ysis and some pitfalls in methods: P. McG. 

 Shuet. Greater accuracy may be attained in the 

 determination of o.xide of iron and alumina by 

 precipitation of aluminum phosphate either alone 

 or in conjunction with ferric phosphate by having 

 acetic acid present in the precipitating medium. 

 A higher degree of accuracy is also reached by 

 determining the metals separately. It is shown 

 that by obtaining the weight of the combined 

 phosphates and simply dividing by 2, results may 

 be appreciably high. There has been a great 

 development in the accuracy of nitrogen deter- 

 minations in organic materials such as cottonseed 

 meal, peanut meal, etc., within the last few years, 

 as shown by the results obtained by the American 

 Oil Chemists ' Society. However, more accurate 

 determinations are needed for nitrogen where 

 nitrates are present. 



The determination of free acid in ammonium 

 sulfate: C. G. Atwater. 



On the preparation, of hydrochlorplatinic acid 

 by means of hydrogen peroxide: Paul Eudnick. 

 A solution of hydrochlorplatinic acid of the con- 

 centration required for the official Lindo-Gladding 

 method of the A. O. A. C. for determining potash 

 is readily prepared by converting the waste pjati: 

 num from all sources into platinum black by any 

 convenient means, dissolving the wet, well washed 

 black by means of 30 per cent, hydrogen per- 

 oxide (free from organic preservatives) and 

 hydrochloric acid gas, converting into potassium 

 chlorplatinate and using only the pure potassium 

 ehlorplatinate so obtained as the starting point 

 for the final solution. The chlorplatinate is dried 

 and weighed, reduced with the purest obtainable 

 sodium formate in alkaline solution, the resulting 

 black washed by deeantation only and without 

 drying or igniting is suspended in 30 per cent, 

 hydrogen peroxide and brought into solution by 

 introduction of hydrochloric acid gas. Pyrex 

 glass serves quite well for concentration of 

 peroxide and for solution of the platinum black. 



Various details in the determination of ammonia 

 in cotton seed meal as summarized from eighty- 

 six replies to a questionnaire sent to members of 

 American Oil Chemists' Society: H. C. Mooee. 



Wool scouring wastes for fertilizer purposes: 

 P. P. Veitch. More than 60,000 tons of fertilizer 

 material combining the equivalent of 96,000 tons 

 of kainit and 3,600 tons of tankage are now annu- 

 ally wasted in scouring wool. The U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture has been making a careful 

 study of the recovery and utilization of wool 

 scouring wastes. A large number of samples of 

 all grades of unsecured wool, of which this 

 country uses more than 600,000,000 pounds annu- 

 ally, have been examined and it has been found 

 that potash (K^O) varies from 2 per cent, to 6 

 per cent, and averages approximately 4 per cent, 

 for all grades; nitrogen varies from 3 per cent, 

 to 0.9 per cent, and averages one half per cent., 

 while grease varies from 3 per cent, to 30 per 

 cent, and averages 15 per cent, for all grades. 

 Both the potash and nitrogen are water soluble 

 and therefore readily available to growing plants. 

 Commercial base goods from concentrated wool 

 scouring wastes and other wastes are rich in 

 nitrogen. The ' ' base goods ' ' contained 6 per 

 cent, of water soluble potash (K^O) and 6 per 

 cent, of nitrogen, was in excellent mechanical 

 condition both for manufacturing and for appli- 

 cation to the soil. The concentrated wool waste 

 offers no difficulty in mixing with other fertilizer 

 materials giving to the finished fertilizer a good 



