PRODUCTION AND AGRICULTURAL USE OF SODIUM NITRATE 5 



and the synthetic process yield products that are less deliquescent. 

 The granular pelletlike form of the Guggenheim product decreases its 

 tendency to cake. 



COST OF NITROGEN IN NITROGENOUS FERTILIZER MATERIALS 



As previously indicated, the price of nitrogen was formerly controlled 

 by that of Chilean saltpeter. This control, however, ceased with the 

 establishment of the synthetic nitrogen industry. The decided 

 influence of synthetically produced nitrogenous products in decreasing 

 the cost of nitrogen is clearly shown in table 3, which compares the 

 wholesale prices of nitrogen in a number of fertilizer materials from 

 1885 to 1938, inclusive. 



Table 3. — Wholesale prices of a unit {20 pounds) of nitrogen in fertilizer materials 



in stated years 



Year 



Sodium 

 nitrate 



Am- 

 monium 

 sulphate 



Anhy- 

 drous 

 ammonia 



Cyana- 

 mid 



Year 



Sodium 

 nitrate 



Am- 

 monium 

 sulphate 



Anhy- 

 drous 

 ammonia 



Cyana- 

 mid 



1885.. 



$2. 75 

 2.33 

 2.36 

 2.37 

 2.97 

 2.76 

 3.04 

 4.44 

 3.2S 



$3.03 

 3.18 

 2.75 

 2.79 

 3.01 

 2.64 

 3.09 

 4.08 

 2.65 







1930 



$2.49 

 2.36 

 1.86 

 1.53 

 1.54 

 1.47 

 1.55 

 1.64 

 1.68 



$1.79 

 1.34 

 1.02 

 1.12 

 1.18 

 1.13 

 1.17 

 1.32 

 1.36 



$1.40 

 1.36 

 1.34 

 1.15 

 1.09 

 1.09 

 1.09 

 1.09 

 1.09 



$1.65 



1890. ._ 







1931 



1.38 



1895. 







1932. 



1.08 



1900. 







1933. 



1.13 



1905. 







1934 



1.20 



1910. 





$3. 43 

 2.54 

 3.40 

 2.20 



1935. 



1936. 



1937. 



1.20 



1915.. 







1.21 



1920... 



1.26 



1925.. 





1938.. 



1.29 











SODIUM NITRATE IN RELATION TO CROP PRODUCTION 



NITROGEN AN ESSENTIAL PLANT-FOOD ELEMENT 



The fundamental growth processes of plants are vitally concerned 

 with nitrogen, a number of its compounds playing an important part 

 in plant nutrition. Without an adequate supply of available nitrogen 

 in the soil, plants fail to grow and to produce well; their foliage is 

 apt to be pale, and the plants themselves become stunted in growth 

 and appear undernourished. This particular element promotes 

 growth and gives the crop a good start which enables it to utilize 

 other nutrient materials advantageously, and to approach maturity 

 in much better condition than with a low nitrogen supply. While 

 all arable soils contain some available nitrogen, frequently the supply 

 is considerably below the needs of the growing crop, more especially 

 during early growth when an ample supply of available nitrogen is 

 very important. 



Sodium nitrate is one of the outstanding sources of available nitro- 

 gen, readily utilizable by plants. This compound has been used 

 extensively as a fertilizer in the United States for a long time, having 

 been introduced into this country nearly a century ago. As the result 

 of a great many experiments and the broad experience of farmers and 

 gardeners, it has ga ned the reputation of being a very satisfactory 

 source of available nitrogen for plants. 



While plants utilize other combinations of nitrogen, including the 

 ammoniacal and organic, these are to a considerable extent changed 

 over to nitrate nitrogen through the action of soil organisms before 

 the plant completely utilizes them as nutrient material. It is recog- 

 nized, however, that ammoniacal nitrogen compounds are utilizable 



