75 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
Office of Experiment Stations, 
Washington, D. C. 
March 26, 1908. 
Dear Sir: Your letter of February 29, asking information re- 
garding the manufacture and use of calcium nitrate and calcium 
cyanamid, has been referred to this office for reply. 
The Department has not yet investigated the fertilizing value of 
these materials, but from the large number of reports of foreign 
investigations which have been reviewed in this office it seems 
safe to say that the basic calcium nitrate prepared by the Birkeland 
and Eyde process is a very valuable fertilizer, fully equal, and in 
some cases superior to nitrate of soda, particularly on soils bene- 
fited by lime as well as nitrate. The results of investigations with 
regard to calcium cyanamid or lime nitrogen are, however, not so 
conclusive. There are certain facts relating to the properties and 
changes which this material undergoes in the soil which have not 
yet been thoroughly investigated, but which have important bear- 
ing upon its fertilizing value. As far as I can learn neither of the 
products is yet upon the market as staple fertilizing materials. 
The processes of manufacture, I believe, are all fully covered by 
patents both in this country and abroad, but exact information on 
this point can only be obtained by applying to the U. S. Commis- 
sioner of Patents. 
Very truly yours, 
A. C. True, 
Director. 
SEED CANE IN THE BARBADOES. 
The Forester is in receipt of a few copies for distribution of 
the publication entitled 'Seedling Canes and Manurial Experi- 
ments at Barbadoes, 1905-7/ issued by the Imperial Department 
of Agriculture for the West Indies. The pamphlet contains a 
summary of the experimental work during the season under re- 
view, carried on upon fourteen estates situated in representative 
localities of the islands. Seedling canes to the number of 4,874 
were planted in 1905, and of these 118 varieties have been selected 
for replanting. At the end of 1906 only 219 seedlings were ob- 
tained, and these are now under observation. Five canes pro- 
duced by artificial hvbridization are under experimental cultiva- 
tion and further work in this connection is being continued. Con- 
siderable areas are now planted for the purpose of producing 
hybrid canes, both by artificial and natural methods. It is antici- 
pated that future work of this kind will lead to valuable results. 
A copy of the pamphlet referred to will be forwarded to any one 
who is interested in the subject. 
