74 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
While we are considering sulphuric 
acid, it may be well to mention that the 
pyrites or sulphur ore from which the 
major portion of the sulphuric acid going 
into the fertilizer industry is manufactur¬ 
ed comes from Spain, and it is very possi¬ 
ble that we may be almost entirely cut off 
from this source of supply. The nitrate 
of soda used in the manufacture of sul¬ 
phuric acid is also used in large quantities 
in munitions manufacture, and of course 
we know its value as a fertilizer mater¬ 
ial. The high ocean freights have af¬ 
fected the price of this material very ser¬ 
iously, and at certain times an artificial 
shortage has been created in this country 
due to heavy buying by munitions manu¬ 
facturers for their immediate necessities. 
This material may also be an object of in¬ 
terest to German raiders and U-boats. 
SULPHATE OF AMMONIA 
We have already mentioned that sul¬ 
phate of ammonia is dependent on sul¬ 
phuric acid for its manufacture. It is 
also a very interesting material for con¬ 
sideration since practically every condi¬ 
tion which has affected any fertilizer ma¬ 
terial has affected sulphate of ammonia. 
By far the largest production of sul¬ 
phate of ammonia is that of steel manu¬ 
facturers who handle it as a by-product 
of coke ovens in which they prepare coke 
for use in the iron industry. As coal is 
coked in these by-product ovens, it gives 
off gas containing considerable ammonia. 
This ammonia is “scrubbed” out of the 
gas and is absorbed by sulphuric acid. 
Prior to the war, the United States pro¬ 
duced about two-thirds of its require¬ 
ments of sulphate of ammonia, the balance 
being imported. For instance, in 1914 
we produced 183,000 tons and imported 
75,010 tons, making a total of 258,010 
tons. The sudden outbreak of the war 
prevented delivery of a number of import 
contracts. Ocean freights began to rise 
and imports became more and more re¬ 
stricted. England finally placed an em¬ 
bargo on exports of sulphate of ammonia 
on account of needing this material for 
her own agriculture, and also because of 
its use in the manufacture of munitions. 
Meantime, in the fall of 1914, the steel 
industry in the United States became 
greatly depressed and production of sul¬ 
phate of ammonia consequently much 
curtailed. In the spring of 1915 the 
steel industry began reviving and the pro¬ 
duction of sulphate of ammonia began to 
increase. Then the manufacturers struck 
a snag in the high price of sulphuric acid. 
It takes at least a ton of what we call 6o° 
Baume sulphuric acid to make a ton of sul¬ 
phate of ammonia; and at least one-half 
the increase in price per ton of sulphuric 
acid had to be added to the cost per ton 
of manufacturing sulphate of ammonia. 
Steel manufacturers have been putting in 
a great many new by-product plants, but 
they had to overcome a very considerable 
handicap in trying to increase production 
to' the point of taking care of the former 
imports. They have had difficulties in 
getting their plants completed, had strikes 
and labor troubles, have been unable to 
get the coal to their plants as fast as they 
needed it because of car shortages and 
railroad conditions, have had to pay high 
prices for the coal, and, in a number of 
cases, have not been able to furnish buy- 
