The San Francisco call., 1910-07-25
NEW NITRATE. FERTILIZER
MADE FOR AGRICULTURE
Cyanamid Proves Good for
Cereal and Other Crops

Consul General Frank H. Mason of
Paris, writing of the production of nj
trogen from the atmosphere and its use
for economic purposes, especially as
fertilizer in agriculture, says that as
thus far developed in Europe it is
direct sequel to to the manufacture of
calcium carbide by the application Of
electric heat to lime and carbon. He
continues:
When this process was discovered
some years ago it was assumed that
acetylene gas, generated from calcium
carbide, would largely supplant coal
gas and revolutionize the existing sys-
tenn of artificial lighting The first
essential requisite for carbide produc-
ton was abundant and cheap electric
current, and extensive plants were
erected along water courses of Europe
and preparations made to supply
large and steadily increasing demand
But it was soon found that acetyIene
gas was a difficult and, under certain
conditions, dangerous element to
manage; its use became restricted to
certain locations and conditions and
experience proved that the combined
carbide factories had a capacity of
about 100000 tons in excess of the nor
About this time Frank and Caro-, two
German chemists, invented a process
through which, by combining nitrogen
gas with calcium carbide at temper
ature of 1000 degrees centigrade they
could produce a combination of lime.
carbon and nitrogen-in other words, a
synthetic nitrate of lime-to which
they gave the name of cyanamid of
calcium. now commonly known as cy-
anamid, which contains from 15 to 90
per cent of nitrogen, so per cent of
lime. and has qualities as fertilizer
similar to sodium nitrate. or Chilean
saltpeter. This process was patented
in all countries.
The calcium carbide therefore. was
ready, the process for converting it
into cyanamid by combination with
nitrogen was perfected, and it only re-
mained to provide an adequate supply
of atmospheric nitrogen at a moderate
cost. This requirement was met by a
process invented by DR.. Carl Won Linde
of Munich. which was patented in both
France and the United States. BY this
process atmospheric air, having been
first liQuefied by compression, is sub
jected, by subsequent expansion under
pressure, to a process of fractional dis
tillation, by which the nitrogen is sep
arated, leaving as a byproduct oxygen
of so to so per cent purity, which can
be used by burning in the electric arc
(sparking) for the manufacture of nj
trates and nitric acid.
The cycle was now complete and II
is through the combination of these
two processes-the Linde method for
recovering atmospheric nitrogen and
the Frank-Caro method of combining
nitrogen with calcium carbide for the
production of cyanamid of calcium
that European progress hopes to pro-
,-;l fo- F,,t,
of nitrate fertilizer for agricultural
purposes.
At Paris cyanamid sells in two
grades or qualities, according to the
percentage of nitrogen contained as
follows: Quality 1, containing Is per
cent nitrogen. 81 to % francs per 100
kilos (s40.50 to $42.40 per metric ton
of 2,204 pounds; quality 2. containing
1s to 20 per cent nitrogen, 142 francs
(27.4 cents) per kilo of nitrogen con-
tanned.
AS Chilean nitrate is quoted at 1.55
francs (30 cents) per kilo of nitrogen.
it will be. apparent that cyanamid is
already in a position to compete sue
cessfully with the natural nitrate in
respect to price. It remains to estab-
Iish their comparative values for the
purpose of agriculture
Elaborate experiments have been
made with cyanamid in competition
with sodium nitrate, sulphate of am
monia and other chemical fertilizers
for stimulating the growth of cereals
sugar beets, potatoes and other crops
These tests have been made at various
places in France, England and Ger
many The reports of these expert
ments are voluminous and in some
minor details conflicting, but they are
practically unanimous in according to
cyanamid the essential qualities of
high class fertilizer.
1t can be readily produced with a nj
trogen content of Is to 20 per cent com
bined with about so per cent of lime
p1cKpocKETs AT woRK-I0uis Leggett, a la