Norwich bulletin., 1915-02-27

Eas fertilizer situatiou@1n this coun- -'- ls perfectly simple and understand able.
 This does not mean that is per fnctty satisfactory. On the other hand, luite the opposite. It is distinctly un- satisfactory. But it is quite simple, all the same
 Tho ordinary commercial fertilizer i: made up of a certain percentage O. nitrogen. another percentage Of phoS phoric acid. and another percentage ol potash. These clements are not usf in the form of pure nitrogen pure phos phOrous or pure potash. The nlu gen, for instance, is applied in the TOT of nitrate" And a nitrate is Q. COT 1Ination of nitric acid with some "baS, in common nitrate of soda the base being soda. This base is simply carrier; has little if any manur1aI value. and is also apt to be mixed with . The nitric acid itself is not nitrogen, but q chemical combination of one equivalent of nitrogen with i've equiv alsnts of oxygen
 That is, nitrate of soda which Is about the strongest thing in the way Of a nitrate which we can use in fertili ger, has about eighty-f1ve parts soda and oxygen and plain dirt in every hundred, Only about fifteen pounds in the hundred are nitrogen. Pure nitro
 
 making manure. Even the plants don't want 1t In that shape, but such as have uhe faculty of taking it out of the air first transform it to a nitrate before they Use tt,
 # one buys s fertilizer containing i've per cent Of nitrogen it means that the ton of 2,0O0 pounds will contain 100 pounds of nitrogen. To get that into the ton the compounder, if he uses ni- trate of soda as his source, puts in also and et the same time about 665 pounds of inert and useless matter. While some fertilizer makers use ''hller' to bring their grade mixtures up to selling weight, it will be seen that is all the filler any farmer can reason ably ask goes in, anyway!
 The situation In regard to phos- phorus and potash is about the same. The potash which goes into the ordin- aTy fertilizer is also 8. salt. contain ing from twelve to fifty per cent. of potash. according to it's kind, kainit welding the lowest and high grade sul- plate the highest rate.
 The so-ca1led complete fertilizer intends to supply mixture of nitro gen, phosporic acid and potash, blend ed in varying proportions, to meet the supposed lacks of various soils or the supposed needs of different crops
 The commOnest sources of nitrogen are: nitrate of soda from Chili: cotton seed meal from the southern states; dried blood and tankage from the great slaughtering houses; and fsh-scrap p from the fsh-oil works.
 The cOmmonest sources of phoS- uhoriC acid are: bone-meal from the a.bbatoTirs; phospate rock from FoTida, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc, and Thomas slag, a by-produCt of certain ron foundries.
 Practically the only available sources of potash are wood ashes and ground cohe eco stems. which contain from four fc seven per cent. of potash: and the various salts mined near Stassfurt, Germany, such as kainIt, muriate. Sul- phats. e-c. The supply from wood asles and tobacco stems is limited and its use expensive. The suppIvy at the German mines seems to be unlimited and the product has been fairly cheap.
 t will be seen that we of the United States are fairly independent of the ~ast 1f the world in the matter of phos- -1@les. We, however, rely largely on -liL for nitrates, and almost wholly lTl Germany for potash.
 The war has not affected the Chiiian Supply. But it has shut off entirely she German. We can still get all the nitrate of soda we want to pay for, but We can't get any German potash -1E love or money.
 the first place. the Stassfurt miners have mostly been called to the siIGy and the production has greatly