The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-01-14
MAINLAND FARMERS
SHY Of FERTl[zERs
Secretary Of Agriculture Reviews
Bad Situation and Offers
7'" Good Advice

1 b Ct str
The secretary Of agriculture at Wash
ington has issued a resume Of the ferti-
hzer situation in the United States. He
states that in 1918, when conditions
were normal, about si25, 2s0,0oO worth
Of commercial fertilizers was usea IN
the United States. or this amount. the
farmers paid s4s, $4,000 for heterogeneous
Substances, s56,0Ooooo for pbosphates,
and s2o,45O,doO for potash salts.
Practically all the potash salts were
imported from Germany and the entire
( quantity of nitrate Of soda came from
Chile; Ammonium sulphate TO the value
OF $3,I20,O00 was received from abroad.
. mainly FROM England. The remainder
Of the fertilizer materials was derived
from domestic sources. #
/. Potash Is Pau
There is practically no potash In this
country at the present time for ferti.
iizer use. The small Quantities which
were held over from former years are
I now priced at from eight to twelve
times their normal value. While DO
fash is indispensable ID the pr6pafation
OF fertilizers, il IS also used for many
other purposes, inclnding the mannfac-
tpre Of matches, glass, liquid SOAP. and
munitions. The pricea offered nnder
existing conditions by the mannfarfnr-
ers Of such articles undoubtedlSl win
eanse practically the entire OUTPUT 81
these concerns to be diverted from the
fertilizer industry. \
! II seems unlikely that normal condf
| lions viii be restored IN the Immediate
future and that potash can be secured
! from foreign sources as heretafore In
time for the next crop planting sea.
| son. II also seems irnprobable thar
private enterprise viii provide potash
riom domestic sources for agricultural
! purposes in time
Fhcsphates and Nitrogen
| Acid phosphate IS the basis Of nearly
all commercial mixed fertilizers. II q
made by the action of sulphurie acia
| upon phosphate rock. Ouf ayailahle
sources Of phosphate rock are greater
than those Of any other nation. ~
The nitrogen situation is Of Less. pres-
/ sing concern. Z NJ.
) Owing 10 the demand for nitric acia
for mnnition purposes, the price Of "a.
trate of soda advanced approxiIaatelv
Sl.lo per hundred pounds during tie
year prior to November, 1915. "
One Of the most important sources
OF nitrogen for commercial Fertilizer
purposes is Ammonium snlphate. This
Is produced as o by,pfoduct In the az.
structive distillation Of zeal for The
! preparation of coke. The nitrocan can
tanned in the coal is evolved ~ am.
n0nia and Is caught and neutralized
with snlphuric acid. Formally iii eolse
was made in the beehive oven whieh
did not provide for the confinement "
the combustihle gases produced. These
were burned as evolved and the am.
MONA carried by them was likewise
lost,
Americans Waste Supplies
The domestic production Of amnoni
um, splphate from the coke oven a oolI
one.hfth OF what II could be were the
beehtye oven entirely displaced by more
modern types, During the past Few
wears there has been. a slow fransitian
from the use Of the beehive oven. n
Is not imperative, therefore. 10 reaort ~
extreme measures TO increase the pro.
duetion of ammonia. -,
The Bureau of Soils il studying also
the problem of the fkation Of stmoa-
pherlc nitrogen with view to degelop
method for the prod0etion Of ammo,
mum phosphate and other forms Of
concentrated fertilizers. No anmoni.
un phosphate is being made In this
country ct the present time.
Save and Use Manure
In the unusual cor editions existing an
the fertilizer trade, n Is Important that
all fertilizing materials an tina FaT.a