South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-14
EXPERIMENT WITH
SOIL FERTILIZERS
Divide Work Along Lines of
Three Ingredients, Potash,
Nitrogen and Phosphate.

The annual report Of the chief OF
the bureau Of soils, United States
department of agriculture, an
nounces that the fertilizer investiga-
tions of that bureau have been es-
tablished as separate administra-
tive unit. The work of the division
is divided along three lines which
deal, respectively, with the three
fertilizer gredients-pOtash, nitro
gen and Phosphates.
Potash.-A plant will be erected
on the southern Pacific coast TO eX
pertinent on a commercial scale
with the problem OF extracting
potash from kelp. This experimental
plant is made possible by a special
appropriation Of $4,000 for this
purpose. The bureau also is CO
operating with cement mills and
blast furnaces 10 determine by an
alysis whether the potash now lost
warrants the necessary expense TO
recover II. 1t IS investigating the
question of extracting potash from
wool scOurings, and is making an
effort to get in touch with com
panies in the country which are en-
gagged in cleaning raw wool on a
large scale. The bureau also has
published a number of alunite de-
examinations dealing with various
methods for treating alunite for
potash.
Nitrogen.-The bureau has equip
ped a laboratory at Arlington. Va,
experiment farm with apparatus for
testing the different methods pro-
posed for fixing atmospheric nitro
gen, and contracts have been let
for much additional equipment to
extend this work. This extension Of
the work has been delayed by the
impossibiliry of securing immediate
delivery of machinery.
In connection with the work on
phosphates, an electrical furnace has
been in operation working on the
problem of voia,ilizing phOsphOric
acid and iXing sogen in one OPP
GRAFTON. App5 has also been
installed for caperimenting with
the OSWALD process of oxidizing
nitric acid. Both these projects are
attended with technical difficulties
and no important results can as yet
be announced.
Investigations on city wastes have
been continued and an apparatus
and processes for rendering garbage
and other similar wastes have been
devised which it is believed will
prove superior TO those now in use
for this purpose. A full report on
city wastes is now in course Of prep
aration. Some work also has been
done in determining the availab bill
ity Of various heterogeneous fertilizer
materials when applied 10 the soil
and this work is being continued
A study Of the subject Of ammonia
from the by-prOduct coke ovens has
been made and published
Phosphates.-At the Arlington
laboratory an electric furnace has
been installed and work on the vol
utilization of phosphOric acid from
phosphate rock has been begun A
Cottreu precipitation was installed
and. while minor adjustments re-
main TO be made, the essential fact
that phosphoric acid may be eco
nomically collected in this way has
been demonstrated
A process for producing sulphuric
acid has been perfected and patent
ed which gives promise Of being
much more satisfactory than the
process now in use.
General
The problem of producing con-
centrated fertilizers containing all
three fertilizer ingredients or any
two OF them has been attacked from
several directions, and methods have
been worked out in the laboratory
for producing ammonium potas-
sium-phosphate. potassium phos-
phate. and ammonium-ph phosphate by
processes which are new and very
promising. Patents on all these
processes. for the benefit OF the
people Of the United states, have
either been secured or have been
applied for.
Sir Georga Rirwood IL authority