Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-24
CHEAPER FERTILIZER
DEMANDED ON FARM
IS SOUGHT BY i. s.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-Vigor
Gus efforts to perfect processes of
"hxing' atmospheric nitrogen for
fertilizer are being pushed by the
Fixed Nitrogen Research laboratory
of the department of agriculture as
it becomes more and more apparent
that the future of American agri-
culture will be dependent on an ade-
quate and continuous supply of COM
mercially produced fertilizers OBJ
tanned from the nitrogen in the air.
The growth of population in the
United States is inevitably pressing
agriculture toward intensive cult
walton of land, rather than extern.
sion of cultivated areas. The era
of wide expansion of agricultural
areas is thus virtually at an end,
this country having now reached the
point in its agricultural develop
ment dong ago attained by the more
thickly settled regions of Europe
apd( Asia.
Fertilizers Essential
For the successful pursuit Of this
new type~of farming, huge quaint
ties of commercially produced ferti-
lizers are essential. Under intensive
cultivation, usual agencies which
replace the nitrogen taken from
land under cultivation by crops,
such as manure, leguminous crops
plowed under, rain and snow and
the limited amount of commercial
production now available, are no
longer adequate. 1t is estimated
that the ordinary annual nitrogen
depletion of American farmed land
runs between three and four million
tons, only partially restored by the
agencies named.
To replace this entire amount
would require from fifteen to TWEEN
ty million tons OF sulphate of am
monia from 100000 to geo, 900 900
tons of ordinary commercial mixed
fertilizer.
And while it would not now nor
In the immediate future be eXpedi-
ent to use fertilizer to any such ex-
tent on all Of the land under cult
walton, these figures indicate the
ultimate fertilizer requirements of
American farms.
American production Of CONNER
cial mixed fertilizer today is only
100000 tons per annum, less than l
per cent of these requirements. 1t
is with view to providing CONNER
cially feasible processes that will
raise American production to some
where near Americas fertilizer
needs and free American agricul-
turs from it's present dependency
upon natural deposits of nitrates
found almost exclusively in foreign
countries, that the efforts Of the
Fixed-Nitrogen Research laboratory
are directed.
This work is almost duplication
of that undertaken by nearly all
other great nations of the world
since the war. There has been an
increasing awakening to the fact
that peace-time requirements for nj
trogen must come in greater proper
ton from sources other than nat
ural deposits.
Germany has taken the lead in
this development and has already
established the nitrogen ixation in
dustry on such a scale that she is
now producing in such quantities
as to make her independent of out
side sources. Her case is, however.
made somewhat easier by the fact
that one of the few important nat
ural deposits of potash in the world
outside Chile, is found within her
borders, and her commercially-pro
duced requirements are therefore
less than those of other less forth.
nately situated nations, like the
United States.
Prices Too High
Ii the price of fertilizers were low
enough, that is for practical pur-
poses, almost no limit to the amount
that could be advantageousIy used
IN this country. The ce-element.
however, is the stumbling block :.
american commercial fixation to-
DAY. processes at present feasible
are cotsly and the product expen-
slVe. Cheapening of existing proc
esses as we'll as the development Of
new ones Is thus among the obiec.
yves OF the FiXed-Nitrogen Research
laboratory. - la,l
The outstanding hope of Ameri.
can farmers for cheaper fertilizer
Is centered in the Muscle Shoals
pToJkt. conceived by the govern.
7t during the war as a source of
Nitrogen needed for explosives and
now regarded by Henry Ford and
others as great potential fertilizer
Proouctlon center and source of hy-
dro-electrlc power. But even Muscle
Snoals' IL devoted to this purpose at
IuH capacity, promises for a long
time at least to supply only 10000
tons Of the estimated 3,OO0 .0OO or
100000 that can be used. Other
production must be provided,
tnrough extension Of existing fixa-
tlon installations and the develop.
ment OF other methods. To the fur
therance of this the research Iabora.
tory is dedicated.