4 MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 451

At the present time most synthetic and oats to ammonia compared favorably
ammonia is converted into ammonium to that obtained with ammonium nitrate.
nitrate before it is used for fertilizer. In During the period that the tests were
making ammonium nitrate about one being conducted on the crop producing
half of the ammonia is burned over a value of anhydrous and aqua ammonia,
platinum gauze and combined with water the equipment for their application was
to make nitric acid. The nitric acid is
being developed, improved, and adapted
combined with ammonia to make am- for use by farmers.
monium nitrate, which is dried, grained, In March
of 1947 after sufficient in-
treated with a mixture of rosin, paraffin, formation had been obtained to prove
and paraffin oil, coated with clay, and that anhydrous and aqua ammonia arc
packed in moisture-proof bags. In the good sources of nitrogen, and after good
process making ammonium
of nitrate equipment had been developed for their
from ammonia, about 7 percent of the application on the farm, information con-
nitrogen is lost.
cerning their value and on equipment
With cheap price on natural
a relatively for handling and applying them to the
gas, the cost of producing a ton of an- soil was released to the farmers of Mis-
hydrous ammonia containing 1640 pounds sissippi.
of nitrogen is about the same as the cost During the 1947 crop year, Mississippi
of producing a ton of ammonium nitrate farmers fertilized over 200,000 acres with
containing 650 pounds of nitrogen. anhydrous ammonia and a few thousand
acres with aqua ammonia. Its use also
The retail price of nitrogen in the
moved to Arkansas and Louisiana in
different sources in 1948 was approxi-
1947. In 1948, the farmers of Mississippi
mately as follows:
applied anhydrous ammonia to approxi-
Cost of one pound mately 500,000 acres of crop land. Its

Source of nitrogen use is increasing in Arkansas and Louis-

Nitrate of soda.... _ 1 Ci ClHlS iana. Other states which will use an-
Cvanamid 1 5 cents
hydrous ammonia in 1948 are Alabama,
Ammonium nitrate 9.5 to 10 cents
Anhydrous iammonia 6 to 7.3 cents
Tennessee, and Illinois. As a result of
our work the use of anhydrous ammonia
Since the cost of nitrogen as ammonia is also moving into other countries.
is much less than its cost in the materials The acceptance of anhydrous ammonia
usually used to supply nitrogen, work by the farmers of Mississippi isshown
was started by the Mississippi Agricul- by the fact that the present storage
tural Experiment Station in 1943 to de- capacity is 282 carloads, which is ex-
termine its value as a source of nitrogen, pected to increase to at least 363 cars by
and to develop equipment for applying June and 403 cars by August. One car-
it to the soil. The research program has load contains enough nitrogen for 1,000
been supported joindy by the Mississippi acres when applied at the rate of 43
Agricultural Experiment Station and the pounds of nitrogen per acre. The 403
Tennessee Valley Authority. carload storage capacity is sufficient for
403,000 acres for each filling.
Four years were spent in research on
the use of anhydrous and aqua ammonia Properties of Anhydrous
before the information was released to Ammonia
farmers. During this period anhydrous Anhydrous ammonia contains 82 per-
and aqua ammonia were compared to cent nitrogen. It weighs 5 pounds per

ammonium nitrate in a large number oi gallon and contains 4.1 pounds of nitro-
tests in which the response of corn, cotton. gen per gallon.
 AMMONIA AS A SOURCE OF NITROGEN 5

-<?>

AMMONIA AND FUELS FORM DEADLY POISON

Recent experiments at State College show that when a mixture of anhydrous
ammonia and butane or propane is burned, hydrocyanic acid, which is very
poisonous, is formed. Propane or butane, which is to be used for household
purposes, should not be put into tanks which have been previously used for
anhydrous ammonia unless the ammonia is completely removed.
Ammonia may be completely removed from tanks by first draining the
liquid then blowing the fumes out or filling the tanks with water,
ammonia and
which will absorb the ammonia, and draining. No odor of ammonia should
remain in tanks which are to receive household butane or propane.
—Marvin Gieger, Chemist.

Anhydrous ammonia is a gas at at- Propane and butane tanks are custom-
nospheric pressure and normal tempera- arilyfitted with brass fittings. Pure an-
ures. At 28 degrees below zero Fahren- hydrous ammonia attacks brass very little,
leit and lower, it exists as a liquid at but where a little moisture is present,
itmospheric pressure. At 50° F. anhy- the brass is corroded rapidly. The fit-

Irous ammonia has a pressure of 75 tings foranhydrous ammonia equipment

)ounds per square inch, and the pressure should always be iron or steel, which
ncreases to 197 pounds per square inch at would make it necessary to change the
.00° F. brass fittings to iron or steel before using
In commerce, anhydrous ammonia is propane tanks for anhydrous ammonia.
landled as a liquid under pressure. The Ammonia is not considered inflamma-
:ontainers for handling anhydrous am- ble, but it is possible to get a mixture

nonia require the necessary strength to of ammonia and air which will ignite at
icld the high pressures. high temperatures. Welding should not

Figure 2. Anhydrous ammonia equipment mount, in addition to two-row cultivating equipment.

Note ammonia applicator, and rotary hoe for preventing the covering of small plants.
 6 MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 451

be done on tanks which contain ammonia, At 110° F. a pressure of 10 pounds pei

due to the possibility of getting an ex- square inch is exerted. A 30 percent
plosion. solution of ammonia contains 24.6 percent
In low concentrations ammonia is very nitrogen. One gallon weighs 7.4 poundj
irritating to the nose, eyes, mouth, throat, and contains pounds of nitrogen.
1.85
and lungs. It will blister the skin. Water Aqua ammonia attacks brass and cop-
should always be available for washing per readily, and all fitting and equipment
off any ammonia which comes in con- should be made of iron, steel, and am-
tact with the body. Gas masks, tight monia-resistant hose.
fitting goggles, and rubber gloves should The same precautions about personal
be available where the danger warrants contact and first aid treatment are neces-
them. The safety equipment needed with sary with aqua ammonia as with anhy-
different types of ammonia is listed on drous ammonia.
page 18. The tight fitting goggles should
Crop Response to Ammonia
be worn at all times while working with
And Ammonium Nitrate
ammonia.
When anhydrous or aqua ammonia is
Purity of Anhydrous Ammonia applied to the soil, the ammonia goes into
Anhydrous ammonia should be over 99 solution in the soil water. The ammoniai
percent pure ammonia. A general idea is absorbed almost immediately from the
concerning the purity of ammonia may soil water by the clay and organic mat-
be obtained by collecting a quart jar full ter. When ammonia is absorbed by clayl
of the ammonia and permitting it to and organic matter, the products form-
evaporate. Evaporation can be speeded ed are ammonium clay and ammonium
up by surrounding the open jar with organic matter. These ammonium prod-
water. Care should be taken to avoid ucts are solids, just as ammonium nitratei
water getting into the ammonia because and sulphate of ammonia are solids. I

it will cause the ammonia to splatter. When ammonia is applied to soils, it'

When the ammonia stops bubbling off, readily goes on the clay particles in place
water containing 25 to 30 percent am- of hydrogen. When
applied well belowi
monia should be present only in the de- the surface held by the clay and or-i
it is

pressions of the bottom. If the bottom ganic matter even though free lime is,
should be covered, water is indicated and present. The authors have encounteredi
the state fertilizer inspector should be no sandy soils with too little clay to ab-
contacted. sorb the ammonia applied at the rate of
Properties of Aqua Ammonia 32 pounds of nitrogen per acre and at
a depth of four inches with the applica-j
At ordinary temperatures anhydrous
tors spaced 38 to 42 inches apart. Wherej
ammonia may be diluted" with water to
very high rates of nitrogen as ammoniaf
make solutions containing up to about 30
are to be applied to extremely sandy soils,,
percent ammonia. In the fertilizer trade
these solutions usually contain 27 to 31
it maybe desirable to increase the depth,
of application to 8 or 10. inches or to!
percent ammonia, which is equivalent to
increase the number and thereby decrease!
22 to 25 percent nitrogen. These solu-
the spacing of ammonia applicators.
tions are usually sold on the basis of ;

analysis without being standardized to a Ammonia is a gas at ordinary temper-:

definite percentage of ammonia. atures and atmospheric pressure. Ini

Aqua ammonia containing 30 percent order that it not be lost, it is necessary
ammonia exerts no that either
anhydrous ammonia or aqua
pressure below 7C° F..
ammonia be
applied 4 inches or more]
^Requires special equipment. deep and covered simultaneously. Am-I
 Figure 3. Moving 4,100 pounds of nitrogen as anlivdrous ammonia with a pick-up truck.

lonia cannot be applied to the surface with cotton. Even though the preference
f the soil nor in sprinkling irrigation of young cotton for the ammonium form
ystems without excessive loss of am- of nitrogen is much less marked than the

lonia. preference of young corn, it has been

established that the preference
Ammonia which is in ammonium clay definitely
not real.
nd ammonium organic matter does is

however, it is Tn general, older plants prefer nitrate

2ach out of the soil;

ufficiendy soluble to supply crops with nitrogen to the ammonium form. How-
ever, in our side-dressing experiments
litrogen.
the anhydrous ammonia has been slightly
During warm weather most of
mmonium nitrogen is converted into superior to ammonium nitrate for corn,

weeks in and essentially equal to it for cotton. It

litra^e nitrogen within 4 to 6
should be pointed out that cotton was
oils which have a good supply of lime
usually side-dressed by the time of the
nd which are well aerated. With colder
second plowing, and corn by the time
veather, with wet soils which are poorly
iierated, and in soils low in lime, the
it was knee high. When only nitrogen
considered, a pre-planting application
ate of nitrification is much slower. is

of ammonia, which supplies young plants

Young corn and cotton plants prefer form of nitrogen and the un-
with this
immonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen, part of which is changed in the
used
ind they grow off more rapidly when
soil to the nitrate form for older plants,
'immonium nitrogen is available than
appears ideal.
the source of nitrogen is nitrate

pitrogen. Since young corn grows off Where the preference of young plants

[nuch more rapidly than young cotton, for the ammonium form of nitrogen is

jthe preference for ammonium nitrogen is to be taken advantage of to give young

much more noticeable with corn than plants a quick start, it is necessary that
 8 MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL FATERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 451

it be applied immediately before plant- treatments conducted on a dry year

ing or before the plants have made much Data for four tests in which the ferti
growth. If ammonia is applied several lizers were applied before planting an
weeks in advance of planting on fertile also reported. There were four replica
soils, it is converted into the nitrate form tions of each treatment in the last tw(
before the young plants use it. sets of tests.
When crops are exposed to the fumes Anhydrous ammonia and ammoniun
of ammonia the leaves are killed; how- nitratewere compared with depth of ap
ever, the buds are usually not injured plication as a variable in 13 side-dressin[
and growth continues. Young cotton and in five tests where the treat
tests,
plants may be completely killed by am-
ments were applied both before planting
monia fumes. In side-dressing with either and as a side-dressing. There were si
anhydrous or aqua ammonia, it is neces-
replications of each treatment in thes(
sary that it be applied and covered in
tests. In addition, there were eight side
such a manner that plants are not ex-
dressing tests with only three treatment
posed to the fumes. It is therefore doubly and four replications conducted on a dn
desirable that ammonia be properly ap- year.
plied, for noticeable fumes mean also Data are reported for a total of 3(
that nitrogen is being lost.
testswith cotton and 26 tests with corn
It is desirable for either
anhydrous or
aqua ammonia to be applied
Tests with Oats
where it is
to stay; however, farmers may sometimes Anhydrous ammonia and ammoniun
find it desirable to replow land to which nitratewere compared for the productior
ammonia has been applied. After am- of oats for grain and for forage. Ten test;
monia has been in the soil for four days, were conducted on oats for grain in 1945j
no loss of nitrogen should occur on 1946, and six tests for grain were con!
plowing it up. If ammonia is applied ducted in 1946-1947. Three tests wenj
5 to 6 inches deep in side-dressing, conducted on oats for forage in which!
it
will not be disturbed by ordinary culti- grain yields were obtained in 1946-1947
vation. Where oats were planted for grain the!
ammonia applicators were spaced 15j
Tests with Corn and Cotton inches apart; where they were plantec'
Data are reported on 19 tests with cot- for forage the applicators were spaced V.
ton in which anhydrous ammonia and inches apart.
ammonium nitrate were compared for There were four replications of eachj
prc-planting and side-dressing cotton, treatment. The oats planted for forage'
using different depths of application. were clipped with a small power mowei
There were six replications of each treat- during the first week in December, andil
ment. In addition, data are reported for week
the third in February. The grain
seven side-dressing tests with only three was harvested with a combine.

THE RESPONSE OF COTTON TO ANHYDROUS

AMMONIA AND AMMONIUM NITRATE
During 1945, 1946, and 1947 nineteen table 1. The data for eighteen of the
tests were conducted with cotton in which
tests were averaged. In these eighteen
anhydrous ammonia and ammonium ni-
tests the following data were obtained for
trate were applied before planting,
using anhydrous ammonia and ammonium ni-
two depths of application of anhydrous
trateapplied before planting at the rate
ammonia. The data are reported in of 32 pounds of nitrogen per acre: