NITROGEN AND PHOSPHATES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 765, 11 September 1929, Page 11

NITROGEN AND PHOSPHATES

USE IN EUROPE An English journal, dealing particularly with fertiliser production and use, indicates that top-dressing continues to develop in most parts of Europe. It quotes a French journal as saying that the world’s production of superphosphates is 14,250,000 tons, of which about 61 per cent, are produced in Europe, and 23 per cent, in America. The balance is produced in the following countries: —Australia. S per cent.; Asia, 6 per cent.; and Africa, 2 per sent. In Europe, France stands first with over 2,000,000 tons, followed by Italy with over 1,500,000 tons, then comes Spain with about 1,000,000 tons, England and Germany with 800,000 tons, Holland with 600,000 tons, Central Europ 500,000 tons, Denmark 250,000 tons, and Switzerland 230,000 tons. Compared with 1913, the production of superphosphate has increased at the greatest rate iu Denmark by 175 per cent., in Spain by 95 per cent., the Low Countries and Central Europe 75 per cent., and Italy 63 per cent. It has decreased in Great Britain, and particularly in Germany, which, from the second position, which it occupied in 1913, has fallen back to fifth position—aftqr Italy, Spain and England, which countries she surpassed by a wide margin before the war.

Several references to the increased production of nitrogenous manures are made in the English publication. Incidentally it states that in Poland the total manufactured in 1927 was 140,000 tons against 120,000 tons the previous year. Consumption was growing without ceasing and. as production was uot sufficient to cover the inland demand, the Polish Government had begun the construction of a new factory for making synthetic manures. It was expeetetl to produce 300,000 tons per annum.