"What's in the Bag" Plant Fertilizer Production National Plant Food Institute 62614 (1955)

Synopsis

Whats in The Bag, is a color film on how fertilizer is made. It was put out by The National Plant Food Institute which was only called by that name between the years of 1955 and 1969. This movie was probably made in the late 1950’s based on the dress being worn at the end of the film. Director: Malcolm H. McVickar. Bags on a conveyor belt introduce What’s in the Bag! Followed by credits (0:07-0:47). Farmer on a tractor with a disc working the ground (0:48-0:53). Tractor and combine (0:54-1:00). Cotton Picker (1:00-1:05). Fertilizer spreader (1:06-1:20). Raw materials needed for fertilizer: Nitrogen, N; available Phosphate, P2O5; and potash, K2O; plus other nutrients (1:34-1:59). Percentage of each: Nitrogen 10%, available Phos. Acid 10%, and Potash K2O available 10%, shown on bag (2:00-2:07). Map of where Nitrogen plants are found (2:08-2:20). Nitrogen Plants extract Nitrogen from the air and make it into useable forms for growing crops. Nitrogen is combined with chemicals called carriers. Horton spheres store the Ammonia gas from the process (2:21-3:13). Ammonia is the starting point for fertilizer (3:14-3:25). Illustration of how Ammonium nitrate, Sodium nitrate, Calcium nitrate, Ammonium sulphate, Ammonium Phosphates and Urea are made (3:26-4:12). Coke-oven gas is an ammonia source (4:13-4:19). Air is an ammonia source (4:20-4:37). Cotton seeds may be processed into nitrogen fertilizer (4:46-4:56). Phosphate comes from mines in the form of phosphate rock (4:57-5:27). Map…

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Details

Running time

16 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage