Word: krilium
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Green Thumbs. Monsanto, which had not expected to be able to market its new soil-conditioner "Krilium" (TIME, Jan. 7, 1952) until 1953, announced that it had been able to increase production enough to offer it this year, in 5-lb. packages priced at $6.95. One box will condition 80 sq. ft. of new lawn to a depth of 3 in., keep the soil porous and crumbly for as long as three years. Another reason for Monsanto's hurry: competitors were beginning to raid its market...
...Krilium...
...Krilium-treated soil, according to Monsanto, is easier to cultivate because it does not get sticky even when very wet. It holds more water than untreated soil, and so resists drought. No hard crust forms, and no clods; intractable clay or silt soil treated with Krilium behaves like a mellow loam full of organic matter...
...Specialists. Krilium has been tested by many agricultural experiment stations, truck farmers and greenhouse operators. The results are still preliminary, but look good. Crop yields have been increased by 20% to 100%. No Krilium is for sale at present. When it does go on the market, in a year or so, it will cost "something under $2 per Ib." At this price only highly specialized farmers will be able to afford it. If applied to the top three inches of soil at the lowest claimed concentration (.02%), about 200 Ibs. will be needed to treat one acre. Monsanto believes that...
...meantime, Krilium may prove the answer to many erosion problems. When it is sprayed or dusted on bare soil, but not mixed in, it binds the surface particles into a porous, crumbly crust. Even on steep slopes, rain has little effect on it. The Krilium-bound soil holds firm; the run-off water is clear. Another use: when dusted on baseball diamonds and tennis courts, it allows them to be used much sooner after a rain...