INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1875. ccxxi 



University, though not an experiment station in name, is, 

 under the direction of Professor Storer, proving itself to be 

 one in fact. The movement toward the establishment of an 

 experiment station in Connecticut, which was commenced 

 two years ago, has resulted in the organization of a station 

 at Middletown, in connection with the Wesleyan University, 

 and under the direction of Professor Atwater. 



Turning now to researches in agricultural chemistry, we 

 notice that Knop has continued the series of studies on the 

 absorptive power of soils in which he has been engaged for 

 several years. His later results accord with his previous ones 

 in indicating that the absorption of ammonia and potash in- 

 creases with the amounts of three separate factors, " sesqui- 

 oxide silicates" (of alumina and iron), " released silicates" 

 (products of weathering), and sesquioxide of iron. These 

 results are confirmed by investigations of Seiler and Frey. 

 The same subject has also been investigated by Pillitz and 

 Eichhorn. The latter chemist has tested the effect of zeolit- 

 ic minerals in the soil upon the absorption of ammonia and 

 potash. His experiments accord with the view for some 

 time held that these hydrated silicates are most efficient 

 factors of such absorption. The near relation of these to 

 Knop's " released silicates " shows that the views of Eich- 

 horn and Knop are not widely divergent. It should be 

 added that the efficiency of sesquioxide of iron in absorp- 

 tion of alkalies is probably less than Knop has formerly 

 supposed. 



Fittbosjen has studied the effects of various chemicals on 

 nitrification in peat. He found the formation of nitric acid 

 to be favored by carbonates of potash and lime, by lime, and 

 by magnesia, and to be retarded by sulphuric acid, sulphate 

 of lime, and sand. The formation of ammonia was greatest 

 in confined air without chemicals, and was hindered by the 

 above compounds. 



Simon claims to have shown that humic acid absorbs ni- 

 trogen from the air with the formation of humate of am- 

 monia, which is soluble in water. In this view peat and 

 muck would be valuable, not merely as amendments and 

 for the fertilizing material they contain, but also as pur- 

 veyors of atmospheric nitrogen to the soil. 



Storer has published some most valuable investigations 



