200 



EXPERIMENTAL FAR 31 8 



2 GEORGE V.,. A. 1912 



As regards moisture- content, Nos. 8180 and 8949 are practically identical, but 

 the former is somewhat the more satisfactory brand of the two, being richer in arsenic 

 and containing less soluble impurities. No. 8839 is also a genuine and well-made 

 brand and quite satisfactory as to strength and purity. 



THE FERTILIZING VALUE OF RAIN AND SNOW. 



The fourth year's work in this investigation closed on February 28, 1911. The 

 data obtained, together with the precipitation results, allow us to calculate, approxi- 

 mately, the amount of combined nitrogen furnished to the soil per 'acre, in the vicinity 

 of Ottawa, for the year preceding that date. In the following table are recorded the 

 totals for the precipitation, the average amounts of nitrogen present in the three forms 

 and the pounds of nitrogen per acre so supplied. 



Rain and Snow at Ottawa for the Year ending February 28, 1911. 



Month and Year. 



March 



April 



May 



June . 



July 



August 

 September. 

 October . . 

 November. 

 December . 



1910. 



1911. 



January.. 

 February 



Precipitation in Inches. 



Rain. 



Total for 12 months 19G7 



■09 



200 

 1-80 

 124 

 2-38 

 432 



2 0G 



3 69 

 •85 



02 

 ■20 



Snow. 



4 50 



•75 



950 



1G-50 



15 50 

 20-25 



Total 



as 

 Inches 



of 

 Rain. 



44 



06 

 86 

 24 

 38 

 32 

 06 

 76 

 80 



Nitrogen. 



In Free 



Am- 

 monia. 



73 CO 



1-65 



1-57 

 283 



26 97 



p. p.m. 



381 

 412 

 767 

 374 

 805 

 613 

 575 

 496 

 353 

 525 



•338 

 •163 



In Albu- 

 minoid 



Am- 

 monia 



p. p.m. 



520 

 22:5 

 096 

 064 

 133 

 078 

 072 

 037 

 050 

 077 



•051 

 132 



In Nit- 

 rates 



and 



Ni- 

 trites. 



p.pm. 



•420 

 • 295 

 •253 

 •202 

 .373 

 •269 

 ■365 

 •24t 

 ■160 

 •140 



■088 

 171 



Total. 



p. p.m. 



1321 



•93) 



1-116 



■640 

 1311 

 •960 

 1-012 

 •777 

 •563 

 •742 



•477 

 •466 



Pounds 

 of 



Nitro- 

 gen per 



Acre. 



■431 

 ■434 

 •470 

 •1-0 

 •707 

 940 

 •472 

 •662 

 •230 

 •277 



169 

 •299 



5-271 



The total precipitation for the year was 26-97 inches, practically 10 inches below 

 the average for this locality. The rainfall was 19-67 inches and the snowfall 73-00 

 inches, both considerably less than usual. The precipitation during the four months — 

 April, May, June and July — though fairly well distributed was very much lighter than 

 for the same months during the past four years and the totals for November and 

 December are also decidedly lower than those which we have hitherto recorded for 

 these months. 



The total amount of nitrogen furnished per acre for the year is 5-271 pound.-, 

 about one pound more than we obtained for the first year of observation, but markedly 

 less than the abnormally high results obtained for the year ending February, 1909, 

 (8-364 pounds per acre), which were accounted for by the fact that for two months 

 of the summer of 1908 the atmosphere in this vicinity was heavily charged with 

 smoke from bush fires. The present figure (5-271 lbs.) is practically the mean of the 

 Quantities recorded for the two years 1908 and 1910 (5-596 lbs.) as may be deduced 

 from the results in the following tabulated statement: — 



