238 Bulletin 24^. 



this day. A few days later when observed by the writer the maize on 

 the cultivated plat was considerably larger, more sturdy and of a much 

 darker green color. 



It will be noted that, on July 2, the cultivated maize plat contained 

 96 parts of NO3 per million of dry soil while on the maize and millet 

 plat but 10 parts were found. It was reasoned that if the lighter green 

 color and smaller size of the maize where millet grew was due to lack 

 of nitrogen then the addition of nitrate of soda should cause the maize 

 to recover its green color and grow more rapidly than where maize and 

 millet was not so treated, although the maize could not be expected to 

 catch up to the maize on the cultivated plat at that stage in its life 

 history. If plants do not grow normally in season they cannot be ex- 

 pected to recover their growth out of season. Accordingly twice the 

 amount of nitrate of soda necessary to supply 86 parts per million of 

 dry soil to 2,000,000 of soil or to the depth of 8 inches was applied to 

 35 hills of the maize plat known as 462N on July 6, 14, 21, and 27 or 

 four applications in all. At the end of the first week, or on July 14, 

 both the maize and the millet were much greener than the rest of the 

 plat not so treated, but it could not be said with certainty that the growth 

 was greater although it seemed a shade larger: on July 18, however, the 

 hills were distinctly larger than the other hills of the millet plat and as 

 green as the plants on the cultivated plat. 



An examination of the third column of Table X will show that only 

 a part of the water-soluble nitrogen applied was found upon analysis. 

 This is to be expected since part of it will become fixed by the soil, part 

 of it taken up by the growing vegetation, part of it may drain or wash 

 away and some may be denitrified. The interesting thing is that between 

 July 3Q and August 16, the water-soluble nitrogen increased from 160 to 

 320 parts of NO3 while all nitrate of soda was applied sometime previous 

 to the earlier date. 



If the table IX is now examined it will be noticed that the yield of 

 green maize fodder was over three times as great on the millet plat where 

 nitrate of soda was applied and the yield of millet was over twice as 

 great, making the total green product more than twice as great where the 

 nitrate was applied. Furthermore, this increased yield of material was 

 made without changing materially the water content of the soil. From 

 July 8 to September 29, the time during which this increased growth was 

 made the average of six determinations shows the per cent, of water to 

 be 1 5. 1 where nitrogen was applied and that where nitrogen was not 

 applied 15.1. In other words, the per cent, of moisture was identical 

 although the growth of crop was doubled. Can anyone escape the con- 

 viction that decrease in growth was in the first instance due in part to 



