226 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



forms. The nitrogen from nitrates, from ammonia salts, and probably the 

 water-soluble organic nitrogen, is highly available, while the character of the 

 insoluble nitrogen is shown by the relative percentages found for the ' active ' 

 and * inactive ' insoluble nitrogen." 



A schedule of trade values adopted for the New England States and New 

 Jersey for 1911 is given. 



Further investigations on the hygroscopicity of certain new nitrogenous 

 fertilizers, H. von Feilitzen and I. LroNER (Chcm. Ztg., 35 {1911), No. 108, 

 pp. 985, 986, figs. 2.)— See a previous note (E. S. R., 25, p. 727). 



The influence of calcium carbonate on the transformation of ammoniacal 

 and nitrate nitrogen, J. Vogel {Witt. Kaiser Wilhelms Inst. Landic. Bromberg, 

 S {1911), No. 5, pp. 330-350; ahs. in CentU. Bakt. [etc.], 2. AM., 32 {1912), 

 No. 6-12, p. 261 ) .■ — Previous experiments having indicated that ammoniacal and 

 nitrate nitrogen do not behave alike in soils and in culture solutions (E. S. R., 

 24, p. 221), further investigations were made which showed that, while an 

 appi'eciable amount of organic nitrogen was formed from ammoniacal and 

 nitrate nitrogen in culture solutions, there was no such fixation of nitrogen in 

 the soil experiments. 



The addition of calcium carbonate promoted to a marked extent the fixation 

 of the ammoniacal nitrogen in the culture solutions but did not produce such a 

 result in soils containing a normal supply of moisture. When calcium car- 

 bonate and ammonium salts were applied to the soil together, there was an 

 appreciable loss of nitrogen, which is attributed not only to escape of ammonia 

 but also to transformation of the ammonia into nitrate from which, under the 

 conditions of these experiments, there was a loss of nitrogen through dentifi- 

 cation. It is thought, however, that the conditions of the experiment were 

 abnormal in that the soils experimented with were kept in Erlenmeyer flasks 

 and insufhciently supplied with air. 



The occurrence of potassium nitrate in western America, R. Stewart 

 {Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc., 33 {1911), No. 12, pp. i952-i9.5^).— Analyses of sam- 

 ples of crude nitrate obtained from a small cave in a sandstone formation in 

 southern Idaho are reported with a brief suggestion as to the possible origin 

 of the nitrate 



Action of manganese sulphate on vegetation, G. Masoni {Staz. Sper. Agr. 

 Ital., JjJ, {1911), No. 2, pp. 85-112; ahs. in Jour. Chem. Soc. [London], 100 

 {1911), No. 587, II, p. 821). — In pot experiments with corn and lupines in 

 which manganese and iron sulphates, separately and in combination, and 

 sodium sulphate were applied to the soil, it was found that the addition of 

 small amounts of manganese sulphate reduced the yield of dry matter of corn 

 considerably. With the largest amount of manganese sulphate (Mn=0.(X)5 

 per cent), in addition to iron sulphate, there was a slightly increased produc- 

 tion of dry matter. With iron sulphate alone, there was also an increase in 

 dry matter. Sodium sulphate did not materially increase the production of 

 dry matter, but greatly increased the amounts of manganese and iron taken 

 up from the soil. 



Manganese sulphate alone (Mn=0.001 per cent) increased both the dry 

 matter and the percentage of manganese in the dry matter of lupines. Man- 

 ganese sulphate (Mn=0.005 per cent) with iron sulphate produced the largest 

 amount of dry matter in lupines. Sodium sulphate also gave an increase in 

 dry matter and an increase of manganese, but not of iron taken up from the 

 soil. 



The general conclusion is that manganese sulphate is injurious rather than 

 beneficial, or if beneficial this effect is probably due to the acid portion of the 

 gait. Its physiological action is diminished by the presence of iron. 



