SOILS FEKTILIZERS. 



627 



only ill a loss of soluble material but of moisture. " The reducetl moisture 

 content, as well as the elimination of the bulli of the soluble salts, influence 

 materially the bacterial changes in the manure, for with retarded bacterial 

 development the losses from fermentation must of necessity be smaller than 

 those in large piles of manure. Retarded fermentation in its turn involves a 

 retarded solution of the insoluble constituents, and hence a diminished loss 

 from the leaching action of rain." 



In case of the fresh manure the mixture of solid and liquid manure was more 

 efficient than the solid manure alone. In case of leached manure the differences 

 were very small, but slightly favored the solid manure. The same relation 

 held true when the manures were used in combination with nitrate. The 

 manures were more effective when used in combination with nitrate than when 

 combined with ammonium sulphate or dried blood. " The double portion of 

 nitrate, whether used alone or in combination with any of the manures, favored 

 the i)roduction of grain in greater degree than did the corresponding single 

 portion." 



The crops receiving nitrate of soda contained a larger ])roportiou of nitrogen 

 in dry matter than those receiving other nitrogenous fertilizers, and under 

 certain conditions a high nitrogen content in the grain was always accompanied 

 by a high content in straw and vice versa. The double portion of nitrate con- 

 sistently showed superiority over the single portion either when used alone or 

 in combination with any of the manures. 



It was found that the nitrogen of dried blood both alone and in combination 

 with manure gave slightly greater returns than corresponding applications of 

 nitrogen in the form of ammonium sulphate. 



Comparing the average amounts of nitrogen recovered in the crop during the 

 seasons of IDOl and 1006, it was found that the nitrate, ammonium sulphate, 

 and dried blood used alone showed a falling off in the second rotation, the de- 

 cline being especially marked in the case of ammonium sulphate and dried 

 blood. This falling off is attributed to a decline in humus content of the soil 

 and to the fact that soils continuously fertilized with ammonium sulphate and 

 dried blood tend to become decidedly acid in the course of time. On the other 

 hand, soils continuously fertilized with sodium nitrate tend to become more 

 alkaline in the course of time, but may be injuriously affected by the accumula- 

 tion of the sodium base, which is transformed into carbonate or bicarbonate, 

 resulting in decided injury, particularly on heavy clay soils. 



The relative availability of the nitrogen of the various materials experi- 

 mented with as shown by the wheat crop in 1901 and 1906 is as follows: 



77/r (irdilahilitii of niffoi/iii in diffrrrnl Difrofinioiis iiKitrrUilx irith ivJinif. 



Lime nitrogen as a fertilizer for cultivated plants, P. Waoner et al. 

 {Lanfliv. I'fr.s. stnt., m {HHH), A'o. //-5, pi). ^K.i-,i7J; nhs. in Chcm. Ztg., 31 

 (1907), No. 58, Repcrt. .Vo. 53, p., 350; Jour. Chem. 8oc. [London], 92 {1901), 

 No. 537, II, p. 573; CJirm. Zmtbl., 1907, U, No. 9, pp. 726, 727).— A series of 

 laboratory investigations and pot experiments with different soils and crops 

 are reported. 



