SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 927 



soils, although its action on such soils can be improved by liming or marling. 

 The best results have as a rule been obtained on fine soils rich in lime which 

 have been well manurefl, and are therefore well stocked with micro-organisms 

 which convert the lime nitrogen first into ammonia and then into nitrates. 

 Applications supplying from 26.72 to 53.44 lbs. of nitrogen per acre ai)plied 

 with a drill or mixed with an equal bulk of earth and thoroughly incorporated 

 with the soil to a considerable depth (as much as 9.85 in.) have given good 

 results when made several days in advance of planting. Some experimenters 

 adv:se applying the material at least 8 to 14 days before seeding, while others 

 state that no injurious effect is observed if the lime nitrogen is thoroughly 

 and deeply mixed with the soil 3 to 4 days before seeding. It should never 

 be applied as a top dressing, but should be mixed with the soil immediately 

 after application. Its behavior varies greatly with the season and with the 

 crop, but the exact influence of these factors has not yet been fully determined. 



Averaging the results of the various experiments reported, the fertilizing 

 effect of the lime nitrogen would appear to be slightly less than that of am- 

 monium salts. The best results reported have been with potatoes, the poorest 

 with sugar beets, with grains occupying the intermediate position. 



The results of the experiments generally agree in condemning fall and winter 

 applications of lime nitrogen, although the results in this respect are not en- 

 tirely concordant. It appears that the changes which the lime nitrogen undergo 

 in the soil are of two kinds, (1) purely chemical, resulting in the formation 

 of dicyanamid, which is decidedly injurious to plants, and (2) bacteriological, 

 resulting in the production first of urea, then ammonia, and finally niti'ates. 

 The conditions which are most favorable to nitrification and like bacterial 

 processes iu the soil are also most favorable to the most efficient action of lime 

 nitrogen. If lime is deficient or the soil too dry when the lime nitrogen is ap- 

 plied the decomposition may not proceed further than the formation of am- 

 monia, which may be lost into the air. When bacterial action is deficient the 

 chemical pi'ocesses resulting in the formation of dicyanamid predominate. 



The fertilizing principle of nitrogen lime being essentially the same as that 

 of lime nitrogen, the conclusions regarding the latter apply also to the former. 



The results obtained with basic lime nitrate (lime niter) generally agree in 

 showing this to be a highly efficient fertilizer free from injurious compounds of 

 any kind and possibly superior to nitrate of soda on soils in need of lime. 



The importance of lime as a plant food, K. Brehmeb (Gartemvelt, 12 

 (1907), No. 2, i)p. 15-17, figs. 6). — The relative growth of Cineraria, Pelargo- 

 nium, strawberries, oaks, horse-chestnuts, and other plants, on unmanured soil 

 and on soil receiving potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen with and without 

 the addition of calcium nitrate (in solution), is described and illustrated in this 

 article. The beneficial effect of the lime was quite marked in most cases, the 

 most pronounced exception to the rule being the horse-chestnut. 



The use of mang'anese as a fertilizer, J. Labergerie (Semaine Agr. [Paris'\, 

 26 (1907), No. 1378, p. 331). — Experiments with manganese chlorid and sul- 

 phate on wheat and Solanum commersonii are briefiy reported. 



In case of wheat on dry sandy soil containing small amounts of lime both 

 the chlorid and the sulphate increased the yield. On a more moist soil the 

 chlorid decreased the yield slightly and the sulphate caused a small increase. 

 In all cases the sulphate was more effective than the chlorid, but both were 

 less effective? on wet soil than on dry. 



With tS'. commersonii the manganese chlorid produced a slight benefit when 

 used in connection with potassium sulphate, but the effect of the manganese 

 was inappreciable on plats which did not receive potash fertilizers. The 



