738 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Artesian well waters, E. F. Ladd (North Dakota Sta. Rpt. 1S96, pp. 14, 15). — Deter- 

 minations of the total solids, organic matter, and mineral constituents of 5 samples 

 of artesian well water are reported. 



Chlorin in rain water (Agr. Students' Gaz., 8 (1897), No. 5, p. 152).—" The rainfall 

 [at Cirencester] for the 6 months ending September 30 was 16.35 in., falling on 87 

 days; the rain contained as a mean chlorids equivalent to 0.243 grains of sodium 

 chlorid a gallon, that is a total deposit of 12.77 lbs. of common salt per acre. For 

 the 12 months ending at the same date the total rainfall was 33.09 in. on 186 days, 

 and the chlorids equivalent to 30.88 lbs. of common salt per acre." 



The amount of nitrogen conveyed by red clover to different kinds of soil, 

 N. Passerini (Bol. ScuoJa Agr. Seandicci, 3 (1895), pp. 102-111; abs. in Jour. Chem. Soc. 

 [London'], 72 (1897), No. 421, II, p. 587). — Bos experiments were made with sandy, 

 clayey, and calcareous soils. Only in case of the latter was there a gain of nitrogen, 

 indicating that green manuring is not likely to be successful in soils poor in lime. 



On the improvement of humus soils, F. Dumont (Jour. Soc. Agr. Brabant- 

 llainaut, 1897, No. 42). 



FERTILIZERS. 



The preservation of nitrogen as well as the transformation of 

 different forms of nitrogen in barnyard manure, W. Schneidewind 

 (Jour.-Landw., 15 (1897), No. 2, pp. 173-202; Chem. Ztg., 21 {1897), No. 

 81, p. 841). — It is stated that numerous laboratory experiments tend 

 to show that under certain conditions the amid and ammonium com- 

 pounds of manure are rapidly lost in the form of ammonia, but that an 

 appreciable loss of nitrogen in the free state occurs only when nitrates 

 are present. The addition of marl reduced the loss of nitrogen from 

 22.6 to 9.9 per cent, and the use of marl and peat reduced it to 6.1 per 

 cent. It is believed that in the majority of cases the nitrogen is lost 

 principally in the form of ammonia, although in special cases the loss 

 of free nitrogen may exceed that of nitrogen as ammonia. 



Investigations on the decomposition of nitrates gave the following 

 results : The addition of water increased the decomposition of nitrates; 

 nitrates decomposed more slowly in old manure than in fresh ; increas- 

 ing the amount of manure applied to a soil increased the amount of 

 nitrates decomposed. In vegetation experiments with soils to which 

 straw and manure poor in nitrogen were applied considerable amounts 

 of nitrates were transformed, part of the nitrogen escaping in the free 

 state and part going into organic combinations. 



For the preservation of manure the author thinks attention to the 

 construction, packing, and moisture of the manure heap of more impor- 

 tance than the use of preservatives. Of the latter the most effective 

 seem to be sulphuric acid, sodium bisulphate, calcium carbonate, and 

 caustic lime. The first 2 are effective in preventing all loss of nitro- 

 gen when used in sufficient amounts to give an acid reaction (0.4 to 1 

 per cent in case of sulphuric acid), but they are not recommended, 

 because they may be injurious to the animals and interfere with the 

 rotting of the manure. Sulphuric acid favors the formation of ammo- 

 nia from the organic nitrogen, but caustic lime has an opposite effect. 



