554 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Comparative experiments with nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, and 

 Krotnaurer's Blankenburger manure, W. Schneidewind et al. ( Ber. Vermchsw. 

 Lauchsladt, 1904, p. 52; abs. in Chem. Ztg.,28 (1904), No. 67, Repert. No. 19, p. 229).— 

 The Krotnaurer manure, which contained 5.77 per cent of nitrogen (mainly organic) 

 and 5.85 per cent <>f phosphoric acid, was not as effective as the nitrate or sulphate, 

 especially when used in the smaller amounts, on account of its slow action. It is 

 best suited to light soils. These experiments also showed that there is danger of loss 

 of nitrogen when sulphate of ammonia is used as a top-dressing on calcareous soils. 



The action of different forms of nitrogen, especially ammonium salts and 

 nitrates, on potatoes and oats {Landw. Jahrb., 33 (1904), N<>- 3, pp. 335-342; Deut. 

 I.ainlir. Presse, SI (1904), No. '63, pp. 547, 548; <il>«. in Chem. CentM., 1904, II, p. 787).— 

 A series of vegetation experiments is reported from which the conclusions are drawn 

 that ammonium salts produce higher yields of dry substance in potatoes than nitrate 

 of soda, but that this is not true in case of beets. Apparently the latter crop utilizes 

 to advantage the sodium of the nitrate. 



In case of oats the nitrate produced somewhat more dry matter than ammonium 

 salts. The crops produced a larger amount of dry substance for a given amount of 

 nitrogen in ammonium salts than in nitrate. The production of dry matter per unit 

 of nitrogen was still larger in case of organic nitrogen than in case of nitrogen in 

 ammonia salts. No advantage was gained from divided applications of the nitrog- 

 enous fertilizers, nor was there any benefit from mixing the three forms of nitrogen. 



The action of certain micro-organisms of the soil on ammonium sulphate 

 and sodium nitrate, A. Stutzer and W. Rothe (Fuhling's Landw. Ztg., 53 (1904), 

 No. 17, pp. 629-635). — Studies of the rate of conversion of nitrogen of nitrates and 

 ammonium salts into albuminoid substances by various soil organisms in presence 

 and absence of calcium carbonate are reported. Nitrogen of ammonium salts was 

 more readily converted than that of nitrates. Except in case of Penicillium glaucum, 

 lime did not increase the rate of conversion. 



On the influence of liming upon the action of phosphatic manures, M. 

 Nagaoka (Bui. Col. Agr., Tokyo Imp. Univ., 6 (1904), No. ■>', pp. 195-214, pis. 3).— 

 The object of the experiments here reported was to determine the cause of the det- 

 rimental effect which is often observed in connection with the liberal liming of 

 paddy fields. 



The experiments were made in wooden boxes somewhat less than a square meter 

 in area, which were sunk about 60 cm. in the paddy fields. The soil used had been 

 exhausted by continuous cropping without manure. It was a sandy loam of fine 

 texture rather rich in humus (10 to 11 per cent) and contained 0.9 per cent of lime 

 soluble in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid. Pure caustic lime in a state of fine 

 powder was used at the rate of 400 kg. per hectare (356 lbs. per acre), being mixed 

 with the soil to a depth of 1 ft. Double superphosphate was applied in connection 

 with various nitrogenous fertilizers containing more or less phosphoric acid — fish 

 scrap and bone, bone meal, rice bran, rape cake, sesame cake, and soy-bean cake. 

 The observations on the direct (first year) and after effect (second year) of the liming 

 are recorded. 



The conclusions reached as a result of the two years' experiments are as follows: 

 "(1) Lime exerts a retarding and unfavorable influence upon the availability of 

 phosphoric acid of various organic manures. (2) This injurious action is about 

 twice as powerful with animal manures as with manures of vegetable origin. (3) 

 The action of organic matter as well as humus in manures diminishes the unfavorable 

 effect of lime to a certain extent. (4) The retarding rate found for animal manures 

 exceeds even that observed by Kellner and Bottcher with steamed bone meal and 

 confirms, therefore, the claims of these authors. (5) The unfavorable effect of lime 

 extends even to the second year as the return of yield over the loss of the preceding 

 year was not satisfactory. (6) The relative inanurial action of the phosphoric acid 



