SOILS FERTILIZERS. 321 



lionate of lime in the soil. Tlie remedy is to apply sucli manures in the winter 

 or in conjunction with superphosphate." 



On the efficacy of soluble fertilizer salts in dry climates, S. de Grazia 

 {Ann B. Stuz. CJiim. Agr. 8i)ti: Roma, 2. scr., 3 {l!>0!)). pp. 157-186; Htaz. 

 Spcr. Agr. Ital., 43 {1910), No. 1, pp. -}9-78).— Pot experiments with sodium 

 nitrate, ammonium sulphate, potassium chlorid, and potassium sulphate led to 

 the conclusion that all four salts in varied amounts and under different moisture 

 conditions gave, in the majority of cases, an increased product ; this increase 

 varied directly with the amount used in the case of the nitrogenous salts. 



Field experiments at Portici in 1902-3 with the same salts and also with pure 

 sodium nitrate, near Naples in 1904-5 with the four salts named above, and near 

 Rome in 190G-7 with the same salts and in 1907-8 with calcium cyanamid 

 (Frank and Polzenius process), ammonium sulphate, and sodium nitrate are 

 reported. In general it was found that none of the salts had any injurious 

 effect even when used in amounts larger than in ordinars* farm practice. 



The distribution of the manure values of foods between dung and urine, 

 C. Crowther {Trans. Highland and Agr. Soc. Scot., 5. ser., 22 {1910), pp. 125- 

 l.'i2). — ^The conclusion reached from this study is that " the distribution between 

 the dung and urine of the manurial ingredients of foods consumed by fatten- 

 ing bullocks may be approximately estimated if, after deducting from the total 

 supply of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in the food the amounts retained 

 in the fattening increase produced by it, the rest be so distributed that the 

 urine is credited with the remaining digestible nitrogen and 85 per cent of 

 the ix>tash, whilst the dung receives the rest of the potash, the undigested nitro- 

 gen, and the phosphoric acid." 



Estimating the manurial value of various feeding stuffs on this basis, the 

 conclusion is reached that if the cei'eal straws be excluded and also rice meal, 

 " which, owing to its comparative richness in phosphoric acid and indigestible 

 nitrogen, occupies an exceptional position, it will be found that on the average 

 of all the foods . . . practically four-fifths (79.7 per cent) of the total 'original 

 manure value' is contained in the urine, and only the remaining one-fifth in 

 the dung." These estimates indicate " that under the conditions of the average 

 farm, where the food stuffs will be consumed by several different classes of 

 stock, the total liquid excreta as they leave the animals will possess from three 

 to four times the manurial value of the total solid excrements, so far as these 

 manurial values are determined by the chemical composition of the excreta." 



As regards the losses occurring under different conditions, it is stated that 

 "the 'original manure values' are prol)ably most nearly attained in the case 

 of dung and urine voided by the animals in the field, although even then the 

 full value will not be recovered owing to uneven distribution and exposux-e 

 of the dung to the drying influences of sun and wind. 



" Theoretical considerations would seem to indicate that in the case of the 

 foods consumed under cover the fertilizing ingredients will be conserved to the 

 greatest extent when all the urine is collected seiiarately. Almost insuperable 

 difiiculties in connection with the storage and distribution of the urine I'ender 

 this impossible in practice, however, and much of the urine must for these 

 reasons be incorporated in the farmyard manure." 



This subject has been fully discussed by Hall and VoelcUer (E. S. K., 14. p. 

 1057). 



Experiments on the decomposition of stable manure and on its action as 

 a fertilizer. III, P.. Sjoleema and J. C. de Rui.tter de Wildt {Vcrslag. Land- 

 houirk. Onderzock. Rijksjandhouivproef.'itat. [Netherlands]. 1910, No. 7, pp. lOG- 

 I'lG, fig. 1). — The experiments here reported are a continuation of work pre- 

 viously noted (E. S. R., 20, p. 721). As in the former investigations, these 



