FERTILIZERS. 129 



relative dfcrease in the availability of the portion still remaining'. Tiie soluble 

 nitrogen, jiotash, and phosphoric acid are very readily washed out from the unpro- 

 tected manure, and the resources of the farmer for rei)lacing the plant-food taken 

 out of his soil by the crops are thus very materially diminished." 



Data for the composition of leaciied and unleached manure of various kinds and 

 for comparative tests of the manure and other nitrogenous materials are reported as for 

 previous experiments. The results show that the temperature and character of the sea- 

 son, as well asthe length of exposure, are important factors in determining the lossfrom 

 leaching of manure, the losses being greatest during periods of high temperature and 

 abundant rainfall. 



"In all cases but one, the loss, both relative and absolute, was greater from the 

 solid and liquid manure when taken together than it was from the solid manure 

 alone. The absolute loss of phosphoric acid A\as about the same, although there 

 was a relatively greater loss from the solid and liquid manure when taken together. 

 The loss of nitrogen varied from 25 per cent to 46 per cent in the solid -manure and 

 from 39 to 69 per cent in the solid and liquid manure. The loss of potash varied 

 from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in the solid manure and iroin 28 to 72 per cent in 

 the solid and liquid manure." 



Experiments were conducted on heavy loam soils with wheat follc^wed l)y timothy 

 and on light sand}' loam Avith cabliage. The results with the wheat show that — 



"On the whole, the fresh manures have returned greater amounts of nitrogen in 

 the crop than was returned by the leached manures. This is in accord with previous 

 experience, and shows the greater availability of the fresh manures. The nitrogen 

 in ammonium sulphate made greater returns in the crop, when used either alone or 

 together with solid leached, than was returned by the corresponding series where 

 dried blood was used. The proportion of the nitrogen in the grain to that in the 

 straw is, on the whole, rather constant. The fresh manures, where iised alone, caused 

 a more rank growth, and as a result there was more straw and more nitrogen in the 

 straw in i^roportion to the grain on those series. . . . Through the long season the 

 solid manure fresh was fully as efficacious as the solid and liquid fresh. . . . The 

 solid fresh ijroved superior to the solid leached, and the solid and liciuid fresh superior 

 to the solid and liquid leached." Nitrogen in the form of nitrate gave ?. greater return 

 than ammonium sulphate or dried blood. The results of the experiments with cab- 

 bage on the lighter soil in the main confirm those obtained with wheat. 



The relative availability of the nitrogt^n in the various nitrogenous materials experi- 

 mented Avith is summarized as follows: 



lleluiive availahiUtij of nitrogen in different nitrogenous fertiUzers. 



Nitrate of soda 100 



Sulphate of ammonia _ 94. 8 



Dried blood 94. 7 



Solid manure, fresh 36. 3 



Solid manure, leached 36. 6 



Solid and li(iuid, fresh 70. 5 



Solid and li(|uid, leached 48. 1 



"These figures show that the availability of the nitrate nitrogen is greater than 

 that of the ammonia and of the organic nitrogen in dried blood. They show that 

 the availability of the nitrogen in the solid and liquid fresh is greater than that in the 

 other forms of manure. They show that the availability of the nitrogen in the solid 

 and li()uid manure leached is greater than that in either the solid fresh or the solid 

 leached. They show that the avilability of the nitrogen in the- ammonia or dried 

 blood is greater than that of the nitrogen in any of the manures. These facts have 

 been found t(j be so, with but few exceptions, in the other experiments." 



7130— No. 2— U3 3 



