448 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Pot experiments with oats showed that calcium cyanamid produced yields of grain 

 from 86.1 to 102.7 per cent of those obtained with similar amounts of nitric nitrogen, 

 the total increase in the yields of grain and straw ranging from 86.1 to 98.3 per cent. 

 Ammonium sulphate in the same series of trials produced an increase of 95.9 to 101.7 

 per cent in the total crop, and of 98.9 to 102.7 per cent in the yield of grain, the 

 yields obtained with equivalent amounts of nitrate of soda being placed at 100. 

 Similar results were obtained in field experiments with oats. 



When applications of calcium cyanamid containing 150 kg. of nitrogen per hectare 

 (134 lbs. per acre) were made directly before sowing, a decided poisonous effect was 

 produced in the case of mustard, while similar applications added 11 days before 

 sowing oats produced no symptons of poisoning whatever. Pure calcium nitrate pro- 

 duced approximately the same increase in the yield of oats as equivalent amounts of 

 nitrate of soda when grown in pots or in plat experiments. 



The effect of the presence of nitrites in calcium nitrate was studied in a series of 

 experiments with oats, nitrate containing different quantities of nitrite, viz, from 

 1 to 20 per cent, being applied. It was found that such impure nitrate produced 

 fully as good, if not better, results than nitrates free from nitrites, the increase in 

 yields of total crop on the former fertilization ranging from 113 to 120 per cent of 

 those obtained on the latter fertilization, and in yield of grain from 108 to 113 per 

 cent. A bibliography of the subject is given at the tod of the report, — f. w. woll. 



Preservation and action of the nitrogen of urine, E. Bohme (Illus. Landw. 

 Ztg., 24 {1904), Nos. 87, pp. 1001, 1002, figs. 3; 88, p. 1011, figs. 7; 89, pp. 1023-1025, 

 figs. 5; abs. in Centbl. Agr. Chem., 34 (1905), No. 5, pp. 300-305; Jour. Chem. Soc. 

 [London'], 88 (1905), No. 513, II, p. 477). — In the experiments reported gypsum, 

 used at the rate of 10 per cent, reduced the loss of nitrogen to 7 per cent in 250 days, 

 untreated urine losing 56 per cent of its nitrogen in that time. Sulphuric acid (1 per 

 cent) reduced the loss to 5.5 per cent, while 2 per cent of sulphuric acid retained all 

 of the nitrogen. 



Addition of lime and gypsum increased the action of the urine when used as a fer- 

 tilizer. Urine treated with these substances and with sulphuric acid gave better 

 results when applied before seeding than as a top-dressing. The nitrogen of the 

 urine was almost equal in effect to that of sodium nitrate. 



Ammoniacal nitrogen as a plant food, Gerlach and Vogel ( Centbl. Bakt. [etc.], 

 2. Abt., 14 (1905), No. 3-4, pp. 124-128, figs. 2; abs. in Chem. Centbl., 1905,1. No. 24, 

 p. 1609). — Parallel experiments were carried out in sterilized soil in pots of special 

 construction to test the comparative effect of ammoniacal nitrogen (ammonium sul- 

 phate) and nitric nitrogen (sodium nitrate) on the corn plant. 



Notwithstanding the fact that no nitrous or nitric organisms were present and no 

 nitrites or nitrates were formed in the soils to which ammonium sulphate was added, 

 the yields of dry matter and the nitrogen content of both the above ground and 

 below ground parts of the plants were markedly increased. The yields of dry matter 

 and nitrogen content per pot were, respectively, 55.42 and 0.189 gm. without appli- 

 cation of nitrogen; 80.88 and 0.445 gm. with sodium nitrate; and 72.54 and 0.387 gm. 

 with ammonium sulphate. These results indicate that the maize plant can take up 

 and use the nitrogen of ammonium sulphate without nitrification. 



Ammonium salts or nitrate of soda, Clausen (Deut. Landw. Presse, 32 (1905), 

 No. 72, pp. 611, 612). — An account is here given of experiments during 1904 with 

 oats on a moderately loamy sandy soil to determine the relative effect of ammonium 

 salts and nitrate of soda on dry and moist soils, one series of plats receiving only the 

 natural rainfall, another being kept moist by irrigation until 3 leaves had appeared, 

 and a third kept moist until the time of harvest. 



The nitrate of soda gave the best results on the unirrigated soil, but was less effect- 

 ive than the ammonium salts in the other 2 cases. The lower efficiency of the 

 nitrate, however, was apparently not due to washing of nitrates into the drainage, 



