322 



EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



Considerablo aniouiits of free ainmonia woiv forinod during' the for- 

 meiitation. ospoeially in tlic .sulphato of aininoiiia tests in whicii kainit 

 was used. In the dried ])lood tests ail of the nitrates and combined 

 annnonia \Yere lost. Kainit appeared to have liad a strong intiuence in 

 liberatiiig' ammonia, eausing' a loss of ov^er 26 per cent of the total nitro- 

 gen present. Carl)on bisulphid on the other hand exerted a retarding* 

 influence in this respect. 



Investigations relative to the use of nitrogenous materials, E. B. 

 VooRHEES {New Jersey Stm. Rpt. 1899, pp. 97-120). — A review is 

 given of literature relating to denitrification and the changes which may 

 occur in the nitrogen of barnyard manure, and investigations relating 

 to the composition, and the availability of the nitrogen of solid and 

 liquid manure are reported. 



The solid and the mixed solid and liquid excrement (without litter) 

 of a well-fed cow were analyzed when fresh and after being exposed 

 to fermentation and leaching in the open air in 100 lb. lots from 

 February 4 to June 15. In that time the weight of the solid manure 

 was reduced to 50 lbs., the mixed solid and liquid manure to 61 lbs. 

 The composition of the fresh and leached manure, calculated to a water- 

 free basis, was as follows: 



Composition of manures on irater-free basis. 



Ash 



OrKiinic matter 



Niln^eii (total) 



NitroKon soluble in water., 



Niti'dgen as nitrates 



Nitrogen as ammonia , 



Nitrogen soluble organic. . 

 Nitrogen insoluble organic 



PlKjsphoric acid , 



Potash 



Fresh manure. ; Leached manure. 



Solid. 



Solid and' 

 liquid. 



Solid. 



Per cent. 



12. 166 



87.834 



2.286 



.583 



.101 



.248 



.234 



1.703 



2. 915 



1.488 



Per cent. 

 12. 924 



87. 076 

 3. 553 

 1.876 



.013 

 1.070 



.793 

 1.677 

 2.582 

 2.331 



Per cent. 

 14. 161 



85. 839 



2. 489 



.377 



.058 



.182 



.137 



2.112 



1.408 



.584 



Solid and 

 iquid. 



Per cent. 



15.282 



84. 718 



2. 529 



.734 



.014 



.521 



.199 



1.795 



1.617 



1.062 



In the solid manure there was a loss by leaching of 46 per cent of 

 nitrogen, 72 per cent of phosphoric acid, and 80 per cent of potash; 

 in the mixed solid and liquid manure 57 per cent of nitrogen, 62 per 

 cent of phosphoric acid, and 72 per cent of potash. 



The availability of the nitrogen of fresh and leached solid and mixed 

 solid and liquid cow manure used alone or in connection with nitrate 

 of soda, sulphate of ammonia, and dried })lood was tested in a series of 

 experiments with corn and tomatoes grown in cylinders (without 

 bottoms) 23i in. in diameter, and 4 ft. long, sunk in the ground. The 

 soils used were made as uniform as possible — a medium clay for the 

 corn, a sandy loam for the tomatoes. The applications of manure were 

 larg'er than are usual in practice, ])ut not excessive, the largest applica- 

 tion l)eing about 20 tons per acre. The results of the corn experiments 



