624 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



often accompanied hy the abundant evolution of carbon dioxid. It 

 occurred only in neutral or slightly acid manure and ceased when the 

 manure was moistened with the liquid which drained from the heaps. 

 Since this fermentation is sometimes accompanied by loss of nitrogen 

 in the free state it should be prevented by keeping the manure 

 heaps moistened with liquid manure. Fermentation resulting in the 

 evolution of methane was found to occur in well-packed manure. In 

 such cases the gas resulting from fermentation is composed solely of 

 methane and carbon dioxid and no nitrogen is lost in the free state 

 under such conditions. The abundant evolution of carbon dioxid 

 which accompanies the marsh gas fermentation also prevents dissocia- 

 tion of ammonium carbonate. This desirable fermentation is promoted 

 b}- keeping the heaps of manure wet with the liquid portion. 



Investigations on the action of the phosphoric acid and nitro- 

 gen in Leipsic poudrette and in von Krottnaurer's Blankenburg 

 fertilizer, O. Bottcher {Deut. Landw. Presse^ 27 {1000), Xr>, 77, jjp. 

 9oo, 95 Ji). — The first of these fertilizers is prepared by drj-ing fecal 

 matter with sulphuric acid; the second bv treating slaughterhouse 

 refuse, etc., in the same manner. Analyses of samples of the two 

 products and pot experiments to test their fertilizing value are reported. 

 The samples of poudrette examined contained from -i.S to 5.38 per cent 

 of phosphoric acid, 1.96 to 2.9 per cent being soluble in citrate solu- 

 tion, and 0.42 to 0.69 per cent soluble in water; 4.19 to 5.54 per cent 

 of nitrogen, 2.16 to 2.4 being in form of ammonia; and 3.78 to 5.1 per 

 cent potash. In the 2 samples of the other fertilizer examined the 

 phosphoric acid varied from 6.4 to 8.3 per cent, 0.1 to 0.35 per cent 

 being soluble in citrate solution and 4.4 to 6.2 per cent soluble in water; 

 6.49 to 6.34 per cent of nitrogen, 0.31 to 0.39 per cent being in the 

 form of ammonia and 0.15 to 0.21 being in form of nitrate. These 

 fertilizers were compared with double superphosphate and nitrate of 

 soda on oats grown in a moderately compact loam soil. As regards 

 the action of the phosphoric acid the 2 fertilizers were but slightly 

 less effective than the double superphosphate, while as regards nitrogen 

 they were scarcely half as effective as nitrate. 



The occurrence and composition of lime in Maryland, together 

 •with the results of experiments in testing its use in agriculture, 

 H. J. Patterson {2Laryland Sta. Bui. 66^ 2^^- 91-130, maps 2). — This 

 bulletin includes a general discussion of the relation of lime to agri- 

 culture; the action of lime on soils; the time and methods of apph'ing 

 lime; methods of determining the need of lime; descriptions of differ- 

 ent kinds of lime used in agriculture; the occurrence and composition 

 of lime in Maryland, including analyses of 121 samples of limestone, 

 2 of oyster shells, 27 of burned lime (stone and oyster shell) 5 of gas 

 lime, and 90 of marl; and accounts of experiments with lime made at 

 the station since 1889. 



