MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL 737 



a high iodine (or HI) value; poor soils had a low value. These results 

 were not confirmed, however, by Honing 54 for soils of Deli, due to 

 large quantities of organic matter present and to the irregular distribu- 

 tion of the ferric iron. 



The oxidation of sulfur in the soil, the reduction of nitrates (denitri- 

 fication) and formation of ammonia from proteins are often used for 

 comparing the microbiological condition of different soils, but the 

 value of these methods in throwing light upon the soil microbiological 

 processes is often questioned. 



64 Honing, J. A. The oxidizing power of some soils in Deli, Sumatra. Bui. 

 Deli Proefsta, No. 8. 1917; Bui. Agr. Intel., 8: 838. 1917. 



