[SHUTT] THE FERTILIZING VALUE OF SNOW 37 
the period since the preceding snow fall had been a brief one, say a day, 
there would be a smaller nitrogen content than when a longer period, 
several days or a week, ensued, but the data do not show that this was 
always the case. Nor did we find any marked differences in purity 
between samples collected at the beginning and towards the close of the 
same snow storm, though in this matter we can only present data from 
one fall, that on March 4th. Next winter we hope to obtain further 
results on this and one or two related points. 
Of the total nitrogen, that of the free ammonia constituted the 
greatest part, that of the albuminoid ammonia the least; the nitrogen in 
the form of nitrates and nitrites occupies an intermediate position. This 
order is not invariably maintained, and in a few instances we further 
notice that the nitrates and nitrites are exceptionally high. 
The total snow-fall at Ottawa for the winter 1906-07 was 85.5 
inches, the amount per month being as follows: 
November G0G! ANNE MR PARTENAIRE RE 7.75 inches. 
DÉCO DOTE AN His PATES Es PEN ANR ES PRES APE ce 21:79 00: 
PANU AT yee LOT NANTERRE RAA PER el ER EEE sens. ete TROON Mc 
Hebruary vanes. Ses omer SALE A AE EZ ae 
March, A eter sini cheat be Dale een de che na ee Le 12-5070 
April, SOY Re anne ML IR PAU RE RAR CU QU REE 720 
May, TS eT Ser ct An rab NS AE AU RS Quieter . FE 60 MEL 
The average snow-fall at Ottawa from data for the past 16 years is 90.06 inches. 
To estimate the amount of nitrogen in the snow-fall per acre, it 
will be necessary in the first place to accept the assumption that 10 inches 
of snow are the equivalent of 1 inch of rain and secondly that the present 
averages are representative of the whole winter’s fall. Since 1 inch of 
rain over one acre weighs approximately 113 tons 600 Ib., we have had, 
per acre, during the winter, 968 tons, 1,430 lb. of snow water. This con- 
tained .471 parts per million of combined nitrogen, which by calculation 
gives .912 lb. of nitrogen in the snow over this area. With an average 
fall of 90 inches and with our present averages, we could state that the 
winter’s snow furnished, approximately, per acre, 1 Ib. of nitrogen 
valuable as a fertilizer. 
We must not suppose that the whole of the fertilizing, or to speak 
more correctly, the agricultural value of snow lies in the nitrogen it 
possesses ; nevertheless we have in these data some support for the widely 
accepted belief that snow is a direct fertilizer. It is very evident, how- 
ever, that the value of snow in this respect has been greatly over-esti- 
mated by our farmers. 
