Skction III., 1908. [ 181 ] Trans. R. S. C. 



XVII. — The Nitrogen Compounds in Bain and Snow. 

 By Frank T. Shutt, M.A., F.I.C. 

 (Read May 26th, 1908.) 



At the meeting of this society last year the writer presented a short 

 paper entitled " The Fertilizing Value of Snow," in which were given 

 the amounts of the various nitrogen compounds found to be contained 

 in the snow as it fell near Ottawa durin^g the latter half of the winter 

 1906-7. Nitrogen present as free ammonia, albuminoid ammonia and 

 as nitrates and nitrites had been determined and the average total nitro- 

 gen content of the snow found to be .471 parts per million, of which the 

 largest part was in the form of free ammonia. With the average snow- 

 fall at Ottawa, 90 inches, our results showed that the winter's snow 

 furnished, approximately, per acre, 1 lb. of nitrogen valuable as a fer- 

 tilizer. 



This investigation has been uninterruptedly continued, samples 

 representative of each fall of rain and snow that furnished a sufficient 

 quantity for examination, being collected and analysed, so that now we 

 can place on record the data for the .year ending February 29th, 1908. 

 In all, 78 samples were analyzed, 46 of rain and 32 of snow. The 

 results obtained for each month have been averaged, and from these 

 averages the total monthly amounts of nitrogen in the various com- 

 pounds, per acre, calculated, using therefor the precipitation data 

 recorded on the Experimental Farm. This has furnished approximately 

 the amount of nitrogen in the snow and rain during the twelve months. 

 The monthly totals for the precipitation, the average amounts of 

 nitrogen present in the three forms and the pounds of nitrogen per acre 

 so supplied, are given in the following table : 



