164 STORRS AGRICUr.TURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The crops ivere grozvn i?i large pots and icere protected fro7n 

 rains by a playit shelter, although the plants stood out of doors in 

 pleasant weather. The zvater used for ivatering the plants was 

 practically free from nitrogen and was all added artificially. A 

 natural soil in which to groiv the crops luas taken from field plots 

 to which no nitrogen had been added since i8po. The amounts 

 of nitrogeji used, especially in the experiments pr'ior to 1901 , ivere 

 proportionately much larger than z« the field experiments, al- 

 though the ratio of the amounts on the difi^erent groups of pots to 

 each other ivere the same as in the groups of plots of special nitro- 

 gen field experiments. All of the pots were supplied with tiniform 

 quantities of mineral fertilizers , one group had the ''one-third 

 nitrogen ration,'" one the ''tzvo- thirds ratioji," and one the ''full 

 ration,''' in addition to the minerals. 



The results of the past three years' experiments i?idicate that 

 our common grasses such as orchard grass and meadoiv fescue are 

 greatly increased in the percentages of nitrogeii and of protein by 

 the nitrogeyi used as a fertilizer. Similar results zvere obtained 

 with Hungarian grass and millet. The only cereal that has been 

 grozvn in these experiments is oats. While the experiment has not 

 been fully satisfactory the increase in percentage of protein zvas 

 much larger zvhere the latger quantities of nitrogen ivere used as 

 fertilizer. The only legume which has been successfully grozvn is 

 the soy beaii. The seed of this plant zvas but little increased either 

 in total zveight of crop or in the percentage of nitrogen by the 

 nitrogen used as fertilizer. 



The practical bearing of the experiments is in the increased 



feeding value of certain crops following an increase in nitrogen 



used as fertilizer. Proteiii is the most expensive nutrient i7i 



feeding stuffs, and whatever method ca7i be adopted to increase 



economically the amount produced on the far^n, and thus to lessen 



the amount to be purchased, is particularly advantageous. These 



and similar experiments by the Station indicate that nitrogenous 



fertilizers such as 7iitrate of soda, d7'ied blood, ta7ikage, or i7ia7i- 



ure from well fed a7ii77ials, i7iay be so used as to i7ic7-ease cd7isider- 



ably the pe7'ce7itages and the total yields of 7iitroge7i a7id of 



protei7i of our co7}imon grasses a7id co'eals over zvliat these crops 



co7itain ivhe7i g7'oiv7i without the use of siich fertilizers. Nit7'og- 



e7ious fertilizers , 07i the other ha7id, a7'e of little value for 



i7icreasi7ig the pe7'ce7itages of 7iitroge7i a7id of p/'otei7i i7i the le- 



gu77ies, such as soy bea7is, cozv peas a7id clovers. 



